Photo by Brett Atkins/HRNSW
IT is hard to believe the newly crowned Inter Dominion winner Don Hugo has become the forgotten horse of Saturday night’s Group 1 Hunter Cup.
The fact Leap To Fame and Swayzee weren’t in the Inter Dominion, plus the addition of three Kiwis stars – Republican Party, Dont Stop Dreaming and Tact McLeod – has taken much of the focus off Don Hugo.
The five-year-old, who boasts five wins from past seven starts including the TAB Eureka and Inter Dominion, is still being kept safe in betting markets at $5.
Trainer-driver Luke McCarthy is looking forward to seeing how his latest stable star stacks up against the very best in this part of the world.
“It’s a great race, isn’t it. And the draw has made it even more interesting,” he said.
“I said at the time we’d been able to win the Inter Dominion without the two benchmark horses (Leap To Fame and Swayzee) and that it would be a step-up when we met them, but you couldn’t do more than Don Hugo did through that series.
“He’s a lot better horse than when he ran in those good races during the Queensland winter, he’s just kept stepping-up after each little break we’ve given him.”
Don Hugo’s only run since the December 14 Inter Dominion win was a fighting third after doing all the work behind Max Delight and Captains Knock in a 2300m free-for-all at Menangle last Saturday night.
“He went great. His own last mile was 1min51.8sec and he covered 17m extra than Max Delight,” McCarthy said. “I couldn’t have asked for any more from him.
“You saw in the Inter Dominion series how much he improved on that first round heat run, so I’m sure last week’s race will bring him a lot for this week.
“It’s the right time and he’s in the right place to tackle these top ones now. I’m really looking forward to seeing how he stacks up, not just for this but going forward to the Miracle Mile as well.
McCarthy was pleased with gate four.
“I just wanted to draw the front and hoped the others would draw out the back. I got my wish,” he said.
“I think four is good. It’ll be interesting what Republican Party and Tact McLeod do inside me and then you know Cam (Hart) will be off around them quickly on Swayzee looking to get right in the action and looking for the front.
“If I can get the right sort of run, I’m sure we’ll be right in the finish.”
McCarthy is also excited about his star mare Eye Keep Smiling’s hopes in the Group 3 Ladyship Cup (1720m) for mares.
“She’s drawn well and has a great hope from there,” he said. “My Moonlite Dream will lead and hold, so I’m hoping to get a good sit just off the speed, maybe even following Aardies Express.”
Eye Keep Smiling, who fifth to Don Hugo in the TAB Eureka, went on to win a heat and final of the NSW Breeders Challenge before a break.
The five-year-old returned with an eye-catching seventh at Menangle from a wide draw last Saturday night.
“She made up a huge amount of ground and her times were great. She was only beaten about a length,” McCarthy said.
“She’ll be fitter for that if you go back to her Golden Girl win in Brisbane, she’s as good as any of these mares at her best.”
