Kelly against the odds

Southland harness racing owners Paul and Mandy Pearce know the odds are stacked against their mare Braeview Kelly (Bettor’s Delight) in the $1,000,000 Garrards Miracle Mile on Saturday night (Mar. 4).

“It hasn’t really sunk in that’s it’s the Miracle Mile, the biggest harness race in Australia. Our focus was on last weekend’s race,” Paul said.

Last weekend the five year old mare won the $200,000 Group One Queen Elizabeth II Mile which qualifies her for Saturday’s feature.

BRAEVIEW KELLY REPLAY

“I still can’t get my head around winning that to be honest. In that race the first quarter was run in 26.1 and we were three wide so that’s about an extra twenty metres. It was a sprint the whole way.”

Pearce will fly over to Australia with Mandy on Saturday and he’s in no doubt that when he lands the enormity of the occasion will hit him.

“I was listening to an interview the other day with Andy Gath who has Catch A Wave (Captaintreacherous) in the race and look, you could hear the emotion and the passion in his voice. Then I thought, man we’ve got a horse in the same race.”

Braeview Kelly has drawn barrier five in a front row stacked full of speed.

“We don’t really have to go forward. To be three back on the outside would be great. The best attribute of Kelly is that she can follow speed.”

Since the inaugural running of the great race in 1967 when New Zealand mare Robin Dundee won in a time of 1-59, very few mares have won the mile feature. The last was Baby Bling (Western Terror) in 2013.

Since she’s been in Australia Braeview Kelly has won eight of her twelve starts and her best mile time has been 1-49.5. She may have to go two or three seconds faster to win Saturday’s feature race.

“If they get a nice night they’ll go 1-48 easy. It’s a tough ask for us but we’re not going there to make up the numbers. I think with the way she follows speed and can sprint I think she’ll give us a thrill this trip.”

Despite her formline, Braeview Kelly is the outsider in the eight horse field, at odds of $34.00 for a win. 

The race record of 1-46.7 is held by My Field Marshall (Art Major). Owned by Mosgiel couple Syd and Shona Brown, the gelding won in 2018.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink