Don Hugo winning the 2025 Miracle Mile
MIRACLE Mile winner Don Hugo will embark on a daring and historic feature race quest across two countries next month.
In a surprise twist, connections of the five-year-old yesterday confirmed they had accepted a slot offer to run in the $NZ1mil Race by Betcha at Cambridge in NZ’s North Island on April 4.
Most thought that would end plans to tackle the $1.25mil Group 1 Nullarbor at Perth’s Gloucester Park on April 25.
But trainer-driver Luke McCarthy said the intention was to tackle both races.
“He’s a stallion in the zone and they can bounce out of races, just as he has from the Miracle Mile last Saturday night,” he said.
“There’s three weeks between races and we’re looking into flights to make it all happen.
“He can fly from Sydney to Auckland, then from Auckland back to Melbourne instead. Then there’s a flight to Perth.”
In a manic 24 hours, slot owner Josh Davine sealed a deal for the Cambridge race with Don Hugo’s owner, Tony Licastro.
It the key piece a day of shuffling where eight-time Aussie Group 1 winner Catch A Wave pulled out of the Cambridge race to focus on the Nullarbor instead.
That paved the way for emerging Kiwi pacer, Tact McLeod, who ran third in the Miracle Mile, so get the slot in the Race by Betcha. He will race in the slot owned by Catch A Wave’s owners, the Matthews family.
Back to the Don Hugo twist and McCarthy explained how is unfolded.
“They’d talked before the Miracle Mile, but I just wanted to get through that race first,” McCarthy said. “Josh put a great deal to Tony and, given how well he’s come through the Miracle Mile, it’s a great option.
“He will either have a race or a private trial at Menangle before he goes across. There’s a flight the Sunday before the (Cambridge) race, which is ideal. It’s really easy to get to Auckland, direct from Sydney.”
No pacer has contested both the Cambridge and Perth slot races, but the stretch to a three-week gap between them this year makes it achievable.
Licastro has bought his own slot in the Nullarbor for Don Hugo.
Don Hugo has already created some history by becoming the first pacer to win the TAB Eureka, Inter Dominion and Miracle Mile, all in the past seven months.
The change to tackle the Race by Betcha sets up an unexpected and exciting rematch with champion pacer Leap To Fame, who is likely to be on the same flight from Sydney to Auckland on March 30.
They are 1-1 head-to-head with Leap To Fame beating Don Hugo home in the Hunter Cup, but the former turning the tables when they ran the quinella in the Miracle Mile.
Former Miracle Mile winner Catch A Wave, who tied-up when eighth in last Saturday night’s race, is another star Aussie pacer with a slot at Cambridge.
Leap To Fame has returned to his stable at Tambourine, outside Brisbane.
“We tossed-up keeping him in Sydney and flying to NZ early, but decided to get him back home where he absolutely thrives,” trainer-driver Grant Dixon said.
“That means we will probably miss the lead-up race at Cambridge on March 28 and just get the flight out of Sydney five days before the big race.”
Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp.
PHOTO: Club Menangle/Pacepix
