THIS will be a night to treasure at Newcastle. The 30-year history of the club’s flagship race has seen some of the greats win and now the 'Arty Party' heads to town when the sport’s pin-up pacer Lochinvar Art tackles Saturday night’s Group 1 Newcastle Mile.

Lochinvar Art’s owner-breeder Kevin Gordon is a local and has wanted to win the Newcastle Mile since his mate Vic Frost won it with the sublime Westburn Grant in 1990 & ’91.

“That was such a great time when Vic brought his champ him to win those two Miles. Ever since, I’ve wanted to have a runner in the Mile and to try and win it … I’ve got the horse now with Lochinvar Art,” Gordon said.

Since Westburn Grant’s back-to-back wins, Inter Dominion heroes like Our Sir Vancelot (1998), Jofess (2002) and Beautide (2013) along with other pacing heroes like Courage Under Fire (2000 and ’01), The Falcon Strike (2003) and Pay Me Christian (2006) have won the race.

Lochinvar Art’s Newcastle detour enroute to the Miracle Mile will be up with the most special moments in the history of the track, let alone the race.

Majordan set a track record 1min50.7sec winning last year’s race, but Lochinvar Art’s gone 1min48.6sec for 1720m around Melton, which points him to smashing the Newcastle record if trainer-driver David Moran wants to.

Team McCarthy isn’t sending any of their big names to Newcastle, so it seems former star Kiwi and now Queensland-based Turn It Up looks the only top class rival Lochinvar Art will face.

“I’m not worried about him coming to back to the sprints from a staying race like the Hunter Cup. He’s as fast as he is strong and he’s won a Chariots (over 1609m) and run second in a Miracle Mile already,” Moran said.

Rather than risk any possibility of being stranded in Victoria because of the latest COVID-19 issues, Moran floated Lochinvar Art to NSW last Friday night.

“I brought a few up, including Patsbeachstorm for the Derby, and coming early just means I’ll be up here a week longer than I’d first planned,” he said.

Brittany Graham will be trackside at Newcastle for Sky Racing to capture all the action on the night and for In The Gig next Tuesday.

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LET’S hope last Friday Group 1 Golden Nugget winner Minstrel can get a suitable flight to Sydney.

Co-trainer Greg Bond said connections have accepted the Chariots invite which goes with a Nugget win, but also been told they have to be in Sydney by Wednesday with all Chariots runners required to enter a retention barn at Menangle from Thursday.

“Bob Peters (WA thoroughbred owner-breeder) has a crate booked Monday with three horses so if one of those doesn’t got, then that’s an option. Otherwise Tuesday is our last chance,” Bond said.

“We’d love to get there. He was huge the other night. We think he’s right up with the very best horses we’ve had and he showed it in the Nugget.”

Expensive Ego showed why he’s been a long-time Chariots favourite when he returned to his best, ripped home in a 25.9sec last quarter and won last Saturday night’s Group 2 Paleface Adios.

A week earlier he struck early troubled, never looked comfortable around Melton and was then decked on the home bend when down the track in the Group 1 4YO Bonanza won by Boots Electric at Melton.

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WHAT an inspired move it’s been from Kiwi trainer Mark Jones to send his star mare Stylish Memphis across to Sydney.

Jack Trainor’s playing caretaker trainer and driver and the young former Kiwi could now drive Stylish Memphis in Group 1 races the next two weekends.

Stylish Memphis booked a spot in the Chariots Of Fire when second to Zeuss Bromac in the Paleface Adios last Saturday week.

Then, she went better again, when she stormed home to win the Group 2 Sibelia Stakes which assured her of a spot in the Group 1 Ladyship Mile on February 27.

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AGE certainly isn’t slowing NSW’s best trotter Tough Monarch.

This season is only six weeks old, but the nine-year-old has already won two Group 1 races in his three wins from four starts this term.

Anthony Butt drove him to win a Group 1 heat of the What The Hill Great Southern Star last Saturday week before backing-up three hours later from a poor draw and finishing seventh in the final.

With Butt in Sydney, Chris Svanosio grabbed the reins and pounced on the lead from gate five on Tough Monarch, who lifted after looking beaten late to win by a whisker in Saturday night’s Group 1 Aldebaran Park The Knight Pistol at Melton.

Tough Monarch still has the Group 1 Australian Trotting Grand Prix to come at Melton on February 27 before returning to Sydney for the Group 1 NSW Trotters’ Mile at Menangle on the March 6 Miracle Mile card.

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