Swayzee after winning the 2024 NZ Cup
CAM Hart has a point to prove with Swayzee.
The young gun driver insists Swayzee has “gone to another level” and will stake his claim for the crown as Australasia’s best pacer in coming months.
“Since he won the Victoria Cup last October and again after coming home after winning the NZ Cup in November, he’s just got better and better,” he said. “He’s just a beast and he’s absolutely flying.
“I don’t think there’s anything at all between him and Leap To Fame now.”
Hart is still pondering what might have been for Swayzee in the Miracle Mile where a tricky draw saw him bailed up in traffic and unable to have any real impact in the race, until he saw daylight and flashed home late for a luckless fourth.
“Did you see him after the line … he was just hitting top gear at the finish and ran another super quarter (400m) past the post,” he said.
“He’s shown he is no one-trick pony and that he can sprint and stay.
“I think he’s going so well, if he’d had Leap To Fame’s draw and run in the Miracle Mile, he would have sat outside Don Hugo and won.”
The luckless Miracle Mile run has spurred Hart to make a statement when Swayzee chases a $500,000 bonus in Saturday night’s Group 3 Renshaw Cup at Penrith.
Swayzee secured a $250,000 bonus for winning the first three legs of the NSW Carnivals of Cups, but dreams of a $1 million bonus for winning all five legs were dashed when he was upset by Captain Hammerhead in the fourth leg at Albury last month.
Winning four of the five legs will earn Swayzee a $500,000 bonus.
While Swayzee won’t have Leap To Fame or even Miracle Mile winner Don Hugo to contend with at Penrith, his nemesis from Albury, Captain Hammerhead, will be there.
Swayzee is $1.25 favourite from Captain Hammerhead $5.50.
While Penrith is a small 800m track like Albury, Hart isn’t worried about a repeat of the upset at Albury.
“Swayzee simply didn’t handle the Albury track, but it’s very different to Penrith. Apart from the size, they couldn’t be more different,” Hart said.
“Put it this way, Albury is the worst of the five tracks in this series and Penrith is the best of them.
“Penrith has good banking and I’m sure it won’t be an issue for Swayzee.
“At Albury, it was more about Swayzee’s manners and locking on one rein so badly which beat him as it was Captain Hammerhead.
“If he can get in front of us like he did at Albury, I’ll sure try and run and make it hard for us, but we’ll get around Penrith a lot better than we did Albury.”
While winning the bonus will mean a lot for Hart and Swayzee’s connections this week, he is already looking further ahead.
“I can’t wait to race the best of them again,” he said. “I just take so much confidence out of the Hunter Cup and how went in his qualifier and the Miracle Mile itself.”
But that may not be until the Brisbane Inter Dominion series in July.
Swayzee’s next major target is the $1.25mil Group 1 Nullarbor at Perth’s Gloucester Park on April 25.
Don Hugo could be amongst his rivals, but Leap To Fame won’t be.
PHOTOS:
- Swayzee with Jason Grimson and Cam Hart - HRNZ
