Miracle Mile – Southern connections

The southern region of New Zealand has a strong harness racing connection to Saturdays Miracle Mile at Menangle.

Robin Dundee (Hal Tryax) won the inaugural running in 1967 while other winners with a southern link are Holmes DG (Holmes Hanover), Young Quinn (Young Charles) Baby Bling (Western Terror) and My Field Marshal (Art Major).

This year also, the south is well represented in the million dollar feature.

Spirit Of St Louis (Sweet Lou) is part owned by Tony Gow, Steve Pulley, Graeme Anderson and Ray Chaiklin of Otago. Loyalist (Bettor’s Delight) was bred by Woodlands horseman Steve Baucke and his neighbour David Sutherland whilst former southern reinsman Adam Sanderson will partner Speak The Truth (Bettor’s Delight) in the great race.

All three horses gained their spot by winning or running second in qualifying heats at Menangle on Saturday night and all have been given favourable draws.

Spirit Of St Louis trained by Luke McCarthy has drawn two, Speak The Truth for Shannon Price has barrier one while Loyalist trained by Joe Conolly runs from barrier three.

“It’s exciting having a horse in a Miracle Mile. It’s like having a horse in the New Zealand Cup. My understanding is that the harder they go the better Loyalist likes it,” Baucke said.

Thirty four year old Sanderson who’s driven 1,068 winners in Australia has won a Group One race driving Wee Man Trouble (Superfast Stuart) winning the 2019 Darrell Alexander Memorial Trotting Championship Final at Albion Park.

“Here I am, just a kiwi who didn’t grow up in harness racing driving in a Miracle Mile. It’s going to be a big thrill,” he said.

He attended Southland Boys High with Jason Hackett who has also shaped a career in harness racing in Australia.

“He left school before me and worked for Kirk Larsen. We used to go to the races at the weekend. When I left school I didn’t know what I was going to do. I started cleaning the boxes and caught the bug.”

Sanderson drove sixty seven winners in New Zealand as a junior. He was the leading Southland Junior driver in 2012 with forty wins and finished fourth in the New Zealand Junior Drivers Premiership won by Zachery Butcher.

He moved to Australia in 2012, chasing the warmer weather and says he’s had good support in the last few years from Price and her training partner Scotty Miller who run a boutique stable.

“They only have ten to twelve horses and they concentrate on quality rather than quantity. They’ve always had a good horse in the stable.”

His drive Speak The Truth’s win to qualify on Saturday was done the hard way. He was three wide early before sitting parked and was too tough, beating Spirit Of St Louis by 3.2 metres.

“That’s his main forte (tough). He lacks that real high speed but he makes up for it in toughness for sure. He never felt like he was getting tired and even after the line he was quite difficult to pull up.”

Sanderson says drawing one on Saturday will be a huge help to Speak The Truth’s chances.

“Anytime you draw on the fence at Menangle it helps especially in what will be a high pressure race. Leap To Fame is the benchmark and he’s had our measure quite a few times now but in saying that he’s always drawn better than us. It would be a nice change to settle in front of him. Hi Manameisjeff, is another one that has high gate speed and he’s going to be a big chance. All going well I think we’re up with most of them.”

Sanderson who’s having his sixtieth drive in the Group One says his horse doesn’t have electric gate speed.

“He has sneakily good gate speed so there’s a chance one could zip across him and that may put us back a little bit. Even if he does get crossed there’ll be a couple there that’ll be wanting to make Leap To Fame work so they’re going to be running good sectionals. My horse has shown he can run off any sectionals. It’s going to be a good race and I can’t wait.”

And he says he’s not overwhelmed by the occasion.

“I’ve got the laid back Invercargill attitude (laughter). It’s just another race and what will be will be. As long as we go there and do our best.”

Baucke and Sutherland sold Loyalist at the yearling sales for $40,000 and he won four races for Greg and Nina Hope. He’s been racing in Australia since September 2022 and has won eight races there. This will be the second $1,000,000 race Loyalist has competed in. He ran eighth in the TAB Touch The Nullarbor.

“Luck didn’t go his way in the Nullarbor. He got a cold and they worked hard on him all week, but he just wasn’t quite right,” said Baucke.

Spirit Of St Louis won eight races for Graeme Anderson before he was sent to Australia. Since he’s been at the McCarthey stables he’s won a further twenty races and has become a millionaire pacer in the process. He’s won one Group One race; the 2022 Schweppes Sprint at Menangle.

The last horse to win the great race with any southern connections was My Field Marshal which was owned by Syd and Shona Brown of Mosgiel.

Prior to that 2013 winner Baby Bling was developed by Wyndham trainers Gordon and Colin Lee, 1999 and 2000 winner Holmes DG was bred by the late Murray Gray of Ryal Bush with Brian Dempster of Invercargill.

Young Quinn (1975) was owned by Bud and Des Baynes of Edendale and Robin Dundee (1967) was raced by Jack Hewitt of Invercargill and trained by Jack Walsh in Gore.

So there’s plenty of southern history there. Let’s hope the region can extend the record in Saturday’s million dollar feature.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink