TAB offers feast of global racing action

29 November 2008

TAB offers feast of global racing action

The TAB will offer a veritable feast of international racing for New Zealand punters this weekend, starting off with the A$500,000 Miracle Mile tonight in Sydney.

New Zealand's sole hope to snatch the Miracle Mile for the first time in eight years rests with record-breaking Changeover, the winner of the $1.2 million Christchurch Casino New Zealand Trotting Cup on 11 November and third in the Woodlands New Zealand Free-For-All on 14 November.

Changeover is currently second favourite at the New Zealand TAB paying Fixed Odds of $3.50. The favourite tag lies with three-time Australian Inter-Dominion Pacing Championship winner Blacks A Fake, paying $1.60. The race is scheduled for 11.40pm (NZ time).

New Zealand Trotting Cup winners to win the Miracle Mile in the same year include Master Mood (1986), Christopher Vance (1991), Chokin (1993) and Christian Cullen (1998). The last New Zealand horse to win the Miracle Mile was Holmes DG in 1999 and 2000.

Two-time defending champion Be Good Johnny was scratched from the race last week due to a back complaint on the outstanding sprinter. The race was not held last year due to the outbreak of equine influenza in Australia.

This is followed up with the A$400,000 Group 2 Winterbottom Stakes in Perth at 8.15pm (NZ time) tomorrow. This race will feature world champion sprinter Takeover Target along with multiple Group 1 winner Apache Cat, who are set to do battle over the 1,200 metres.

Takeover Target is also a possibility to come to New Zealand for the $1 million Group 1 Telegraph Handicap over 1200m at Trentham on Saturday 17 January.

On Sunday, betting will be offered on the Group 1 Japan Cup at 7.20pm (NZ time) and the S$1.35m (NZ $1.53m) Group 1 Singapore Gold Cup at 10.55pm (NZ time) as well as a 10-strong race card from Hong Kong.

There are four foreign entries scheduled to compete in the ¥533.5 million (NZ$9.6 million) Japan Cup - one of the richest races in the world. Those entries are Papal Bull, Sixties Icon (UK) and Purple Moon (IRE) as well as Marsh Side (US).

The Luca Cumani-trained Purple Moon finished runner-up in the 2007 Melbourne Cup to New Zealand-bred winner Efficient.

Japanese horses have dominated the race over the last decade, winning eight of 10, although the foreign entries still hold the edge with a total of 14 victories in the past 27 Japan Cups.

ENDS

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