Crowning moment for Hall Snr

Hall of Fame trainer Gary Hall Snr rates King Of Swing’s triumph in Saturday night’s Miracle Mile as one of his finest moments in harness racing.

The former West Australian pacer’s completed his rise to the top echelon of the Free-For-All ranks in Australasia rating a dazzling 1.48.0 for the famous Menangle mile.

Hall Snr, who owns a share in the five-year-old with his partner Karen, said winning a Miracle Mile had been a long-term goal.

“That’s right up there for me,” he told TABradio.

“For me to win a Miracle Mile, it has been on my bucket list for years.

“I’ve run a third and a fourth in it but I’ve never looked like winning it.

“Quinny (Im Themightyquinn) wasn’t really a miler.”

King Of Swing had 13 starts prior to joining Hall Snr’s stable in March 2018 and won the WA Derby at just his second start in the state.

The son of Rocknroll Hanover then endured a frustrating campaign in the second half of 2019 and Hall Snr, along with the other owners, elected to send the five-year-old to New South Wales.

He has now won four of his five starts under the care of Cross and Hall Snr said he couldn’t believe how well he adapted to racing at the top level, given his lacklustre form at Gloucester Park.

“He just wasn’t competitive at all when he wasn’t in front,” he said.

“You’ve got to admire Luke (McCarthy) and Craig Cross and the job they’ve done with the horse.

“He’s focused and all he wants to do is win.”

Hall Snr said King Of Swing would now likely be aimed at the Len Smith Mile or a potential trip to Queensland, with a long range plan of getting him to the Inter Dominion series later in the year.

Meanwhile, Golden Nugget winner Shockwave is a chance of making a return to the track in Friday night’s Group 2 4&5YO Championship (2130m).

The Ryan Bell-trained pacer was desperately unlucky in the WA Pacing Cup and hasn’t been seen since.

Tim Walker