Don Hugo winning the 2025 Miracle Mile
REIGNING Inter Dominion and Miracle Mile winner Don Hugo is just weeks away from a racetrack return.
Trainer-driver Luke McCarthy said the five-year-old had thrived during a three week break and could resume as early as the end of this month.
“He’s not far off,” he said. “He needed a break. He just wasn’t quite right after the Cambridge run and he seems great now.
“He’s had a couple of good hitouts and I couldn’t be happier with him.
“The plan is to have at least a couple of runs at Menangle before we head to Brisbane.
“If he’s not ready to go at the end of this month, it’ll be the first week of June.”
Don Hugo will launch his Inter Dominion title defence when the Brisbane Inter Dominion starts at Albion Park on July 5.
The $1 million pacing final is on July 19.
McCarthy said he had a big and strong team of raiders planned for an array of the feature races during the Inter Dominion carnival.
“There’s about eight on the list at the moment,” he said. “There’s just so many great racing options up there outside of the Inter Dominion, too.”
One of the stars will be mare Eye Keep Smiling, who is chasing another feature win in Saturday night’s $200,000 Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Mile at Menangle.
Eye Keep Smiling enjoyed a fantastic Brisbane winter campaign last year with seven starts netting five wins and a second.
She won the state’s biggest mares’ race, the Group 1 Golden Girl, which will be her main target again.
PHOTO: Pacepix/Club Menangle
