Arty party cranks

Mad dash to keep dream alive

THE seed for Lochinvar Art’s somewhat surprising appearance in Saturday night’s Group 1 Newcastle Mile was planted 31 years ago.

That’s when Kevin Gordon answered an SOS from his friend Vic Frost, who was lost with his champion pacer Westburn Grant and didn’t know how to find the Newcastle track.

A few hours later, Gordon watched in awe as the great Westburn Grant won the first of his back-to-back Newcastle Miles (1990 & ’91), which sat alongside a couple of Miracle Miles and an Inter Dominion in one of the sport’s great CVs.

“I’ve wanted two things ever since – a really good horse and a runner in a Newcastle Mile. Now I’ve got both thanks to Lochinvar Art,” said Gordon, who owns Lochinvar Art.

“I’ve said all along to David (Moran, trainer-driver) that I really wanted ‘Arty’ to come to Newcastle as his Miracle Mile qualifier.

“I’ve got lots of family and friends coming, but beyond that, there’s a real buzz through the Hunter with the best horse in this part of the world coming to our local track.

“This race has such a rich history, so many of the greats of the sport have won it and it’s such a thrill to have Lochinvar Art running it now as well.

“He’s very quickly become a people’s horse. You can’t manufacture that. The whole ‘Arty Party’ thing has really caught on.”

There was a fleeting moment last Friday, as Victoria moved into a five-day COVID-19 lockdown, when Gordon feared his Newcastle dream could be shattered.

“I jumped straight on the phone to David, who was on his way to Ballarat, and told him to pack everything up and get across the border before midnight. He wasn’t planning to come until Wednesday, but we couldn’t take any risk,” he said.

“He crossed the border before midnight, stayed the night at Tarcutta and then got to Luke and Belinda McCarthy’s place (near Menangle) Saturday lunchtime.”

Lochinvar Art was a nice horse at two and three, but really signalled he’d taken the next step into a potential great when he smashed the Melton 1720m track record with an unthinkable 1min 48.6sec mile rate winning the Group 1 4YO Bonanza almost 13 months ago.

He’s since won another five Group 1 races – including the big Victoria and Hunter Cup double – and is TAB’s $1.70 favourite to add the $1 million Miracle Mile on March 6.

“It’s a real Cinderella story with this horse and David. Those in the game knew David before this horse, but he and the horse have grown in confidence and profile together,” Gordon said.

“I think back to when Lochinvar Art was young and David wouldn’t drive him. He didn’t think he was good enough and used to put Luke McCarthy on him. Now you wouldn’t get David off him with a crowbar.

“He was only a $29,000 yearling. It’s captured everyone’s imagination.”