How the TAB Eureka has rapidly evolved

IT is fascinating how mindsets can change.

Wind the clock back to the inaugural running of the world’s richest pacing race, the TAB Eureka, and the calls were loud and plentiful saying a three-year-old would never win the race.

The TAB Eureka, which now carries a $A1.5 million purse, is restricted to Australian-bred three and four-year-old pacers.

That first running was won by classy four-year-old mare Encipher, who shocked everyone by running down the great Leap To Fame.

There were just two three-year-olds in the 10-horse field and they were well beaten back in seventh (The Lost Storm) and ninth (Captain Hammerhead).

And that’s despite the three-year-olds getting preferential barrier draws and starting from gates one and two.

The feeling was four-year-olds, especially over a grueling 2400m distance at the spacious 1400m Menangle track, would continually be too strong and seasoned.

Unsurprisingly, there was only one three-year-old, Bay Of Biscay, line-up in the second TAB Eureka in 2024.

And that was despite the distance being reduced by 100m to 2300m, which changed the starting point and made those preferential barriers even more of an advantage.

Harness Racing Australia, which had created and strongly backed the TAB Eureka, knew Bay Of Biscay to run very well or the pressure to revisit the race conditions for the race.

He ran a blinder and, arguably, was a good thing beaten when he charged home late for second to Don Hugo.

Just like that, the stigma around the three-year-olds was gone.

There’s no doubt the slightly shorter distance and, more so, the starting point for the race was an important and smart change.

Fast-forward to last year’s third running of the TAB Eureka and slot owners were jumping out of trees to pick three-year-olds.

Amazingly, six of the10 runners were three.

Ironically, Bay Of Biscay returned to win the race as a four-year-old, but three-year-olds ran superbly for second (Fox Dan), third (Hesitate) and fourth (Go Miki).

In a different way, Bay Of Biscay coming back a year later to win also helped the three-year-old push. Clearly tackling the TAB Eureka at three hadn’t hindered his progress in any way.

Now the whole anti three-year-old vibe is gone, despite the fact none of them have yet won the race.

Another tinker from Harness Racing Australia and hosts Club Menangle and Harness Racing NSW have seen three-year-olds become an even more attractive option.

The TAB Eureka has moved from an early-September timeslot to November 21.

The three-year-olds are almost three months older and a lot more seasoned through their own aged-group feature racing.

To help promote the race, many of the three-year-olds get a chance to grow more of a profile in that extra time, too.

So, with just over three weeks until this year’s TAB Eureka, three of the four confirmed slot runners – Bettor Beach, Soho Charmer and Loucasso – are three-year-olds.

Bettor Beach has created history even before the race is run by being the first three-year-old filly to land a slot.

Leviathan owner Mick Harvey secured her this week through one of his two slots in the TAB Eureka, held under his publication brand “Harnesslink.”

Harvey said he didn’t hesitate to pick the filly.

“I think she was a no-brainer,” he said. “She has to draw barrier one if she’s the only three-year-old filly in it and being run a couple months later this year, she’ll almost be four anyway.

“I’ve done all my analysis, and I think she’s a huge chance.”

Bettor Beach has raced just 10 times, but it’s been her past five wins, including two at Group 1 level, that have stamped her star status.

Last Saturday week she thrashed a good field of fillies in the Group 1 Victoria Oaks at Melton.

“That’s the win that convinced me. She’s never been used off the gate but had to burn early that night and then she was still good enough to relax mid-race and burn home in a pair of 26sec quarters to win as she liked,” Harvey said.

“She’s shown she can handle pressure, which is important for a race like this, and that she’s got enough speed to take advantage of barrier one in the Eureka and hold a position.

“The Victoria Derby was on the same night as the Oaks and I reckon she went as good as any of the boys did in that Derby.”

Successful yet conservative Victorian breeders Bruce and Vicki Edward obviously think the same way given they excitedly snapped up the slot when Harvey called them.

“Bruce was buzzing when I called him,” Harvey said.

Soho Charmer, who will run in the Soho Standardbreds slot of his owner Rob Watson, ran third in that Victoria Derby.

The other confirmed three-year-old, Loucasso, is the headline horse of this TAB Eureka.

He made it four wins from as many starts this campaign and 11 wins from 13 career starts when he smashed the clock at Menangle last Saturday night in a semi-final of the NSW Breeders Challenge at Menangle.

Loucasso ran the mile in a scorching 1min47.6sec, taking 1.2sec off the Australasian record for a three-year-old.

He’s broken 1min50sec in all four wins since joining young trainer-driver Seaton Grima’s stable this campaign.

For context, Loucasso’s 1min47.6sec was just 0.7sec outside the all-aged Australasian mile record of 1min46.9sec set by My Field Marshal in the 2018 Miracle Mile.

Loucasso, who will run in the Rampant Standardbreds slot, steps out again in the Breeders Challenge final this Saturday night.

The query on him is whether he can carry that brilliance to the 2300m of the TAB Eureka?

That said, Loucasso has only raced beyond a sprint trip twice and won both times in a semi-final and final of the 2YO Breeders Crown series at Melton last year when trained by Emma Stewart.

And he did win that final by about half the straight in a scorching 1min52.2sec mile rate for 2240m.

With six slots still to be filled, it looks very likely the six three-year-olds who contested last year’s TAB Eureka will be matched or broken.

The only four-year-old with a slot so far is the exciting Double Lou, who has the Tony Licastro “The Don” slot. He also contests a NSW Breeders Challenge final this Saturday night.

Some of the other high profile three-year-olds sure to push for slots include Yottie and Alert Bay, who will clash with Loucasso this week, along with Victorian pair Brooklyn Dan and Dynamitedan.

A left-fielder could be another buzz three-year-old filly, Ark Sea, who is favourite for her NSW Breeders Challenge final this week.

On the four-year-old front, horses like last week’s SA Cup winner The Last Trip, star WA pacer Mad Monday, exciting mare Theartofsuccess, the untapped Cigano and multiple Group 1-winning Queenslander Fate Awaits are all right in the mix.

That’s the beauty of slot races, the chatter and debate they create around who will get a start well before the actual race is run.

This year, the odds say we will see history created with a three-year-old winning.

And that’s such a far cry from just three years ago when they were scoffed at.

by Adam Hamilton for Harness Racing Update