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Multiple Group 1 winning driver Luke McCarthy is quickly making the world’s richest harness race his own.
McCarthy partnered the Emma Stewart trained Encipher to win the inaugural running of the TAB Eureka last year and completed back to back wins in the race when he guided his own pacer Don Hugo (Art Major) to an all the way win at Menangle tonight.
Sent out a $7.50 chance in the $1.97m TAB Eureka, Don Hugo worked forward from a wide draw to assume the front running from Wisper A Secret and McCarthy was able to give his charge a 30 second quarter ‘breather’ before reeling off a 26.1 second last 400 metres.
The only three-year-old in the race, Bay Of Biscay ran the race of his life with a fast finishing second placing from three back along the pegs while the lightly raced High Above ran a slashing race to finish third after sitting parked.
Don Hugo was the horse selected by slot holder high profile Sydney media identity John Singleton.
“It’s a massive thrill to win this race again,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy said he didn’t enter the race with any pre conceived tactics.
“He couldn’t look any better with a shine in the coat, I just wasn’t sure how I was going to drive him and I was just going to figure it out as we went along,” he said.
“Once he whizzed across the front and got those cheap fractions I was hoping that he was going to be really hard to beat.”
McCarthy said he took the opportunity for a mid-race ‘breather’
“It worked out perfect, I got some good fractions there and I was expecting a couple of them to be coming early so it took a breather where I could,” he said.
DON HUGO REPLAY
McCarthy, who will divide his time between Australian and North America in the coming years, said he was fortuitous to be in the winner’s stall again this year.
“It’s a massive thrill to be in any big race let along the world’s richest race and to win it two years in a row I couldn’t be happier,” he said.
For complete race results, click here.
by John Dunne, for Harnesslink
