2011 Miracle MileHarness & Greyhounds

CookieKwan

ITMQ and Smoken Up just got exactly the draw both sets of connections would have wanted. This will be a scorching race. Justice won't hand up with SU and Junior won't look to do too much off the arm with ITMQ. Mr Feelgood will burst off the arm and get to SU's wheel, then hand up to Franco Jamar for a breather. FJ will be a complete pest down the back and by the time they pass the 400m mark they will be looking at record time. From here ITMQ, Mr Feelgood, and Terror to Love will start to make their moves as Justice asks SU for more. Raglan can rattle off a very fast sectional but will be hard pressed keeping up, same as Karloo Mick. Lisagain is outclassed.
The winner will have to run the last 400m in 25-26 seconds and the horse for that job is the mighty one.

1 SMOKEN UP NZ, Lance Justice


2 LISAGAIN USA, Anthony Butt

3 IM THEMIGHTYQUINN NZ, Gary Hall (Jnr)

4 GARNET RIVER, Mat Rue (C) Em 1

5 KARLOO MICK, Greg Bennett

6 MEGA ALEXANDER, Ashlee Siejka EM 2

7 MR FEELGOOD USA, Luke McCarthy

8 RAGLAN NZ, Darren Hancock

9 TERROR TO LOVE NZ, James Curtin

10 FRANCO JAMAR NZ, Luke McCarthy

BlacksAFake

Pity FJ drew so bad,it has the x factor!

Punter

I think IMTQ will sit outside leader and control it from there. Will pressure SU all the way head to head. This distance does not suit IMTQ.

CookieKwan

ITMQ will get the chance to take a sit. Junior would be mad to try and out stay Smoken Up. ITMQ is not that type of horse. That's why their match up is so interesting. SU is a balls-to-the-wall type of stayer who will try and break hearts in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. ITMQ is the flashy brilliant one who will rattle off the unbelievable finish.

Punter

SU should be odds on.

Gilgamesh

Just looking at the race again I don't think Jnr has any choice but to try and breeze and win the race. I think he can do it! If you look at the couple of sprint lead up races they have been leader dominated and run home in very low 26's. If Jnr hands up to Mr feel Good then there is no doubt MFG will hand up to either Franco Jamar and stable drive like they did in qld or Terror To Love, a better horse to be trailing IMO. Franco Jamar has improved from a pretty nice horse to a very good horse in a short time but I don't think he can breeze and be any chance in the mile.

Any how with this happening ITMQ will be 1,2 and too far back with the way the big sprints have been run there, he'd probably have to break 25!

Has anyone herd any interviews with the Hall's or McCarthy's as to how they plan to drive?

I agree SU should be odds on.
SU 1.8
ITMQ 2.5
MFG 4.8
TTL 10
Write your own ticket others!

Unknown

I thought if ITMQ breezes he has no hope of beating SU, I think his best hope is out sprinting SU, sit and go

CookieKwan

If I write my own ticket on Franco Jamar will you take my bet Gilgamesh?

Luke McCarthy has chosen to drive Franco Jamar over Mr Feelgood which is a good guide for punters. I reckon you are likely to see Mr Feelgood breeze and cover FJ, with ITMQ 1 out 2 back. That is close enough for him. If Junior breezes with ITMQ he won't win, he's a brilliant finisher not a tough stayer. Senior said so himself (not in those exact words) earlier in the week. You have to drive to your horse's strengths in a race like this.

Unknown

agree he could never beat SU sitting outside him, would just set it up for another horse

Gilgamesh

I know ITMQ is by far a better sit sprinter. You guys think he can't win in the breeze. I think if he sits he can't MATHMATICALLY win! He will just have to run an impossible time on the basis he will be to far back. I'm not saying smash the pressure on for the whole race but I think being parked is the way to go. If he ends up 1 by 2 or worse he'll have to be 3 wide from at least the 650 anyhow, it'd be impossible to sit till the 400 and try and make up 4 odd lengths. If there's 2 of them coming around him and he just lets them go to easy it will just give it to Smoking Up who is probably the best leader going around in a style of race that in recent times has been won by leaders. It is a mile race on a big track, it's not like punching into the breeze around a million corners over 2500 at GP!

Anyhow I hope i'm wrong because I don't think there is anything better than watching a horse sizzle home over the top of them in a harness race.
And yes I'd love to let you write your own ticket, IMO I think I could get away with it but I've got a big holiday next month and I'd rather just take what I've saved than yours aswell! Shop around and back Jamar and save the other 2 if you think that way. I think the driver decision is more about how Mr Feelgood is going ATM.

Smoken Up 2.85 (Player)
Lisagain 29 (Player)
Im Themightyquinn 3 (Sportsbet)
Karloo Mick 151 (Sportsbet)
Mr Feelgood 7.5 (Player)
Raglan 26 (Sportsbet)
Terror To Love 11 (Sportsbet)
Franco Jamar 9 (Sportsbet)

Punter

Franco Jamar to win?

Gilgamesh

Not for me, I said write your own ticket!

CookieKwan

said:

Franco Jamar to win?

There are many who know much more than me rate him a big chance to be in the finish. Word is he has won everyting for McCarthy with plenty left in the tank, including his win in the New Season Championship final where he ran 1.51.2 and a last quarter of 26.2, and the very dominant win in the Coca-Cola Sprint. Nothing has kept up with him yet so a lot of people are interested to see just how fast he'll go when one of them does. He is a class act and at 5yo the best is yet to come.

Gilgamesh

This is the way that I'll be punting on the night.

R2: Change Of Tact. Agree lavros conquest was disappointing a couple of runs back when he lead and really can't see the 12 handling the rise in grade and bends and will be unders so Change Of Tact hopefully at a bit of value with the change to a mobile.

R4: Had another look and in this class McGintys Goat nearly has to be a special. I know he got beati leading a couple ago but it was only by 10m going 1.56 by Grinjaro and there were some other good ones too. Take the Q with Artesian boy, that really is a special.

R6: Hood goes onto Sunsets West which makes me think they'll be shooting for an all the way win. At each way odds I want to be on her, always liked her at the sprints.

R8: Will round it out with Reggie Royale. Bit apprehensive in that I think h needs the front to beat this field but if he gets it will give a great show at odds.

Gilgamesh

Sorry, las message in wrong thread.

ericwandu

i have backed quinno on the nose and also terror to love each way (for every win 4 places).

smiddy197

i am having a sneaky on jamar with the bog track menagle rail isnt the place to be at all

Zipper

SU is a balls-to-the-wall type of stayer who will try and break hearts in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Cheap Tera Gold

Unknown

dont understand why Jnr came off the fence, SU always runs 2 to 3 horses off the inside, surely cost him 2nd place

CookieKwan

Junior got himself 14 days for his troubles.
I thought as soon as he went for an early shot at SU his chance of winning was gone. ITMQ got a decent run after that and stuck on well.

I put Karloo Mick in for third in my tri and as per usual he did better than expected. The place would have gone made if he won.

SU is a champ.

Chariotsonfire

Great call by Mick Guerin after the race. I don't think Gary Hall has anything to worry about. Tight racing is very acceptable at this level.

CookieKwan

I didn't hear Guerin's comments. Would you mind elaborating?

Jnr was lucky SU stayed on his feet. A lesser horse would have galloped or worse, gone down and taken a few out with it. It shows what a champ SU is to get checked like that and yet hardly lose any momentum.

14 days was light. I've seen more given for less.

Gilgamesh

Thought Jnr should have got time for his drive on some Kind Of Tactic friday night as well, he dropped into the 1,1 about the 1000 when there clearly wasn't enough room yet causing the horse who was in that position to go roughly. That horse was dropping off but hadn't done so yet and was clearly inconvenienced.
Anyhow thought his drive tactics wise was as good as he could come up with after the draw for SU and as I stated before it was always going to be a leader dominated race, particularly when the leader is that good!
You have to admire Smoken Up. It's not the most exciting style of racing in my eyes but he's just a winner and on reflection of what he has done career wise he's a phenominal animal. To those who thought thought Franco Jamar could sit out him and win....

CookieKwan

I thought Franco Jamar was a chance with luck which is why I wanted to write my own ticket. As I said previously, plenty who know more than me rate him at the top level. You have to remember he galloped in the score up; got fired up and face planted the barrier and went off stride. He's then circled the field to put the race to the champ and as you would expect after that run faded in the last furlong. McCarthy just couldn't hold onto him any longer and had to let him go. He didn't lose any fans and will be much better for the experience. Terror To Love was the big disappointment but he is still only 4 and didn't get into the race at any stage. You have to love that about the standardbred, they keep getting tougher with age. The winner is 9, the second place getter 11.