Captains Mistress. Photo by Club Menangle
A low draw should allow brilliant mare Captains Mistress to use her speed and continue her winning streak in Saturday night’s Group 1 Chariots of Fire, highlight of a star-studded Menangle program.
The mare is five from five since crossing the Tasman and joining Jason Grmson and is a raging $1.04 early favourite with the TAB to continue on her winning way.
Captains Mistress had enough gate speed to cross from a wider barrier and lead before going on score by close to 10m in last week's Paleface Adios, taking her record at the mile to four from four.
Her other four wins since switching from NZ had been by huge margins of between 18m and 25m including her spanking of some of the best mares in the country in the Queen of the Pacific at Melton two back.
Her abundance of speed can see her take full advantage of the low draw so it is hard to see how they stop her.
Hesitate has been kept fresh since his resuming win in the Bonanza at Melton. The wide draw hurts but he is three from three when second up and was good enough to place in last year's Eureka.
Double Lou worked to the front from wider when winning the Hondo Grattan narrowly last start, his third success in four tries at this circuit and distance this time in. The ace draw should see him competitive along with My Ultimate Barney who will find it hard to tun the tables on Captain Mistress through last week's third but enjoys a better draw.
A Chariots of Fire win would gift Captains Mistress a place in next week's Miracle Mile and the make-up of that race will be known after Saturday's meeting with two other qualifiers on the program.
The first sees a rematch between last year's Miracle Mile quinella of Don Hugo and Leap To Fame and the draw suggests the race could pan out on a similar way.
Leap To Fame comes off a narrow and very brave second in the Hunter Cup after working hard and he was terrific in three prior Victorian wins, two at Group 1 level.
He is more dominant over longer distances but his strike rate at the mile is strong and he has a Miracle Mile win on his resume. The low barrier should give him his chance.
Last-start winner Don Hugo has fared even better at the draw and he has the speed to take advantage. He held the lead and made Leap To Fame work when beating him in last year's Miracle Mile and trainer-driver Luke McCarthy will be aiming to make this race pan out the same way.
Hi Manameisjeff is a Menangle mile specialist, winning 10 of 13 attempts. He came from the outside barrier to beat Don Hugo over the distance last month and is a chance to upset the top pair.
Speak The Truth brings winning form from Queensland. He draws well and won one of these qualifiers two years ago prior to his Miracle Mile placing so is worth including.
The inside draw gives another Queenslander - The Janitor – his chance to step up to against the topliners.
He had a taste of the big time when a very close third to Don Hugo and Leap To Fame when last seen in December's Blacks a Fake in Brisbane and comes into this fresh but races well that way and has been readied with two trial wins.
He has won at Menangle a couple of times before and should get his chance from the draw.
Kingman drew poorly and had little luck but was still brave in the Hunter Cup. He drops to the mile but has a decent record at it and strikes at 50 per cent at Menangle.
He was brilliant in a couple of big wins late last year and could roar back into winning form.
Rakero Rocket was gunned down as a hot favourite in last week's Newcastle Mile but had clocked terrific times in winning his previous two starts at the Menangle mile.
Last-start Hunter Cup winner Swayzee is another better known over further and faces a task from the outside barrier but is all class.
