Don Hugo winning the 2025 Blacks A Fake
REIGNING Miracle Mile champion Don Hugo has capped a massive December by landing the first slot in the Australia’s richest open-class race, the $1.25mil Group 1 Nullarbor.
Luke McCarthy’s star beat the great Leap To Fame for the second time in the Group 1 Blacks A Fake at Albion Park on December 6 and then smashed the clock winning at Menangle last Saturday night.
The rising six-year-old, a winner of 22 races and over $2.5 million, landed the Ladbrokes slot in the Nullarbor at Gloucester Park on April 17.
Along with the Blacks A Fake, Don Hugo has won the Miracle Mile, Inter Dominion final and TAB Eureka in the past 18 months.
He will be the best credentialled pacer to tackle the Nullarbor.
“It’s awesome to lock him in so early,” McCarthy said. “As a trainer, knowing it’s a done deal allows us to build everything around it, rather than having to worry about it close to the race.
“I love getting over to Perth when I’ve got the right horse and Don Hugo is certainly that. It looks like a great race for him.
“The Nullarbor has become one of the most sought-after races on the calendar in just a few years and it’ll be fantastic to have a horse in it, who I believe will be as hard to beat as any.”
Such has been Don Hugo’s rise to stardom, he has beaten Leap To Fame, a pacer widely regarded as one of the best Australasia has ever seen, twice this year in the Miracle Mile on March 8 and the Blacks A Fake.
“Luke and I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Don Hugo yet, either,” owner Tony Licastro said. “Look how easily he won the other night and the time he went.”
Don Hugo raced clear to win by 10.4m in a scorching 1min48.8sec mile at Menangle last Saturday night.
“He has really just had this past year racing in the big league and achieved so much. We think his next year could be his best,” Licastro said.
“Leap To Fame is as good a horse as I’ve seen and just to race him is a privilege … to beat him twice is amazing.”
Licastro said chasing the Nullarbor next just felt right after an aborted attempt this year.
“We planned to do the slot race in NZ and come back to the Nullarbor, but he got sick after the NZ race and that changed everything,” he said. “This time it’s all about Perth. That’s our target.
“Now we can sit down and work out a program between now and the Nullarbor. I know Luke thinks defending his Miracle Mile crown is top of the list because it’s such a suitable race for the horse.”
Don Hugo will be out to continue the strong record of interstate raiders in the Nullarbor. The NSW-trained Betterzippit won the first running in 2023 then Victoria’s Catch A Wave saluted in 2024.
Mister Smartee became the first locally trained winner earlier this year.
PHOTO: Dan Costello
