John Dunne
It was a Victorian quinella for the ages: Better Eclipse earned himself a place in history as the fastest Australian bred pacer when he returned a stunning mile rate of 1:47.5 taking out a memorable edition of the Chariots Of Fire.
And the runner-up Bondi Lockdown produced a performance rarely seen from a beaten horse let alone in the most prestigious four-year-old Group 1 in the land.
Sofia Arvidsson on the leader Bettor Call Me embarked on a mission to find the bottom of Bondi Lockdown’s considerable reserves of stamina when the $3.40 favorite joined her after working from an outside barrier in a blistering 24.3sec first quarter.
When Aaron Dunn asked Bondi Lockdown for the supreme effort the son of Art Major shrugged off the relentless mid-race tempo and appeared to gain a winning break half way down the long Menangle straight.
It was left to Greg Sugars and Better Eclipse to emerge from the gasping pack and launch a challenge.
A withering finale from Better Eclipse ($8) was sufficient for the son of Betterthancheddar to reel in Bondi Lockdown, holding a metre-and-a-half margin on the line.
Sugars admitted yesterday he and trainer Jess Tubbs, from Myrniong, were still coming to terms with the enormity of the situation they found themselves in, having not only won the Chariots but earned automatic entry into the Miracle Mile with Better Eclipse.
“Jess and I woke up this morning and both of us really can’t believe we have a runner in the Miracle Mile,” Sugars said.
He also acknowledged Bondi Lockdown’s remarkable will to win.
“I was coming quick enough to think ‘I’ve got you’, but the other horse wouldn’t lie down and for a moment I thought ‘I might not have you’, and it was only when my horse poked his head in front with 50 metres to go,” he said.
“Better Eclipse seems to be able to sprint off any speed, which is a great attribute to have.”
Sugars conceded Better Eclipse’s fast finishing fourth in the Paleface Adios Stakes was cause for optimism in the Chariots Of Fire from the pole.
“He went into the Paleface Adios underdone and when he got out late and hit the line so well it filled us with confidence that he would be at his peak for the Chariots,” he said.
Sugars has the distinction of featuring prominently in the two fastest races run at Menangle, having driven Soho Tribeca into third place behind My Field Marshal in an Australasian record mile rate of 1:46.9 in the 2018 Miracle Mile.
Not surprisingly, Aaron Dunn said Bondi Lockdown had little left to give over the final 100 metres of the brutally run affair.
“When Better Eclipse started to come, I asked my bloke to raise another effort and he just couldn’t,” Dunn said.
Dunn said Bondi Lockdown won’t be contesting either the Allied Express or Schweppes Sprints, where the first and second horses receive automatic entry into the Miracle Mile.
“He won’t be going around in the sprints next Saturday night,” he said. “As if he hasn’t done enough already … everyone wants to see him in the race.”
