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It’s a travesty Australia’s greatest pacer Popular Alm never won the sport’s biggest race. He ran in two Inter Dominions for a third in Perth in 1982 when the heat overwhelmed him and second in Auckland a year later, where he didn’t handle the opposite direction of racing.
But, more unjust even than that, is the fact his late, great co-trainer and driver Vin Knight, regarded by many as the most remarkable local talent the sport has seen, was also unable to win an Inter Dominion final.
Knight tried 10 times for three seconds and a third. Agonisingly, he twice picked the wrong stablemate to drive. He went with Bag Limit in Sydney in 1988, who ran 10th to stablemate Our Maestro. A year later, he jumped aboard Our Maestro, who could only manage third to stablemate Jodie’s Babe in Perth.
John Binskin was the benefactor of Knight‘s wrong call in 1988 when he picked-up the winning drive on Our Maestro.
Knight’s last Inter Dominion final drive was an eighth aboard Rockleigh Victory in 1990. The troubled champion took his own life a year later at just 36.
His great mate, Menangle-based trainer Darren Binskin who has been a key player in this current NSW Inter Dominion, always said no horseman would ever compare to Knight.
But, Binskin, to the disbelief of those who know him, has changed his mind.
In the ultimate show of respect for Luke McCarthy, the man, who with his wife Belinda, has so dominated this NSW series, Binskin has declared him the best all-round horseman he’s seen in harness racing.
“I almost can’t believe I’m saying it myself, because there was and always will only be one Vinnie Knight, but Luke has taken things to a different level,” Binskin said.
“I have to be a realist, Luke just keeps doing this over and over again. There is no fluke in Luke.
“Vinnie was a great big race driver, but Luke’s better. He just doesn’t make mistakes and he drives his horses to their strengths.
“The main difference overall is that Vinnie was a spur of the moment man, with his driving and his training. It worked for him and he had incredible success, but Luke is just so methodical. He’s so calculated, everything is planned and thought out. It’s phenomenal.”
Top trainer David Aiken, who has Max Delight and Malcolms Rhythm in this year’s pacing final and trained Lennytheshark to win it in 2015, joined the chorus of praise for McCarthy.
“He is just the complete package, great driver, wonderful horseman and the facilities he and Belinda have to train from are out of this world. No wonder they’re so hard to beat.
“Look at Luke and his family more broadly. Dad (John) has been such a great trainer and Luke’s two brothers, Todd and Andy, are among the very, very best drivers in North America now. Dare I say it, Todd could be the best of the lot as a driver. He could be the best in the world in time.”
The always humble McCarthy puts the success he and Belinda have down to their fantastic complex at Cobbitty Equine near Camden and the string of quality horses they’ve had to train.
Two of them, King Of Swing and Expensive Ego, dominate betting for Saturday night’s Inter Dominion pacing final. They qualified all four runners in the pacing series for the final, the others being Spirit Of St Louis and Alta Orlando.
McCarthy committed to King Of Swing’s owners before the series he would stick with the dual Miracle Mile winner right through to the final, regardless of how Expensive Ego thrived, which he certainly has.
“Part loyalty to the horse, part being a man of my word,” he said.
Like Knight, the Inter Dominion is the one big trophy missing from McCarthy’s stellar CV.
Will he tick that box with King Of Swing or will he, like Knight, watch a stablemate thwart him?
We’ll all be watching with interest at 10pm tomorrow (Saturday), maybe even Knight will be from above, too.
To view the fields for Menangle on Saturday night click here.
By republished from The Daily Telegraph
