KEY POINTS:
SYDNEY - Christchurch trainer Paul Kerr had the news he was hoping for yesterday when Pay Me Christian drew barrier two in Saturday's Treuer Memorial at Bankstown in Sydney.
"I'm rapt with that, it's a great draw," he said.
Kerr believes it was only the outside barrier draw which cost Pay Me Christian victory in the Miracle Mile in Sydney on Friday night. He was hoping for a change of luck when the Treuer field was drawn yesterday.
Pay Me Christian took on eventual winner Be Good Johnny for the lead early in the Miracle Mile, before driver David Butt conceded he would not get past the Queensland pacer and settled in behind him.
When Pay Me Christian got free in the straight, he had another charge, before being nosed out of second and third by Blacks A Fake and Speedy Crusa.
"I thought it was a phenomenal performance. He did a huge amount of work and they ran sensational quarters [400m] early," Kerr said.
Pay Me Christian ran an Australasian record of 1m 52.8s for 1609m at Newcastle outside Sydney in his run before the Miracle Mile and on Friday recorded a mile rate of 1m 54.5s over the 1760m journey.
Kerr said Pay Me Christian was still maturing, but was developing all the time.
"He's still learning about the starts of races, but Davey [Butt] said he came out a lot quicker on Friday night than he did at Newcastle."
Kerr won't have Be Good Johnny to worry about at Bankstown. His main rivals look to be Blacks A Fake and Slipnslide.
Meanwhile, New Zealand Trotting Cup winner Flashing Red will head to Melbourne to prepare for the A$325,000 Victoria Cup after he ran seventh in the Miracle Mile.
Driver Anthony Butt said Flashing Red had to work hard early in the Miracle Mile and that sapped him at the end of the race.
Stablemate Foreal, who was third in the Bohemia Crystal Free-For-All on Friday night, will contest the Cranbourne Cup on Saturday night.
Sly Flyin, seventh in the Miracle Mile, will return home to Auckland, with trainer Tony Herlihy to assess his condition before making firm plans. Herlihy thought the travelling regime may have taken its toll on the horse on Friday night.
- NZPA
