The McCarthy family has been selected by the Committee of the Bathurst Harness Racing Club as the 2016 Gold Crown Honourees.
In a tradition that dates back to 1987 the Committee choses an individual or group to recognise each year for their outstanding contribution to the harness racing industry and the community.
The McCarthy’s now join an elite group with previous Honourees including harness racing legends such as Kevin Newman, Jack Honan, Noel Simpson, Bill Wise, Tony and Steven Turnbull, Brian Hancock and Chris Alford.
Club President, Wayne Barker, said the McCarthy family had been stalwarts of the local, regional and national harness racing scene for three generations.
“This Award recognises the contribution that began with Ray and Ollie McCarthy and the ongoing contribution of their sons, John, Pat and Matthew and their grandchildren, in particular, Luke, Todd and Andrew, and Luke’s wife, Belinda,” Barker said.
“You only have to look at both the records and the reputation of the McCarthy family to know what an outstanding job they have done.”
Ray McCarthy trained some very good horses including Pretty Hilarious, Red Lite, Funtime Lobell, Sunset Thor, Dunedin, Major Hamilton and Ironclad.
He also trained Greentree Dancer to win the 1979 NSW Sapling Stakes.
John McCarthy is a legend of the sport.
He trained over 100 winners per season for eleven successive years; he was in the Top 10 Trainers nationally for ten consecutive years; he trained eighteen Group 1 winners; he trained twelve Grand Circuit winners; and eight Interdominion finalists.
Some of the great horses John McCarthy was responsible for include Washakie, Be Good Johnny, Cobbity Classic and, probably one of his personal favourites, Trios Frere, the Interdominion finalist whose name translates to three brothers, representing the involvement of John, Pat and Matthew.
Luke McCarthy is also an industry legend, having driven 48 Group 1 winners, which places him second only to Gavin Lang nationally.
Luke’s other achievements include driving 100 winners in eleven different seasons; eleven Grand Circuit winners; and in 2011/12 Luke trained 216 winners across Australia, making him the second most successful trainer in the country for that year.
Luke’s wife, Belinda, also has a remarkable record, training along with Luke five Interdominion finalists including Excel Stride, Mach Alert, For A Reason (2) and The Gold Ace, as well as training more than 167 winners in 2012/13 alone and 100+ winners in subsequent seasons.
Todd McCarthy is also building an outstanding reputation in harness racing, being the trainer/driver of Seel N Print, the Runner Up in the Inter Dominion, as well driving 120 winners in the last completed season.
Andrew McCarthy has made a name for himself as one of the most successful drivers in the United States harness racing industry.
He moved there at the age of 21 in 2007 and, since joining that circuit, has driven the winners of over $11,000,000 in prizemoney including feature winners, Muscle Hill, My Little Dragon and Southwind Tempo.
Pat and Mathew McCarthy, while not scaling the heights of other family members in the industry, are recognised as people who continue the family tradition, built on integrity, hard work and generosity of spirit.
The McCarthy’s will be formally inducted as Bathurst Gold Crown Honourees at the Bathurst Regional Council Mayoral Dinner which is a key part of the Gold Crown Carnival.
This will take place on Tuesday, 22nd March at the Bathurst RSL.
“Once you read through the records of the McCarthy family you can see that the Committee were extremely excited about offering them the opportunity of joining the ranks of Gold Crown Honouree and delighted and honoured that they accepted,” Wayne Barker said.
“All three generations of the family are a credit to their family, to their upbringing and our industry and we are really looking forward to recognising all of their contributions,” Mr Barker concluded.
