Sport
4 March, 2020
Code Bailey racing for riches
ECKLIN harness racing trainer Marg Lee is chasing one of the biggest wins of her career this weekend.
ECKLIN harness racing trainer Marg Lee is chasing one of the biggest wins of her career this weekend.
Her horse Code Bailey and driver son Jason are set to compete in the richest harness racing event in the Southern Hemisphere on Saturday night.
The five year-old gelding is part of an elite eight horse field chasing glory in the $1 million Miracle Mile at Menangle, one of the sport’s Grand Circuit events.
The horse qualified for the event after finishing second in the Allied Express Sprint at the same venue last Saturday night.
Win, lose or draw Lee said she and connections were thrilled to be a part of the race.
“It’s a million dollar event, you don’t get much better than that in harness racing,” she said.
“I’m sure Lewy Taylor, Darcy Gardiner, LeVarg Racing Group, Kerrin Lee and Lochie Cook are all pretty thrilled to have a horse in it and I’m sure they’ll all be trying to get there.
“We’re just happy to be in it and fingers crossed he goes well.”
Having trained multiple group one successes previously, Lee said a win in the Miracle Mile would “most likely” be the biggest of her career.
She said the Inter Dominion would be the only race which rivalled the Miracle Mile in terms of stature, but no other race carries the level of prize money the 1609 metre pace boasts.
Last year Spankem pocketed a cool $550,000 for winning, with second and third netting $150,000 and $100,000 in prize money respectively.
“It’s probably the pinnacle the Inter Dominion but this is as good as it gets,” Lee said.
“We ran second in it with Jilliby Kung Fu in it in 2018 but it’s great to be in a race like it again.
“It’s a pretty good field and you know you have to be at the top of your game when you’re racing in an event like this.
“I’ve won group one races before but this one in terms of prize money would be the biggest (win).”
Lee said Cody Bailey would enter the race in good form after a strong campaign which netted Bendigo and Terang Cup successes.
She said the Miracle Mile had been a target of the stable’s since he resumed racing in December.
“He sort of showed when he came back from a spell that he was ready to step up,” Lee said.
“His first two runs at Melton then the Bendigo and Hunter cups have all been fantastic runs.
“Then when he won the Terang Cup we knew it was time to go up and try and qualify for the Miracle Mile.”
Code Bailey will come up against an elite field in the event, which includes King of Swing, A Gs White Socks, My Field Marshal and Lochinvar Art.
King of Swing and Code Bailey will renew hostilities once again after the pair battled it out last weekend.
Lee said King of Swing looms as her horse’s main danger in the event on the back of their most recent race.
“You’re always a chance in these races but we’ve drawn wide of the favourite (King of Swing) in five,” she said.
“It would have been nice to have drawn inside King of Swing, it makes it a little bit harder and it all just depends on the start.
“But last start he drew wide and he managed to get across and he just got beaten, it was a terrific run to get into the Miracle Mile.
“King of Swing is a good horse, they’re all really good horses but we’re just hoping he runs a really good race. And he’s cherry ripe, he’s probably as fit as he could be.”
Meanwhile Matthew Craven’s filly Pink Galahs finished fourth in the group one Need for Speed princess final at Melton last Saturday night.
The race was won in stunning fashion by Im Ready Jet, which was ironically driven by Craven’s brother Glen to victory.
Glen made it a group one double later in the evening after he drove Dance Craze home first in the Australian Trotting Grand Prix.