Miracle Mile stats against rising star

RISING star Better Eclipse will need to buck a recent trend and create history if he is to win Saturday night’s Miracle Mile at Club Menangle.

Trained by Victorian horsewoman Jess Tubbs, Better Eclipse earned his position in the $1million Garrards-sponsored event by securing the famed Chariots Of Fire at the world class venue a fortnight ago.

There lays the trend working against the son of Betterthancheddar.

During the past decade only one ‘Chariots’ winner has managed to capture Australasia’s premier sprint.

Following their success in the four-year-old feature, Christen Me (2013), Jilliby Kung Fu (2018), Lochinvar Art (2020) and Expensive Ego (2021) finished second in the Miracle Mile.

Guaranteed (2014), Lazarus (2017) and Poster Boy (2019) managed a third in the Grand Circuit gem.

Only Have Faith In Me has completed the double, which he achieved in 2016.

Over all only three other pacers have managed to win the pair of features, which have been run simultaneously since the Chariots Of Fire’s introduction to the racing calendar in 1995.

Holmes DG won the Chariots Of Fire in 1999 before returning to win the Miracle Mile as a five and six-year-old, Smooth Satin won the latter at five, while Christen Me was six.

Then there is Better Eclipse’s barrier draw – 10.

Although the gelding slots into eight with the removal of the emergencies, no Miracle Mile winner has come from wider than six!

“He’s got quite a few stats against him,” Tubbs said. “It’s a good thing Jimmy can’t read.

“The draw is certainly a concern, but it also eliminates the guess work regarding tactics.

“We’ll have to hope the tempo is on all the way and he has the opportunity to sprint home like he did in the Chariots.

“Unfortunately the way the draw has unfolded, it is hard to imagine that being the case.”