Ballarat stables take aim at big crowns Miracle Mile night
Menangle, he we come.
That’s the message from Ballarat region stables as they lead the interstate assault on Miracle Mile night.
EMMA STEWART heads the charge which also features MICHAEL STANLEY, ANTON GOLINO and new addition JESS TUBBS.
Stewart, Stanley and Golino all know what it’s like to hit Sydney with big guns.
For Golino, it is a homecoming, having been based in NSW before making the move south of the Murray Rivers with Yabby Dam Racing.
STEWART has four chances at landing a third group 1 $200,000 NSW Derby.
POSTER BOY and MARAETAI each qualified for the final with heat wins.
They will be joined by MAJOR TIMES, which finished second to Poster Boy, and TAM MAJOR, which earned a berth as the fastest fourth across three heats on Saturday, February 17.
Maraetai ($3.80) saluted in the opening heat in a mile rate of 1:57.9 for 2400m,
The Somebeachsomewhere colt finished fifth in the Victorian Derby and now boasts five wins in seven starts.
By the same sire as Maraetai, Poster Boy ($1.30 favourite) led and rated 1:57.9 to take his career record to 10 wins in 14 starts for $235,000 in stakes.
He is looking to avenge his Victoria Derby second place to Queenslander COLT THIRTY ONE, which won the third heat in Sydney – beating Little Peanut from the Myrniong stable of JESS TUBBS.
Stewart took 12 horses to Menangle and also progressed two runners to the group 1 $200,000 NSW Oaks.
New stable addition IMPRINCESSGEMMA ($5.10) took out a heat in 1:57.3, while short-priced favourite NOSTRA VILLA had to settle for second.
Imprincessgemma was previously trained by young Ararat horseman Leroy O’Brien and was first-up after a freshen up.
Stewart will also have CARLAS PIXEL (2.90) in the group 1 $200,000 Ladyship Mile next Saturday night.
The 4yo mare led and sizzled home in 1:51.7 in her first outing for Stewart.
Already with an impressive record, Carlas Pixel was formerly trained by Dean Braun at Lara.
MICHAEL STANLEY holds a trump card in the $750,000 Miracle .
Stanley knows what it is like to be a group 1 winner, but capturing the Miracle Mile with Soho Tribeca would take him to a new height.
Soho Tribeca has had just two starts for Stanley since arriving from his West Australian base – finishing second in the AG Hunter Cup at Melton and second in the Allied Express Sprint at Menangle, where he went down by a nostril in a stunning 1:48.7 after facing the breeze.
Stanley landed the job of training the outstanding 5yo through his successful association with owner-breeder Rob Watson, who operates Soho Standardbreds.
Greg Sugars will again take the drive and is likely to again push forward and race on the pace from an awkward gate six.
Stanley also has MACEY JAYDE and SOHO BURNING LOVE in the Oaks after each finished second in heats. They will each have to deal with wide draws.
ANTON GOLINO sends around MY TRIBECA and VINCENNES in the group 1 $50,000 Access Group Solutions Trotters’ Mile– a race in which he had a second with GLENFERRIE BURN last year.