ANOTHER HURDLE FOR MICK TO JUMP

If a mystery virus hadn't been enough to overcome, Dubbo trainer Barry Lew has now been forced to change Karloo Mick's preparation in the lead up to next month's New Zealand Cup. The son of Panorama finished second behind Blacks A Fake at Albion Park in the Winter Cup during July before spelling and resuming at Eugowra on Monday. Lew was impressed with the nine year old's victory earlier in the week but had planned to give the Inter Dominion place getter another hit–out at Harold Park this Friday.

Due to a lack of nominations, Friday's event will not be run and although Lew has nominated the gelding for Newcastle on Saturday night, it looks as though Karloo Mick will be forced to trial over the weekend before flying out to New Zealand on Tuesday.

"It's not ideal for him. I had hoped to give him the run on Monday and back him up at Harold Park this Friday but there aren't enough horses" Lew said.

"So now I am trying to work out what to do and my options are to trial him at Dubbo on Saturday with a galloping pacemaker or take him to the Riverstone trials in Sydney on the weekend and hope there is one quick enough to work with him."

Karloo Mick has only recently recovered from an illness that prevented him from travelling to Queensland for the start of the Grand Circuit which is scheduled to start this Friday night. As a result Lew targeted Eugowra's Don Tildsley Memorial as his comeback race and couldn't have been happier with the return.

"I was over the moon with him after Monday. He made up so much ground from the six hundred metres, I was quite content to finish second to Kid Courageous but to run him down was impressive from the old fella."
"I was even happier on Tuesday morning because I got up and he had eaten everything and he had also had a really good drink. I jogged him on Tuesday and he felt so strong so he had obviously come through Monday's race very well."

After learning that it was unlikely that Karloo Mick would be able to start in a race at either Harold Park or Newcastle this weekend, Lew phoned his brother John to see if he could provide a galloping companion for a trial at Dubbo.

"John has a horse that he could put around with him so that's better than nothing."
"Another option I have is to trial him a mile and a half behind a car because he would think it was a mobile and would chase it but I would need to get permission off the Dubbo club to have the car on the track."
Lew had planned to have two race starts in Australia before heading to New Zealand. Once there he would target the Ashburton and New Zealand Cups.

"I still haven't fully worked out what we will do in the lead up to the New Zealand Cup. I just want to get him there and have him rock hard after working on the beach.

"The Ashburton Cup and the New Zealand Cup are the main two but from the time he arrives in New Zealand until Ashburton he will want to have a hit out somewhere. So whether he has another trial or I can find a nice little free–for–all for him, I'll just play it by ear when I get there."

After the trip to New Zealand, Lew is hoping that Karloo Mick will have done enough to earn a shot at this year's Miracle Mile. Australia's feature sprint race will be run at Menangle for the first time and Lew isn't the only person connected with the gelding that believes he would be competitive.

"Greg Bennett (regular driver) thinks he would be suited in a Miracle Mile at Menangle. I have never really raced him over the sprint distances but when he went so well in the Inter Dominion over the mile Greg and I had a chat about it and he thinks he would be really suited by a tough mile."
"I would love to be there if the men from Harold Park invited us."

An invitation isn't the only consideration when contemplating a Miracle Mile and with Karloo Mick's trip to New Zealand, Lew has a number of factors to think about.

"A Miracle Mile berth is all up in the air because you don't get the invitations until the last minute and they run the New Zealand Free For All (FFA) at Addington on the Friday after the Cup. You have to nominate for the FFA before the Cup is run."

"I'm already over there, so do I stay and race or do I come home? We won't nominate for the FFA until I have had a chat with a few important people. I'd love to have him in a Miracle Mile but whether he gets the opportunity I don't really know."

MUTTON ALL DRESSED UP AT EUGOWRA
Trainer/driver Ian Mutton was all smiles after his four year old gelding Spooky Leigh took out the MJ Miles Transport Canola Cup at Eugowra on Monday. In the event's ten year history a number of the winners have gone onto perform at Harold Park in metropolitan company and Mutton is hoping Spooky Leigh can continue the trend.

"It's taken a while for him to put it altogether but he has now won four in a row and I think he can take that next step again" Mutton said after winning the race.

Spooky Leigh was able to hold the lead after drawing barrier one and fought back to beat Fair Blazing after being headed in the concluding stages.

"I had a plan A and a plan B and it was good that I was able to use plan A and lead but a few of them had a shot at me and tried to get to the front, it was like there was twelve other runners in the race."
Spooky Leigh has now won five races and earned $21,758 in prizemoney.

Greg Hayes