by Adam Hamilton

It must be one of the most audacious and remarkable feature races wins in the history of harness racing.

What mighty Aussie stayer Swayzee did in the lead-up to and in last Tuesday’s $1 million New Zealand Cup itself beggars belief.

Less than four days before the greatest staying race in his part of the world, Swayzee raced and won in a different country.

Last Friday night he had a seven-hour road trip from Menangle near Sydney to the country town of Young where he won the $60,000 Cherry City Cup. The race carried far greater importance given it was the second leg of a five race NSW Country Cup series, which carries a $1 million bonus if a horse can win all five.

Swayzee has won the first two.

About 30 hours after the Young race, Swayzee boarded a four-hour flight from Sydney to Auckland, went through a quarantine process and a few hours on the tarmac before another two-hour flight from Auckland to Christchurch.

The gelding arrived in Christchurch around 10 p.m. Sunday, just 43 hours before he was sent out a commanding $2.20 favorite (for a $1 bet) in the grueling 3,200m New Zealand Cup.

Just as he did last year, Swayzee worked around the field to take the lead inside the first lap, but driver Cam Hart was driving him vigorously rounding the final bend, with main danger Dont Stop Dreaming under a hold and stalking him.

Just when it seemed Swayzee’s extraordinary build-up would take its toll and Dont Stop Dreaming zoomed through the sprint lane (passing lane) to get at least a head in front with 100 meters to go, Swayzee dug deep.

“I actually wasn’t that worried,” Hart said. “He was sort of loafing and it wasn’t until the horse charged at him when he picked up again and felt great. I knew he’d fight back, that’s what he does. That’s why he’s so great.”

Swayzee won by a neck and became the first Aussie-trained pacer to win successive NZ Cups.

For context, only two Aussie-trained pacers have won the New Zealand Cup since 1987. That’s Arden Rooney in 2015 and Swayzee the past two years.

It’s some feat.

All this from a horse who wasn’t even in the Cup field until eight days before the race.

“It was last Monday (Nov. 4) when he worked so well, I rang Mick [Boots, owner] and said I wanted him to back me and that I thought we could take Swayzee back and win the Cup again,” trainer Jason Grimson said. “He just worked so well. He felt like he’d come on again from the Victoria Cup win [Oct. 12], which I thought was the best of his career.

“He seemed in such a great place and, at the same time, there was a lot of doubt about Leap To Fame going over [for the Cup].”

Boots paid a $28,000 late entry and just a few days later, Leap To Fame, was scratched with what connections think is a lingering virus.

“There is no right or wrong in this game,” Grimson said. “It just goes to show you can win a Young Cup on Friday and come here and win an New Zealand Cup. As soon as I saw him Monday morning, I thought we were on.

“He handled the travel better than he did the previous year when he came across a lot earlier. I took him for a jog at the beach and to dip in the water, he felt great.”

And that’s exactly how Swayzee raced.

“He was awesome today,” Grimson said. “To fight back like that in strong wind and win was a mighty effort.”

Hart, one of Australia’s top young drivers, said the win topped last year’s Cup as his career highlight.

“Yeah, it’s the best,” he said. “Just to come back and win it again, it sort of ices the horse’s place in history.

“It was unbelievable. I just love this horse. I have always had confidence in this horse and whenever he is in a dog-fight, he puts in for me.”

Swayzee will now have a break and bypass the upcoming Inter Dominion series in NSW to prepare for the third leg of the NSW Carnival of Cups at Tamworth on Jan. 17. The fourth leg is Albury on Feb. 14 with the final leg at Penrith on March 14.

It will be a major shock if he doesn’t win them all.

As great as Swayzee was, he wasn’t the best horse to win in front of a packed Addington crowd on Cup Day.

That was champion Aussie trotter Just Believe, who thrashed his rivals and landed the 10th Group 1 win of his stellar career in the $400,000 Group 1 Dominion Trot (3,200 meters).

Incredibly, Just Believe has gone to another level since his daunting three-race Swedish raid in the middle of last year.

The rising 9-year-old has raced 21 times since returning to Australia for 19 wins and two seconds.

The Dominion win took his earnings to $2,015,845.

Just Believe is rapidly closing in on Lyell Creek’s Down Under record as the richest all-time earning trotter with $2,256,724.

Driver and co-trainer Greg Sugars described the win as the biggest of his career.

“Yes, that’s a really special one, that’s the top of the tree,” he said. “Coming to NZ and winning the inaugural TAB Trot at Cambridge was a really special thing to me, it meant a lot, but winning this here, at Addington on this day and in front of this crowd, it’s the best.

“He just felt amazing today. He was cruising down the back and really put them away when I asked him to, then I let him cruise to the line.”

Just Believe was scheduled to back-up in the $100,000 New Zealand Trotting free-for-all today (Nov. 15) before returning to Australia to prepare for an assault on a third successive Inter Dominion title in New South Wales, which starts on November 29.

No trotter has won three Inter Dominion finals.