Aussies take both Cambridge features

Chaos reined in last night’s $60,000 Group Two Waikato Trotters Flying Mile but out the other side, Gus (Majestic Son) showed what a classy trotter he is to get over adversity, make up a huge stretch of ground, and win the feature.

The race was blown wide open early when two of the favoured runners Hillbilly Blues and Osca Bonavena broke, allowing outsider Johnny Who to take the front with Gus sitting behind the leading bunch. Just when Gus was about to go around them coming out of the last bend Empire City broke, disrupting the field and forcing the Australian square gaiter to run wide and cover more ground. By that time Johnny Who was off and gone and lengths in front of the survivors. But Gus started to eat into his lead and in the last stride of an exciting finish, he got up to win by a neck.

GUS REPLAY

“At the top of the straight I thought he had no hope when the leader kicked away and we had work to do. That’s his great asset – he’s so fast. Next week it’s going to be a whole different story with Keayang Zahara being there. The way the barriers work next week the mares are going to draw good and they’re going to be ahead of us and mighty hard to run down,” Gus’s driver Pete McMullen told Jo Ferguson of Trackchat.

Oscar Bonavena was outstanding in running third, albeit six lengths back.

The winning time was 1-55.6 well outside Stent’s 2014 race record of 1-54.5.

The Chantal Turpin trained Gus becomes the third Australian horse to win the trotters mile, joining Kyvalley Blur in 2017 and Aldebaran Zeus in 2023.

In the $60,000 Group Two Waikato Pacers Flying Mile, The Turpin/McMullen combination doubled down with The Janitor (Always B Miki) taking it out.

In contrast, this race was devoid of any interference. Sooner The Bettor lead early before his stablemate Merlin came round to sit parked leaving The Janitor in the breeze.

The Australian looked to be battling turning in, but gathered himself and pulled out the tough card and got up to beat Sooner The Bettor by a nose with Merlin a length back in third.

THE JANITOR REPLAY

The winning time of 1-51.4 equalled Chase A Dream’s race record set last year.

The Janitor is the first Australian horse in the race’s sixty year history to win the Waikato Pacers Flying Mile.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink