Croker will be cheering for a Captain’s Knock

FORMER NRL star Jarrod Croker will be cheering from Las Vegas in the hope his star pacer Captains Knock (Captaintreacherous) can snare a Miracle Mile berth.

Croker, who retired in 2023, is the top try scorer and highest points scorer in Canberra Raiders history across a stellar 307-game career. He’s in Vegas as part of the Raiders’ coaching team.

He was born and grew up in Goulburn with prominent harness trainer-driver Brad Hewitt, which sparked his interest in the sport and his share in the talented but luckless Captains Knock, a winner of 18 races and $554,926.

“Although it’s been the most amazing ride with him, a real fairytale, you can’t help but think what might have been with some better barrier draws … and he’s copped a shocker again this week,” Croker said.

Captains Knock drew wide in nine and will start from the second-widest barrier in a strong and crucial Miracle Mile qualifier on Saturday night.

Only a top three finish will guarantee him a spot in Australasia’s premier speed test, the $1 million Miracle Mile, a week later.

The five-year-old’s history of awful barrier draws is a horror show, starting with the Group 1 Australian Gold final where he drew 10 and ran third.

Then followed gate nine in the Group 1 2YO Breeders Crown final (ran sixth), nine in the Group 1 Victoria Derby (seventh), eight in the Group 1 Chariots Of Fire (third), 12 in the Group 1 Rising Sun (fourth), nine in the $2.1mil TAB Eureka (seventh), nine in last December’s Inter Dominion final (seventh) and 10 in the Hunter Cup earlier this month (sixth).

“We’re absolutely certain he’s never gone better, but it’s just so hard from those sorts of draws in the big races,” Croker said.

“He ran second and had to do the work outside the winner (Max Delight) last time and they smashed the clock with a 1min48.8sec mile.

“We were so excited about these qualifiers, but the draw makes it really hard again.

“He’s going to need so much luck now, but he deserves a crack at a great race like the Miracle Mile. It would be incredible to have a runner.”

Hewitt, who took his career to the next level winning the Inter Dominion trotting final with The Locomotive at Menangle last December, hopes Captain Knock’s versatility can help him overcome the wide draw on Saturday night.

“He’s shown he’s tough and fast and he’ll need them both to qualify from there, but we couldn’t have him any better going into it,” he said.

Hewitt is hoping to showcase his two stable stars on Miracle Mile night with The Locomotive in the $100,000 Group 1 Hammerhead Mile.

“That’s going to be a terrific race, too. We beat Keayang Chucky in the Inter Dominion, but he looks to have improved since, and the Kiwi, Oscar Bonavena, has won over a million and looks in peak form for it,” he said.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Adam Hamilton, for Harness Racing Australia