Kingman Photo by Stuart McCormick
LUKE McCarthy thinks he has found his next Grand Circuit star.
The champion horseman Kingman has the qualities to follow in the hoofprints of previous stable stars like King Of Swing, Mr Feelgood, Bling It On, For A Reason and others and make a real splash at the highest level.
The four-year-old, who boasts four wins and a second from six starts since joining McCarthy’s barn, steps into Grand Circuit racing for the first time in Saturday night’s $250,000 Group 1 Victoria Cup.
And he’s a warm $4.50 second favourite behind only the great Leap To Fame ($1.80).
“He’s a really serious horse. He’ll keep getting better with time because he’s still only four, but he’s in a great place for this race,” McCarthy said.
“It’s the right time to give a race like this a try.
“He’s fast and he’s strong. I’ll be driving him very positively and having a good look for the lead now we’ve drawn so well (gate four). You’ve got to take advantage of those draws.”
Kingman showed he could match it with Grand Circuit players when he easily ran down the mighty Swayzee, winner of last year’s Victoria Cup, at his latest run at Menangle.
“He did it easily, too,” McCarthy said. “I know Swayzee wasn’t at his top, but we had him covered a long way out and my guy was so strong on the line.
“I give him a great chance this week, especially now Leap To Fame has drawn so awkwardly.
“If I get to the front and Leap To Fame comes looking, there’s no way I’m handing up over 2240m around Melton.”
Beyond this week, Kingman looks headed for more stoushes with Leap To Fame in the Sunshine Sprint and Blacks A Fake at Albion Park in December.
McCarthy is also hopeful of a bold showing from his young star Hesitate in the Group 1 Victoria Derby on Saturday.
“Gee it’s a strong Derby, isn’t it. There’s a lot of chances and he’s one of the better ones,” he said.
“He ran well last week, but will improve a lot from it. I deliberately took him into it a bit short, so the run would top him off.
“If he can settle handy, he’ll be right in the finish.”
In other stable news, former Inter Dominion and Miracle Mile winner Don Hugo is close to a racing return after a Penrith trial last night.
“He’ll race in the first week of November,” McCarthy said. “We went to Penrith for practice on the tighter tracks because Tony (Licastro, owner) wants to give him a shot at the NSW Carnivals of Cups bonus,” McCarthy said.
“He’ll run at Menangle first-up, then go to that first leg of the series at Wagga a couple of weeks later.”
McCarthy said his champion mare Eye Keep Smiling wouldn’t be back racing until the new year.
“She’s still at the farm being ‘flushed’ for an embryo transfer,” he said. “She’s back jogging, but her target is the big mares races in Victoria early next year.”
PHOTO: Stuart McCormick
