Don Hugo winning the 2025 Miracle Mile
DON Hugo’s brilliant Miracle Mile win capped a glorious seven-month rise to stardom, but trainer-driver Luke McCarthy insists there is more to come.
It was only seven months ago when the five-year-old was overlooked for a start in the Group 1 Blacks A Fake and had to be content with winning the consolation.
Last night, Don Hugo upstaged the two pacers who fought out that Blacks A Fake – champion siblings Leap To Fame and Swayzee – to complete an unprecedented treble of major races at Menangle.
He burst into the big league winning the world’s richest race, the $2.1mil TAB Eureka on September 7, added the iconic Inter Dominion final on December 14 and is now a Miracle Mile winner.
“What performance by the horse and by Luke (McCarthy),” jubilant owner Tony Licastro said.
“We’ve had our doubters, but it’s about time people realised this horse is the real deal.
“They said he beat an ordinary field in the Eureka, then they said he didn’t beat any champions in the Inter Dominion, but he broke the track record by two seconds that night.
“Now he’s proven he’s beaten the best of the best, so bring on anything we say.
“Leap To Fame is, I believe, the best pacer in the world and we beat him so that’s got to put us right up there.”
McCarthy marvelled at the improvement Don Hugo has made with each campaign since last Winter in Brisbane.
“He was flying up there, but he improved to win the Eureka, got better again Inter Dominion time and then his past two wins show he’s gone to another level now,” he said.
“He’s perfectly gaited, he’s fast, he’s strong and he’s the complete package now.
“We can head into any big race now knowing he’s up to them.”
While an Inter Dominion title defence in Brisbane in July is the next major target, a trip to Perth looks very likely for the $1.25mil Group 1 Nullarbor before them on April 25.
“We’ve got a slot in it and that was the plan going into the (Miracle) Mile, just give us a few days to enjoy this and lock away plans,” McCarthy said.
Don Hugo beat defending champion Leap To Fame and emerging Kiwi pacer Tact McLeod, with champion stayer Swayzee a luckless fourth last night.
Swayzee will join Don Hugo in Perth for the Nullarbor, while Leap To Fame has a slot in the $NZ1 million Race by Betcha at Cambridge in NZ’s North Island on April 4.
Tact McLeod’s driver and caretaker trainer Anthony Butt said he was also hopeful his pacer would land a slot in the Cambridge race.
“He’s proven himself and we’re preparing him as though he’s going there, in the hope he gets a slot,” he said.
Leap To Fame will return to trainer-driver Grant Dixon’s Tambourine property outside of Brisbane tomorrow (Monday).
“At this stage he’s going to NZ, but we just want to get him home and see how he is before we 100 per cent commit to a big trip like that,” owner Kevin Seymour said.
The Brisbane Inter Dominion series in July looms as the next time all the megastars of the sport will clash again.
PHOTOS: Club Menangle/Pacepix
