Catch A Wave takes career earnings over $1.1 million

Victorian harness racing pacer, Catch A Wave (Captaintreacherous) confirmed that he is currently the best horse racing in Australasia with an emphatic win in the million dollar Garrards Miracle Mile at Tabcorp Park Menangle on Saturday night.

The four-year-old gelding had put the writing on the wall with his astonishing win in the Chariots Of Fire a fortnight earlier, the experience gained from having two runs on the 1400 metre circuit proving invaluable for the biggest assignment in his 22 start career.

Catch A Wave was all at sea when he contested the Paleface Adios Sprint on February 11 and then in the Chariots, despite him winning, he was inclined to hang in, giving his driver Kate Gath a challenging task.

But on Saturday night, the star pacer put that all behind him as he looked sharp, bursting out of the gate to find the lead and run a scintillating 25.5 second first quarter.

Gath was then able to back off the tempo with a leisurely 29.2 second split before she ran her opponents off their feet, posting a 54.1 final half to defeat Spirit Of St Louis by just over three metres with Honolua Bay running a close third.

“This is just incredible,” an elated Kate Gath said after the race.

“We took a punt when we decided to push off the arm and hold the top.”

“It was a hard burn, but to our horse’s credit he was strong and I never felt in danger of losing for the majority of the race.”

“The only minor concern I had was when Spirit Of St Louis came off our back at the 400 metre mark. But my bloke was jogging at that stage and when I asked him for the supreme effort he had more than a kick left and he just ran away from them.”

“He has been a super horse to Andy and I, and also to his owners the Mathews family.”

“He will now go for a short break and come back for a crack at the Eureka where he has been locked into a slot by Daniel Cordina and his Cordina Racing enterprise.”

The win was Catch A Wave’s 17th and it took his career earnings well over $1.1 million.

For complete Menangle race results, click here.

by Michael Dumesny, for HRNSW