Natalie Rasmussen will miss one of the biggest moments of her training career if aptly-named Dual Code delivers the harness racing queen her first win as a thoroughbred trainer at Doomben.Rasmussen is in Sydney preparing her champion pacer Blacks A Fake for his fourth attempt to win the Miracle Mile while Dual Code will start in Wednesday's Racetree Handicap (1350m).Blacks A Fake became a harness racing legend with his fourth InterDominion Championship this year.His only InterDominion defeat ove
Natalie Rasmussen will miss one of the biggest moments of her training career if aptly-named Dual Code delivers the harness racing queen her first win as a thoroughbred trainer at Doomben.
Rasmussen is in Sydney preparing her champion pacer Blacks A Fake for his fourth attempt to win the Miracle Mile while Dual Code will start in Wednesday's Racetree Handicap (1350m).
Blacks A Fake became a harness racing legend with his fourth InterDominion Championship this year.
His only InterDominion defeat over the past five years was when he was beaten a long neck by American pacer Mr Feelgood in the 2009 InterDominion final.
Rasmussen is giving serious thought to switching careers to train thoroughbreds once Blacks A Fake retires.
"I'll still retain a dual licence but I'm looking seriously at training more thoroughbreds after Blackie retires," she said.
"There's no set time when he'll retire. He loves work and racing but I'll retire him straight away if he shows he's no longer interested or is injured.
"Harness racing has been a great sport to me but after Blackie it'll be hard to reach the same heights.
"The way Queensland harness racing is going the money and the support isn't there to keep the stable viable."
Rasmussen has 60 standardbreds in work at her Mt Tambourine stables in the Gold Coast hinterland and will soon have five thoroughbreds in training.
"I've got two thoroughbreds in work right now, Dual Code and a Sydney mare, and I'll have another three coming when I get back home," she said.
Rasmussen missed a fairytale start to her thoroughbred training career when Dual Code was runner-up to Topping in a 1350-metre class three at Doomben on November 3.
She admitted to being scared when she saddled Dual Code for the first time and she's unsure about his prospects at his second stable appearance.
"I think he'll go good. He pulled up well following his first run for me," she said.
"Gallops are such a different ball game but he's fit and well.
"If he wins when I'm not there I'll be bloody filthy."
Rasmussen has arranged to watch the race in Sydney as she juggles her stable chores with Blacks A Fake.
Dual Code is owned by harness racing identity Chris Garrard and Ron Wanless, a former harness driver and prominent thoroughbred owner and businessman.