Trainers lucky enough to have a runner at a major trots meeting are conscious of the atmosphere only big time racing can generate. Miracle Mile night is something else again. Today’s younger fans are understandably amused to learn that the famous race was created fifty six years ago, specifically to give the best horses an opportunity to break the two minute mile on the tight Harold Park track. Since the action moved to Menangle in 2009, the younger generation has become more accustomed to times like the 1.46.9 registered by My Field Marshall in 2018, or the leisurely 1.48.4 Catch A Wave posted on Saturday night.
The passage of time hasn’t diminished the magic of the Miracle Mile. When Brad Hewitt arrived at Menangle late on Saturday afternoon with his five stable runners, he was almost as excited to be competing in supporting races as he would have been with a runner in the feature. To come away with a winning double was beyond his expectations. The thirty two year old began his night with two runners in the Tanya Harris OAM Stakes for mares. Not surprisingly Brad elected to drive $2.30 favourite Loubowski from gate four, while brother Scott deputised on $5.50 third pick Anna Love from the inside draw. It wasn’t hard to read Brad’s thoughts as he glanced to the left a few strides after the start to see Anna Love in a break. He quickly found the front on the thoroughly reliable Loubowski and proceeded to register quarters of 27.7, 30.6, 27.7 and 26.8 to leave the opposition floundering in a 1.52.8 rate.
Loubowski looked the winner a long way from home in the Tanya Harris OAM Stakes - courtesy Club Menangle (Hamilton Content Creators)
A regular buyer of New Zealand horses, Brad was able to source both four year old mares through his South Island contacts. “Loubowski went onto the market after a first up win at Oamaru last August but I decided to wait for her second run,” said Brad. “She started in a good quality three year old race at Addington and finished right behind the placegetters after being held up for a run. I was on the phone before they’d pulled up. We let her settle into the new surroundings before giving her two easy trials at Goulburn, and then off we went to the races.”
Loubowski won consecutive races at Wagga in 1.56 and 1.53.7 before going under by a nose to Punt Away at Menangle in 1.51.3. The mare returned to the same track for a Tuesday meeting on February 14th, and settled back in the field from a wide gate. She whipped around the field turning to the back to park outside the leader Coral Stride before racing away to beat that mare comfortably in 1.52.9. That kind of form saw her start a short priced elect on Saturday night. “I absolutely love this mare,” said Brad. “She’s a delight to have around the place and is a thorough professional at the races. She’s got gate speed, can lead or sit and tries her heart out. She won’t need to improve much to be a genuine Saturday mare, and if she does jump out of the ground we might be looking at a Gr 1 contender. She’ll be in the paddock by the end of the week and I’ll be looking forward to her next campaign. We’ll sort out the other girl Anna Love, who’ll wait for another day.”
Just two races later Brad made it a double on Blazing Banner in the Waratah Final with the most confident drive of the night. He fairly exploded from gate 10 to cross all nine rivals before the winning post, and seemed unfazed by a blistering first quarter in 26.4. Subsequent sections of 29.4, 28.1 and 27.7 gave him a 1.51.3 rate which carried him to a comfortable win over Sporting Joy and Im Bruce Almighty, the latter trained and driven by brother Scott. Brad was more than satisfied with the runs of his final two runners Lettuce Nipya in the Sapling Stakes, and Triple Four in the final race. The former figured in the steward’s report after a chequered run, while Triple Four got too far back and never got into a very fast run race. The Goulburn trainer was well satisfied with a good night at the office.
Blazing Banner completed an impressive double for Brad in the Waratah Final - courtesy Club Menangle (Hamilton Content Creators)
The consistency of Brad’s horses is best reflected in the fact that he occupies fifth spot on the NSW trainer’s premiership and is currently in eighth place on the metropolitan ladder. Brad and his dad David work twenty seven horses between them on the roomy Goulburn Paceway. The opportunity to educate young horses on such a geometrically perfect circuit, is nothing short of a luxury for local trainers.
Brad Hewitt is a fourth generation harness horseman who learned the basics from grandfather Tom on the family property at Crookwell on the NSW central tablelands. He was in the gig by age eight and driving fast work in his early teens. By the time he applied for his own licence in 2006, he was thoroughly versed in the care and training of the standardbred horse. He had to wait until February 2008 for that elusive first winner to come along, and it may not have happened had his father not nominated two horses for a minor race at Canberra. When David elected to drive Trixie Way, seventeen year old Brad was given the drive on Nifty Hare who did his share of work before scrambling in to win by a couple of metres.
Here's Brad at a HRNSW awards night in 2009 - the night he received the Junior Driver's Encouragement Award - courtesy Club Menangle.
Fast forward to the Menangle meeting on Tuesday (Mar 7th) and Hewitt’s hot run continued when he posted three wins from as many drives taking his career driving tally to 641. He trains his first two winners Majestic Trio and Emma’s Boy, while David Hewitt prepares Arama Reactor who led throughout to give Brad the perfect score for the day. He has a career win strike rate of 18%, while his strike rate at this early stage of the season sits at a very impressive 38%. Brad was just old enough to have a handful of race drives at Harold Park before the iconic track closed its doors in 2010.The first of his few winners at headquarters was the very talented Super Sea, a horse he would later drive to several more wins for his dad David.
There’s little doubt his all time favourite is the prolific winner Spare Me Days winner of twenty one races with thirty five placings for $440,000. Brad actually bred the horse, trained him throughout a 129 start career, and drove him in all but two of his wins. The genuine pacer won a 2YO Blue Breeders Challenge Final, a Bulli Cup at Menangle, and no less than three Young Cups. He ran second in a Truer Memorial and third in a Victoria Derby Final.
If Brad has an all time second favourite perhaps it’s Our Triple Play who was retired recently with a record of seventeen wins and twenty five placings for prize money of $276,000. Among the gelding’s wins were an Albion Park 4YO Championship and the Maitland Inter City Pace Final in which he nosed out Royal Story trained and driven by Brad’s uncle Bernie Hewitt. Our Triple Play was also part of Brad’s “dream quartet” at Young’s biggest meeting of the year in March 2017. He had four runners on the night, and all four were successful - Our Triple Play won the Derby, Spare Me Days won the Young Cup, Sheza Sharpie won the Oaks and Recipe For Dreaming did his part by winning a CO/C1 towards the end of the programme.
One of Brad's four winners at Young, his old favourite Spare Me Days - courtesy Club Menangle.
Another of Brad’s successful NZ acquisitions was a Mach Three gelding called Tullow who won sixteen races for his ownership syndicate including the Canberra Cup. One of Tullow’s owners is Brad’s great friend and Canberra Raiders legend Jarrod Croker, a devoted harness racing fan. The former Raiders captain played only one game last year before a home accident aggravated a shoulder injury sustained in a club match three weeks earlier. A complete shoulder reconstruction brought his 2022 season to a crushing halt. Jarrod, who is already the club’s all time leading try and points scorer, is within eight games of achieving the magical milestone of 300 NRL games.
To date Brad Hewitt has been involved in four Gr 1 wins. The first came in 2019 when he drove Rockin Marty for father David to win the Breeders Challenge 3YO Colts and Geldings Final at Menangle. Runner up was the emerging superstar Lochinvar Art. Almost two years later Brad trained and drove Send It to win the TAB Regional Championship State Final at Menangle. In April of last year he chalked up win number three at the elite level as the trainer and driver of Yarraman Bella in the Riverina Mares Championship at Wagga. Six months later his fourth Gr 1 as trainer/driver came up when Captains Knock won the 2YO Breeders Challenge Final defeating Better Be The Best, winner of Saturday night’s NSW Pacers Derby Final. Brad was devastated just three weeks later when Captains Knock sustained a suspensory ligament strain in the Breeders Crown Final at Melton. The talented Captain Treacherous colt is still in the paddock.
Brad drove Rockin Marty in 13 of his 14 wins including this one at Menangle on 06/02/2021. 20 months earlier Rockin Marty gave Brad his first Gr. 1 driving win - courtesy Club Menangle.
As a member of a true harness racing dynasty, Brad was going to go one way or the other - follow his calling or pursue a totally different career path. Those who remember the days when he had to be dragged kicking and screaming out of the jogging cart, had no doubt which way this Hewitt kid was heading. Twenty four years later we find him training and driving a winning double on Miracle Mile night. If that doesn’t fire him up, nothing will.
Brad chalked up his 500th win in 2021. He now has 641 on his CV - courtesy Club Menangle.
(Banner image - Our Triple Play is second only to Spare Me Days as Brad's all time favourite. He won 17 races with the expat Kiwi - courtesy Club Menangle.)