WHAT a delicious entrée to the TAB Eureka we will have with next Saturday night’s $150,000 Group 1 Len Smith Mile.
The unexpected return racing of champion stayer Swayzee and string of high-class and in-form rivals, makes for a tantalising contest.
Sure Swayzee is the best horse in the race, but the dual NZ Cup winner is first-up since April, not as well suited to sprinting as he is staying and faces some fit and firing rivals.
Swayzee, who looked sharp winning a Menangle mile trial in 1min49.9sec last Wednesday, hasn’t started since finishing fourth in the Group 1 Nullarbor at Gloucester Park on April 25.
In contrast, key rivals like Catch A Wave, Max Delight, Sure Thing Captain, Eye Keep Smiling and The Janitor and Kingman have all won brilliantly in the past week or so.
And all have raced superbly in Menangle sprint races previously.
This will be some sort of contest.
Champion mare Eye Keep Smiling showed she was ready for the biggest test of her career when she brilliantly won first-up from a short break at Menangle last night.
It was her 11th successive win and, despite sitting parked, she scorched a 1min49.9sec mile and easily held off her rivals to win by 1.9m. The closing splits were 54.5 and 27.3sec.
She will be one of two runners for Luke McCarthy, who had the untapped Kiwi-bred four-year-old Kingman worked superbly between races at Menangle last night.
Kingman, who showed loads of talent for Emma Stewart, has raced three times for McCarthy for two wins and a second.
Although TAB Eureka-bound stablemate Hesitate narrowly beat him last night, Kingman was strangled to the line and really grabbed the eye.
Another Kiwi-bred, Chantal Turpin’s The Janitor, turned heads with a powerhouse first-up win at Albion Park last night.
First-up for six weeks, The Janitor sat parked outside Inter Dominion runner-up Speak The Truth and crushed him in a 1min51.2sec mile rate for 1660m.
Speak The Truth, who will also tackle the Len Smith with stablemate Sure Thing Captain, will be fitter for the run and does fly at Menangle.
Old marvel Max Delight looked superb when second (and hard-held) behind Swayzee in last Wednesday’s Menangle trial.
The enigmatic but gifted Catch A Wave returned to his very best form winning at Melton last Saturday week.
Remember, he’s won a Miracle Mile at Menangle and also won last year’s Len Smith.
Then there’s the high-class and in-form Captains Knock.
Tuesday’s barrier draw will be important, but given the depth of the race and presence of Swayzee, it’s sure to be a truly run contest.
In staying races, Swayzee’s rivals often surrender the lead to him rather than try and go toe-to-toe with the mighty stayer.
But, in sprint races, rivals will be a lot more likely to keep him out, especially first-up.
It’s going to be a heck of a race.
