Budget King looking for strong showing in Metric Mile in lead-up to potential Darwin Cup berth

It’s a strong field facing Garry Lefoe’s Budget King in the $50,000 TAB Metric Mile (1600m) but the racer’s current form will have brought the Darwin trainer plenty of confidence

IT’s a strong field that faces Garry Lefoe’s Budget King in the $50,000 TAB Metric Mile (1600m) but the racer’s current form will have brought the Darwin trainer plenty of confidence.

The Toyota Cup winning four-year-old is looking for a strong showing in the Metric Mile to stamp down a place in the Darwin Cup.

And with jockey Casey Hunter aboard there’s no reason to think it won’t be among the leaders at Fannie Bay.

Gary Lefoe's stable is preparing for the upcoming Metric Mile as part of the Darwin Cup Carnival. Jockey Casey Hunter rides Budget King whilst Jason Lyon rides Casino Seventeen at Mindil Beach. Picture: Che Chorley

“It’s a harder race than the Toyota Cup so he is going to have to be on his game but he’s in tip top shape to go,” Lefoe said.

“He needs to win to probably secure a place in the Darwin Cup with him being right on the cusp for selection at the moment.

MORE SPORT NEWS

Strong fields of nominations named for the Great Northern Darwin Cup and Palmerston Sprint

Darwin product Tom O’Neill-Thorne selected in Australian Rollers’ squad for 2020 Tokyo Paralympics

The NT News looks at the talking points from Round 11 of the 2021 NRL NT season

“To win he just has to do what he does. He likes to race forward, puts himself forward and makes his own luck so as long as he does what he does he should be hard to beat. Things are looking but it’s a big race so you have to keep everything together until game day.”

Other strong chances for the Metric Mile include Terry Gillett That’s Justified, Gary Clarke’s Paghman and Angela Forster’s Spielberg.