VICTORIA is superbly placed to continue its proud and fantastic record in Australia’s marquee four-year-old race, the $250,000 Group 1 Chariots Of Fire at Menangle on Saturday night.
Six of the 10 finalists are Victorians – Bondi Lockdown, Bettor Call Me, Beyond Delight, Rock N Roll Doo, Spring In His Step and Better Eclipse - and ahead of the barrier draw at lunchtime today, four of the first five in betting are trained in Victoria.
Remarkably, Victorian raiders have won eight of the past 15 Chariots Of Fires, going back to the late Gavin Lang’s mighty mare Innocent Eyes in 2006 and, most recently, with Lochinvar Art in 2020.
Other Victorian winners in between have been Poster Boy (2019), Jilliby Kung Fu (2018), Guaranteed (2014), Caribbean Blaster (2012), Villagem (2010) and Maffioso (2009).
Aaron Dunn’s emerging star Bondi Lockdown looks the one to beat pre-draw, especially after Kiwi superstar Krug led and was rundown in extraordinary fashion by another emerging Victorian, Mick Stanley’s Rock N Roll Doo.
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That win had to be seen to be believed. He was three-wide for a long time from an outside draw, sat parked and appeared to cruise past Krug without driver Luke McCarthy asking him for any great effort.
No wonder Stanley’s been raving to those close to him about Rock N Roll Doo’s potential for a long, long time.
Back to Bondi Lockdown and it’s worth noting the fantastic recent record of 4YO Bonanza winners in the Chariots with four of the past five winning the double: Lochinvar Art, Poster Boy, Jilliby Kung Fu and Lazarus.
Today’s draw will be fascinating.
WILL Expensive Ego get revenge for that Inter Dominion final protest result?
That’s the theme heading into the first Miracle Mile qualifier, Friday night’s Group 1 Newcastle Mile.
Expensive Ego has bounced-back well from a “bug” that forced him out of the Hunter Cup and is heading to Newcastle, according to co-trainer Luke McCarthy.
And Boncel Benjamin, who snatched the Inter Dominion crown off Expensive Ego in the stewards’ room, is also Newcastle-bound.
It will be Boncel Benjamin’s first run since that Menangle final on December 12, but trainer Jason Grimson said he was primed to make a statement.
“He’s flying. I worked him over 2300m (at Menangle, last Thursday) and he ran home in 53sec flat,” he said.
Remember, Boncel Benjamin went super close to leading and beating King Of Swing in the sprint heats of the Inter Dominion series at Bathurst.
What a great way to kick-start the countdown to the $1 million Miracle Mile at Menangle on March 5.
THERE aren’t many more enjoyable sights in harness racing than Stylish Memphis in full flight.
The defending Ladyship Mile champ even shocked her caretaker trainer-driver Jack Trainor when she ripped home from a mile back to easily win the Group 2 Sibelia Stakes at Menangle last Saturday night.
I clocked her going 53.7sec for her last half and that’s out very wide.
And that’s also coming off a minor hoof issue which forced her to go three weeks between races and left her “needing the run,” according to Trainor.
“She’s just something else. She’s so fast. I thought if she was vulnerable it was tonight. She definitely needed the run and still comes out and goes like that. It shows what class and speed she has.”
Stylish Memphis is certainly the class act of this Ladyship, but the way Spellbound blitzed her rivals on Hunter Cup night, she can certainly take it right up to the defending champ on Saturday week.
It’s just another superb ingredient to this fantastic next weeks of the Carnival of Miracles at Menangle.
CHAMPION mare Amazing Dream could be racing in the US as early as next month.
Managing owner Gordon Banks stressed everything would have to go right, but pin-pointed the huge Matchmaker series at Yonkers in New York as a possible first target for last Saturday week’s Hunter Cup placegetter.
“If she is fully ready for it, and she’ll show us that, then the Matchmaker comes up first. If not, the rest of the big mares’ races don’t start until late May,” he said.
“She arrived in Chicago (last Thursday), cleared quarantine (Saturday) and will have days in a paddock at a farm before going to Linda (Toscano, new trainer).”
Wouldn’t be awesome if one of the Down Under ex-pats – Todd or Andy McCarthy or Dexter Dunn – landed the drive on Amazing Dream.
“We have tentative plans (for a driver), but it would be premature to formalize anything until she is close to racing,” Banks said.
It’s always tricky to line-up how Down Under pacers will perform in the US, but let’s be optimistic. She left her miles better than Shartin and she became the toast of the US.
She won 46 of her 68 starts, paced a staggering 1min46.8sec mile and was crowned the overall 2019 USA Dan Patch Harness Horse of the Year.
The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.