Don Hugo beating Leap To Fame in the Miracle Mile
THE Miracle Mile rematch is on, but in a different country.
Emerging star Don Hugo upstaged defending champ Leap To Fame in an epic stoush in the $1mil Miracle Mile at Menangle on March 8.
Almost a month later and 2700 kilometres away from Menangle, the pair clash again as they headline the field in Friday night’s $NZ1mil Race by betcha at Cambridge Raceway in New Zealand’s North Island.
The two glamour pacers will share the same flight from Sydney to Auckland today.
The scene is perfectly set with a 1-1 scoreline between Leap To Fame and Don Hugo and both aiming to become the first Aussie raider to win NZ’s most exciting new race.
The distance is also different to the Miracle Mile as they stretch out to 2200m on Friday night.
The track is very different, too. Menangle is a spacious 1400m circuit, but Cambridge much smaller at 1000m and with tight turns.
Leap To Fame’s trainer-driver Grant Dixon is buoyed by the extra distance.
“He’s got a great record in sprint races, but the longer the races certainly suit him because he can sustain his speed for so long,” he said.
“In the mile races, it can take you a while to get into a spot to assert yourself, as it did in the Miracle Mile. You get more of a chance to do that in the longer races.”
Although the tough run outside the lead in the Miracle Mile took a bit out of Leap To Fame, he showed he bounced-back well when he smashed the Albion Park 1660m track record last Saturday.
“I’m glad we got him back home for a couple of weeks,” Dixon said. “He thrives at home and he’s right where we want him again heading to NZ.
“It’s exciting to be getting across there for one of their biggest races after we’d planned to go a couple of times last year, but it didn’t work out.”
Don Hugo also won his only start since the Miracle Mile, posting a sparkling 25.9sec last quarter and scoring in second gear at Menangle last Saturday night.
“Leap To Fame is an out-and-out champion, so to beat him in the Miracle Mile was really special,” Don Hugo’s trainer-driver Luke McCarthy said.
“I really felt I didn’t have the best of Don Hugo in the Hunter Cup when he (Leap To Fame) and Swayzee beat us home, so to turn the tables on them both in the Miracle Mile gives me confidence.
“It’s great for us and exciting for the sport to have another horse challenging the champions.”
Leap To Fame is $2.20 favourite ahead of Don Hugo at $3.20, but that could change significantly after Tuesday’s barrier draw.
While Leap To Fame and Don Hugo are the only two Aussie pacers in the Race by betcha, our numbers are a lot stronger in Cambridge’s other feature, the $NZ600,000 TAB Trot.
Inter Dominion winner The Locomotive heads an impressive five Aussie-trainer raiders in the eight-horse TAB Trot field.
The others are Victoria trio Arcee Phoenix, Im Ready Jet and Queen Elida, along with Queensland’s Not As Promised.
PHOTO: Club Menangle/Pacepix
