HALL of fame trainer Jim Takter admitted to being in awe of Lazarus after his monstrous second to arch-rival McWicked in this US this morning.

It wasn’t the win Takter and team hoped for, but Lazarus endured the hardest run in the race and still pushed McWicked, who had a perfect trip, right to the wire.

And they smashed the clock with the second fastest race mile in history, 1min46.4sec.

“I could not be prouder,” Takter said. “We didn’t get the run we hoped, he was parked out for the race, but he just kept coming. He still picked-up half a length on McWicked in the stretch. He’s an amazing horse.

“When you take the four lengths off, he’s run a 1min45.6sec mile.”

Takter’s former great Always B Miki holds the 1min46sec world record.

“He had a better run than Lazarus that day he ran the record. You can’t break records having the trip Lazarus did today.”

While driver Yannick Gingras was left parked out on Lazarus, Brian Sears used gate one for a cosy run on the rails for McWicked and launched with his run at the leaders, leaving Lazarius to chase.

Lazarus closed in a 26.8sec last quarter to get within a long neck.

McWicked’s win levelled the head-to-head scoreline at 2-2 with Lazarus.

And, excitingly, they look on target for an immediate rematch next Saturday at Yonkers Raceway in New York.

Importantly for Lazarus, the Yonkers race is a rare US pacing feature beyond a mile. It’s a 2000m race.

Takter said Lazarus’ recovery would decide whether he backed-up this week.

“I want to sleep on it and see how he is,” he said. “It would mean running three, possibly four weeks in a row given what comes after Yonkers.”

McWicked’s trainer Casie Coleman added: “We’ve got the invite to Yonkers and that looks like we’re headed next.”