Luke McCarthy
IT is advantage Don Hugo after the barrier draw for his next clash with Leap To Fame.
In a carbon copy of their Miracle Mile barriers last month, Don Hugo has drawn gate two and Leap To Fame will start out very wide in barrier seven in Friday night’s $NZ1 million Race by betcha at Cambridge.
The race is a “decider” of sorts with the scoreline between the pair sitting at 1-1.
Leap To Fame (second) beat home Don Hugo (fifth) in the Hunter Cup on February 1, but Don Hugo turned the tables by winning the Miracle Mile with Leap To Fame second on March 8.
“Six months ago, Leap To Fame would have been four or five lengths better than Don Hugo, but it’s tightened right up,” Don Hugo’s trainer-driver Luke McCarthy said.
“We know we can beat him now, but he’s an out-and-out champion, Leap To Fame and we know how hard it will be again this week.”
McCarthy got his wish in the draw.
“Draws are important in all big races, but this felt especially important,” he said. “I wanted to draw inside him, so we could have some sort of control over the race.
“Not only did we get that, but we drew as well as we could and he’s out wide again, Leap To Fame. We’ve got our chance.”
It looks almost certain Don Hugo will run to the front early.
“If we lead, which I expect to, there’s no way we’ll be taking a trail,” McCarthy said.
Despite all that, McCarthy agreed Leap To Fame’s amazing past two years meant he deserved to be favourite.
“It’ll be a great race, but, yes, Leap To Fame is the one we all have to beat. He should be favourite.”
The market has Leap To Fame $2.30 and Don Hugo at $2.50 in a complete Aussie dominance of NZ’s equal richest pacing race.
The most favoured Kiwi is Merlin, who is $10 from gate seven.
An Aussie also heads the betting in the other feature, the $NZ600,000 TAB Trot.
Brad Hewitt’s Inter Dominion winner The Locomotive firmed from $3.30 into $2.70 moments after drawing wide in gate six.
Although two of his key rivals – Oscar Bonavena (three) and Arcee Phoenix (four) – have drawn inside him, Hewitt still expects to lead.
“He only knows one way. I’ll be pressing the button and burning out in search of the lead,” he said.
“We’re really happy with him. We came in here (Cambridge) Tuesday morning for a workout and he felt as good as he does at home. The (tight) track won’t be a problem.”
Friday night is the first leg of an international juggernaut for The Locomotive.
Last week it was confirmed the five-year-old would tackle the world’s best trotters in the iconic Elitlopp Trot at Solvalla in Stockholm, Sweden on May 25.
PHOTO: HRNSW/Brett Atkins
