Catch A Wave Photo by Club Menangle
REIGNING Miracle Mile champion Catch A Wave will try and get his title defence back on target at Geelong on Friday night.
Andy Gath's stable star hasn't raced since one of the worst runs of his career when tiring after leading to finish last in the Hunter Cup at Melton on February 3.
The five-year-old, who stunningly completed the Chariots Of Fire/Miracle Mile double this time last year, has managed just two wins from ten starts since.
Catch A Wave's Chariots Of Fire win came at his third run in as many weeks last year, and Gath is plotting a similar path towards the $1mil Miracle Mile at Menangle on March 9.
"That's the plan. He's got Geelong Friday, then eight days later the (qualifying) sprints at Menangle, then hopefully the Miracle Mile a week after that," he said.
The $25,000 Geelong Rocket is over a mile and given the likely calibre of the field, Honolua Bay's 1min51.9sec track record will be in threat.
Gath said he and his wife, Kate, had changed Catch A Wave's training regime.
"We've doubled his workload," he said. "We've looked after him his whole career, but it's time to put the foot down a bit now."
"He seems to be handling it well, and we're keen to step him out at Geelong."
"It's a preferential draw, so he'll draw out the back if they get a full field, but I don't mind that. Keep him out of the early burn."
Catch A Wave won't have Inter Dominion runner-up Better Eclipse to contend with at Geelong.
Trainer Jess Tubbs said her best pacer would go straight to the Miracle Mile qualifiers at Menangle on March 2.
Tubbs' main focus next weekend is Just Believe's quest for revenge against French-bred European import Callmethebreeze in the $75,000 Group 1 Grand Prix at Melton on Saturday night.
