KEY POINTS:
Divisive unofficially smashed the New Zealand mile records on Saturday after picking the worst possible time to have the first gallop of his career.
The Australian champion rolled into a canter in the score-up for the $200,000 Harness Jewels 4-year-old male pacer before producing a frightening performance to finish second to Monkey King.
"It is mind-boggling he would do that," said trainer-driver Peter Rixon.
"He has never galloped in his career, he doesn't even gallop at home in work.
"Maybe it was because he was feeling too good because he was fresh but I guess we will never know."
One thing for sure is Divisive wouldn't have been feeling too fresh yesterday after his unbelievable recovery.
After settling 30m behind the field he improved three wide down the back straight back straight before Rixon was forced to go four wide around the last bend.
With Monkey King on a near-national record pace of 1:54 in front, Divisive had no right to still be running on at the end yet he clawed his way into second.
It was the greatest beaten performance by a New Zealand pacer since Franco Ices third to Mark Hanover in the 1991 Interdominion Pacing Final.
While rival horseman were left shaking their heads stipendiary steward Nigel McIntyre timed Divisive as pacing his mile in 1:52.1, which is 1.4 seconds inside Scuse Me's national record and 0.7 of a second inside Pay Me Christian's Australasian race record.
"I suppose it is great he can run those sort of times but it would have been nicer to have run them and still won," lamented Rixon.
Divisive returns to Sydney this week to be set for the Chariots of Fire in August and will then be aimed at the Miracle Mile, meaning the New Zealand Cup is not an option.
"But I'd love to come back here for the New Zealand or Auckland Cups in the future.
"Once you have been here and seen the standard of racing you want more and more of it," said Rixon.
