Weekly preview / Andy Morris / 27 November 2009 / Leave a comment Bet Now

Australians hate losing any kind of sporting event to New Zealand, and there will be plenty of tripidation around the Menangle racetrack that the $500,000 Miracle Mile will be just such an event, writes Andy Morris.

The Kiwis have three horses in Australia's most famous harness racing event, headed by Auckland Reactor.

Auckland Reactor is a two-time New Zealand Horse of the Year, and having one of his final races in Australasia before heading off to run in the USA.

There is sure to be plenty of support for the horse, not least as all-conquering Kiwi horseman Tony Herlihy will be driving.

Another challenger from across the Tasman is Monkey King, who won the New Zealand Cup and New Zealand Free For All at Addington, and is right at the top of his game.

The third New Zealand raider is Kiwi Ingenuity, arguably the outsider of the three after coming seventh in the New Zealand Trotting Cup, but New Zealand's fastest horse ever over the mile.

Of the Australian chances, there will be plenty who favour Smoken Up, who took on the best of the Kiwis in the New Zealand Cup and was luckless in finishing third. He broke the Australasian mile record at Menangle when winning the Len Smith Mile in June.

Triple Interdominion Championship winner Blacks a Fake and Victorian pacer Melpark Major have strong chances.

Melpark Major was runner up in the race last year, while Blacks A Fake seeks to make it third time lucky but will have to overcome the extreme outside draw in gate eight.

Blacks A Fake won the 2006 Treuer Memorial at Bankstown but finished runner up that same year in the Miracle Mile behind fellow Queenslander Be Good Johnny.

Karloo Mick is worth backing, having won the Cordina Chickens Farms Sprint at Harold Park on Friday, to go through the $1 million barrier with the win.

He beat Auckland Reactor over a mile in the InterDominion heats this year and beat Blacks A Fake in the Sunshine Sprint.