Smoken Up and Im Themightyquinn accept Miracle Mile invitations

[G-Mac]

"The best 8 horses" is always going to be a matter of opinion. Whether it is solely through invitations at the discretion of the directors or via the route the club has created this year there will always be people who feel a better horse missed out. No system is perfect and that is why we end up with this same tired conversation every year. You will never please everyone, and in some will never be pleased at all.

At the end of the day the NSWHRC put on an invitational event at a high cost to themselves. They should be able to pick and choose whoever they feel is appropriate. In all seriousness, you could not leave out a horse who ran 1.48 and change at that track only 7 months prior. With Smoken Up and ITMQ invited the race is assured of Australiasia's best two performers over the last 12 months. They have earned their passage, the rest can do the same and best of luck to them. I hope this Staurday that Terror To Love unleashes a last quarter like he did last Tuesday and makes it into the MM. What a race it will be.

[doinmabest]

Yes Fred the conditions were known to all and one condition was the NZ Cup winner may get an invite.
I don't know what possible explanation connections of Terror To Love can get that justifies why they didn't get an invite yet Smoken Up did.
Yes Smoken Up deserves one; mile record holder and defending Mile champion but after what happened 7 days ago I don't know how you can say no to Terror To Love.
As it is this week in the Cordina just about all horses have tried and failed 1 or 2 times in their quest for an invite so it would be hard to justify giving those horses a discretionary spot.
The format I am a fan of. Because I thought with the plain print where it says horses who contest lead up races would be given preference would avoid situations where people are crying about Special Albert and Rohan Home being included in the field (eg past 'weak' Newcastle Mile winners) or where in the days leading up to the final field selection it would avoid a Make Mine Cullen V Melpark Major issue like last year. I thought the system would be used as a tool in selecting the final 2 or 3 spots; not as a tool to say no to a horse that clearly deserves a spot.

Hi Brendan,
Yes as usual, you are spot on...One of the clauses indicates that one Invite MAY be given after the running of the NZ Cup. It doesnt mention the invitation going to the winner. I just read the conditions again on the meeting calendar on Harness.org and the invitation to ITMQ, though in my opinion is a good one for the race, doesn't meet the published conditions. BELOW

An event open to a maximum eight Pacers (exclusive of Reserves).The winner of the Newcastle Mile, Coca Cola - Amatil Sprint, Cordina Sprint, receive automatic invitations if accepted by the connections. One invitation may be given after the running of the New Zealand Cup, all other invitations will be issued by the Directors of the NSWHRC but only from horses who competed in the Newcastle Mile, Coca Cola - Amatil Sprint and Cordina Sprint. Reserves (if any) drawn with the invited Pacers)

Now I did hear that one invite would be totally discretionary,(but couldn't see that anywhere). If that was the case it explains why ITMQ was invited (discretionary) SU (got the NZ Cup invite) and the rest come from the 3 sprints......HOWEVER... if SU got the discretionary spot (and given his record should have, IMO) where did the invite for ITMQ come from........

I think no matter what, we all concede on it's NZ Cup win TTL deserves a crack.

[G-Mac]

One invitation may be given after the running of the New Zealand Cup, [I]all other .

Fred, my reading of that condition is that it refers to the timing of the invitation, not the race where the invited horse will come from. Which is why the rest of the condition reads "horses who competed in". Might be my misinterpretation.

I agree regarding TTL. I would love to see him here.

[Don Corleone]

I too would love to see Terror To Love in there however simply to say because he won the NZ Cup he should be there is rubbish. Smokin Up is a obvious choice he has ran the fastest mile down our way, he has proved time and time again he's a champion. Terror To Love has raced over the sprint distance about 4-5 times and won once in about a 58 mile rate.
Yes in a perfect world all the above horses would be in and what a race it would be but it is a invitation race and if there is no invitation coming your way then so be it. For 20 years I waited for a invitation to join the All Blacks - it never arrived. As Paul Court said, "I am gutted".

[doinmabest]

Never Give Up Ray...Never Give up....
LOL

[David Summers]

Weather / barrier draw permitting , does anyone think that Smoken Up's 1:48.5 Australasian record will be lowered in the Miracle Mile?

[Just Saying]

Don't have a problem with the Board deciding that horses have to compete in a lead up mile race to be considered for selection, with one exception. Don't have a problem with that exception being the current title holder and NZ FFA winner. Not sure how the conditions allow two exceptions though. Maybe I'm misreading the conditions?

[Just Saying]

Weather / barrier draw permitting , does anyone think that Smoken Up's 1:48.5 Australasian record will be lowered in the Miracle Mile?

Absolutely a big chance.

[The Rainmaker]

I too would love to see Terror To Love in there however simply to say because he won the NZ Cup he should be there is rubbish. Smokin Up is a obvious choice he has ran the fastest mile down our way, he has proved time and time again he's a champion. Terror To Love has raced over the sprint distance about 4-5 times and won once in about a 58 mile rate.
Yes in a perfect world all the above horses would be in and what a race it would be but it is a invitation race and if there is no invitation coming your way then so be it. For 20 years I waited for a invitation to join the All Blacks - it never arrived. As Paul Court said, "I am gutted".

Wow, an unbiased NZ'er, now I've seen everything! Could not agree with your comments more Ray. Yes Terror to Love beat Smoken Up in the NZ Cup, but the NZ cup is a full field of runners over 3200 metres in comparison to the 8 starters and 1609 metres of the Miracle Mile, they're chalk and cheese. Smoken Up is the defending Miracle Mile champion, and is the only horse to break a 1.50 mile in winning in the southern hemisphere. For anyone to think Terror To Love deserved a invite over Smoken up has no idea.

At the end of the day I don't really see the big deal here. Terror To Love will race in the Cordina Sprint on Saturday night, if he wins, he gets an invite into the mile, if he runs a place, he will be considered for an invite, and if he misses a place it'll prove Dumesney and the rest of the NSWHRC board correct in not issuing him an invite in the first place.

[triplev123]

It's an Australian race. NZ have no automatic right to an invite. If they invite Soken Up then they have invited the winner of NZ's leading sprint race to their leading sprint race. It just so happens that he is the fastest sprinter in this part of the world. That leaves them with more options for invites now with 3 automatic invite races.

[VVV] Tony, are you sure you're a Kiwi?