The Aldebaran Park Maori Mile will challenge the Petstock Bendigo Pacing Cup for the highlight of Saturday night’s meeting at Lord’s Raceway.
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First run in 2010, the Maori Mile has been elevated from the original Group Two event of $20,000 to the 2016 Group One race of $50,325, plus inscribed rug and silver cup to the winning owner.
The race, developed by the Bendigo Harness Racing Club committee and sponsored by Aldebaran Park Stud principal Duncan McPherson, is named in honour of legendary trotter Maoris Idol.
Maoris Idol became Australia's greatest trotter, with a record 24 successive race victories before placing third in the 1978 Melbourne Inter-Dominion Final.
He is still the trotting record holder with 22 wins in a season, and has the honour of being the first trotter in Australia to break the two minute mile barrier.
The flashy stallion raced 46 times for 40 wins, four placings and then record trotting earnings of $98,821.
Maoris Idol died in 2006 at the amazing age of 34, and is buried adjacent to the front gates of Lord’s Raceway.
Special bronze plaques are placed annually on the Maori Mile Memorial Wall at the entrance to Lord’s Raceway to commemorate each winner.
Last year’s winner Maori Time returns to defend his crown.
Maori Time has drawn outside of the front row in the 11-horse field.
Quite A Moment, Glenferrie Typhoon and Claudys Princess are other highly-rated trotters chasing the Maori Mile title.
The Maori Mile winner will be provided ballot exempt status for the Pryde’s EasiFeed Great Southern Star trot eliminations and final to be run on the one program at Melton, March 23, with the final carrying prizemoney of $300,000.
Meanwhile, champion pacer Lennytheshark will have just six rivals in Saturday night’s Bendigo Pacing Cup.
The David Aiken-trained pacer has drawn gate five in the Group Two event.
The Victorian Cup and Inter-Dominion champion looks set to start a long odds-on favourite at Lord’s Raceway.
In his past 13 starts Lennytheshark hasn’t missed a place, collecting nine wins, three seconds and one third.
Former winner Im Corzin Terror has drawn outside of the front row, while the classy Hectorjayjay has drawn well in gate two.
Bendigo Pacing Cup field – 1. Franco Ledger, 2. Hectorjayjay, 3. Classy Western, 4. Uncle Wingnut, 5. Lennytheshark, 6. Hotasel, 7. Im Corzin Terror.
Total prizemoney for the Bendigo Pacing Cup night program is more than $190,000.
