ROULETTE is one of the simplest games to play at the casino. Punters can bet on red or black, or can place chips on a number hoping for greater odds. Menangle trainer Darren McCall has his fingers crossed and hopes the roulette ball drops on 24 black in the Newcastle Mile on Saturday. McCall’s leading pacer Bettor Bet Black is aiming for career win 24 on Saturday night and he believes the odds are in his favour.
“I’m amazed just how well Bettor Bet Black pulled up after his run in the Bulli Cup last week,” McCall said.
“I spent a number of years in North America with horses and I’ve also watched a lot of harness racing in my life and I can’t remember horses breaking 25 seconds for a quarter before. Bettor Bet Black ran 24.8 for the first 400 metres last week and I remember looking across at the board during the race thinking that it must have been a mistake.”
Bettor Bet Black was entitled to stall a long way from home after burning through the first 400 metres but the veteran pacer fought tenaciously in the straight and held on for a credible sixth beaten less than ten metres.
“He just got tired in the last 60 metres or so. I was so proud of him, he could have dropped right out but to his credit he stuck it out right to the line.
“He was strutting around on Sunday morning like a two year old so it definitely didn’t hurt him, if anything it may have actually helped him.”
McCall had been hoping to have Bettor Bet Black at his peak in the lead up to the Miracle Mile earlier in the year but small setbacks meant the son of Bettors Delight was underdone going into the qualifiers.
“He has had a few little things that have needed to be taken care of and therefore he didn’t have the racing that I would have liked going into the Miracle Mile qualifier. He didn’t disgrace himself in that and I’ve only recently been able to get some solid racing into him.
“Bettor Bet Black is one of those horses that thrives on racing. He is a lazy trackworker and because of his hard going racing pattern it doesn’t make sense to get too aggressive with him when working.”
Rival trainer Shane Tritton has publically commented Mach Beauty will not engage in an early speed duel with Bettor Bet Black in the Newcastle Mile.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple of horses attempt to kick up inside Bettor Bet Black in the early stages because it makes sense that a great spot to be will be on my back because they know I’m going to take them halfway up the straight.
“You know what was so scary about his first quarter last week? I only asked him to go when he got to the winning post the first time and I eased him down 80 metres before the quarter so it is scary to think he could have actually gone faster.”
McCall gives Bettor Bet Black a big chance of winning the Newcastle Mile.
“You can see it in the horse’s eye when he is at his peak and he is spot on right now, I think he has got a great chance of winning. Avonnova went 1:52.2 winning it in 2014 and I think they’ll go something like that again this Saturday night.”
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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