Glamour former Hawke's Bay racehorse Callsign Mav is a late inclusion in a A$5 million race for which most of the field was chosen by popular vote.
The All Star Mile, the richest gallops mile in the world, will be raced at Flemington, Victoria, on Saturday with 15 starters – 10 nominated and voted for inclusion by the fans.
According to Australian media, Callsign Mav was called up at the last-minute before the naming of the field after injury forced the withdrawal of South Australian galloper Regalo Diaetano.
It was immediately rated a 40-1 longshot. But Flemington trainer Danny O'Brien, who has assumed responsibility for the galloper formerly trained by part-owner John Bary in Hastings, said while it was a surprise, Callsign Mav had trained well since placing 8th in the A$1.5m, 2000m Australian Cup last Saturday. He expected the conditions of the shorter All Star Mile just seven days later to be much more suitable.
A 5-year-old gelding, Callsign Mav headed for Australia last October, after nine wins in 26 starts for trainer Bary, including home-track Hastings triumphs at its first start in July 2019, and wins in three Group One-rated Hawke's Bay Spring Carnival features – the Tarzino Trophy race over 1400m in 2020 and 2021, and the 1600m Windsor Park Plate last October.
