Swayzee’s aggression could be crucial factor in Taylor Mile

Swayzee could be launched early in tonight's $100,000 Taylor Mile. Photo / Ajay Berry

A gear change and a more vigorous preliminary could shape tonight’s $100,000 Dawson Harford Taylor Mile at Alexandra Park.

And if it does, Swayzee can continue the Australian rout of New Zealand’s pacing elite, which now extends far longer than the locals would prefer.

Most of the big-time Aussies who dominated at Cambridge two weeks ago have gone home, except two-time New Zealand Cup winner Swayzee, who was a oddly lethargic third in the Race by Sport Nation.

Swayzee was slow out that night and looked disinterested for much of the race before powering into third late, and driver Cam Hart realises the veteran pacer will need to be more willing early tonight from barrier 8 over a mile trip short of his best.

“It was partially my fault at Cambridge because I didn’t rev him up in the warm-up like I usually would for a mile race,” explains Hart.

“The reason was in his trial the week before he was bolting off the gate and I thought the sprint racing through the Miracle Mile heat and final must have got him really fired up.

“But that wasn’t the case at Cambridge so I will give him a quicker warm-up this Friday.”

Swayzee will also wear blinds with small eye holes in them to both fire him up early but still enable him to see his rivals coming in a close finish.

“With them on and a better warm-up I think he will come off the gate far better and I think he will be handy and putting the pressure on sooner than people realise.”

While Swayzee may not be a sprinting star, he is still the second-most-feared pacer in Australasia and if Hart gets him trucking early, whoever is in front will have a decision to make, as a motivated Swayzee attacking you isn’t much fun.

Sooner the Bettor would seem the most likely leader and while young driver Harry Orange has publicly stated he’d like to attempt an all-the-way win tonight, that could change if the opening 400m gets hectic.

Trainer-driver Bob Butt says the favourite The Lazarus Effect has options from barrier 4 as he can settle handy and if Swayzee only manages to get to the parked outside position, then he could secure the one-one.

“That’d be an ideal result and I am very happy with the horse,” says Butt.

The other newcomer to the big time is Got The Chocolates, who has drawn one on the second line and faces potential traffic issues.

“I’d prefer to have drawn better but it might not be a bad thing as I am sure they will go hard,” says driver John Dunn.

“So while he is best when he winds up, I think we will be sitting on the markers and hoping the gaps open if Swayzee puts the pressure on.”

Defending champion We Walk By Faith could be a late swooper off a hot speed, while that would also suit another previous Taylor Mile winner, Akuta, who was best of the rest behind Leap To Fame last start.

But this is a Taylor Mile that could look very different at the winning post compared with the situation a lap to go, depending on who is in front.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.