Racing: Herlihy earns Sly Flyin shot at Miracle Mile

A few seconds of Tony Herlihy magic has helped justify one of the toughest decisions of the harness racing season so far.

Herlihy was at his Hall of Fame best when reining Sly Flyin to victory in the A$60,000 ($64,000) Newcastle Mile on Saturday night, earning the pair an invitation to the A$500,000 Miracle Mile.

Sly Flyin overcame starting from the tricky seven barrier to land some big fixed-odds bets in downing fellow Kiwi pacer Foreal in a sizzling 1:53.6 mile, making him one of the fastest pacers in Australasian history.

Such glory looked unlikely 1200m from home when Sly Flyin was trapped three wide as outsider Home Of Jack kicked up inside him when Herlihy was attempting to improve to sit parked.

That could have left the Auckland pacer three wide and a sitting duck but Herlihy poured on just enough pressure to open up the field, allowing him to squeeze Sly Flyin into a tiny gap in the one-one, a remarkable effort considering the compact nature of the field and tempo of the race.

From there the feature belonged to Sly Flyin, as he shoved Hexus out of the way at the 400m mark and had his opponents covered at the top of the straight to win without being asked to dig too deep.

"He actually did it easier and could have gone a bit faster," said Herlihy.

The win and Miracle Mile invitation confirm Herlihy made the right choice when he turned his back on the New Zealand Trotting Cup with Sly Flyin to chase Australian riches.

"He has never been great from a standing start but he is very good from the mobile so we made the decision to head to Australia early and it is starting to pay off.

"It is never easy to miss the New Zealand Cup because it is such a great race but every horse is different and you have to do your best for them individually."

Sly Flyin's Australian assault started with three luckless but gutsy runs in Queensland which had Harold Park officials already eyeing him for a Miracle Mile spot.

They swooped immediately after the win, issuing Herlihy with an invitation to the super sprint even before he had got out of the sulky.

"When we came over here the Miracle Mile was the main aim so to make the field is very satisfying. Now we have to hope for a good draw, we must be due one soon."

Such dreams are a long way from where Sly Flying found himself just 12 months ago, when he had missed last season's New Zealand Cup because of his protracted battle with soreness, one that looked likely to rob him of fulfilling the potential he showed as a young horse.

But beach training has turned the speedster around, with Herlihy saying he has never been sounder. He finished second to Elsu in the Interdominion Final last season and ranks alongside Just An Excuse and a few others as the best of the older New Zealand open-class pacers, all of whom now stand in Mainland Banner's shadow.

With the young mare set to miss most of the open-class features this season, if Sly Flyin can stay sound he will be one of New Zealand's best hopes in races such as the Victoria Cup and the A$1.5 million Interdominion Final.

That, coupled with his love of mobile racing, could see him stay in Australia for most of the season.

While beaten Foreal was impressive in her open-class debut, a sub 1:54 mile will further enhance her broodmare value.

She is now certain to start favourite in Friday night's A$100,000 Ladyship Mile at Harold Park in which she has drawn barrier one. New Zealand's other mare in that sprint, Imagine That, will start from barrier seven.

South Auckland pacer Winforu will start in a Miracle Mile prelude the same night, needing a win or second placing to earn a start in the final.