“It’s the hardest opposition I’ve raced in my 20 years”

And he concedes beating them in Saturday night’s (Dec. 10) Grand Final is “quite daunting.”

“Their horses, in fact their whole stable, is absolutely flying,” he said. “I can honestly say, it’s the hardest opposition I’ve raced in my 20 years in the game. You just have to admire what they are doing.”

It leaves McCarthy thinking his prospects of Inter Dominion redemption and a first win in harness racing’s biggest race are fading.

McCarthy went into the two-week series bullish with the two best horses he and wife, Belinda, had set for the final, but three rounds of heats have changed things for Expensive Ego (Rock N Roll Heaven) and Spirit Of St Louis (Sweet Lou).

Expensive Ego will be racing for Inter Dominion redemption on Saturday night. Picture: Club Menangle.

It is a series that meant a little bit more to Team McCarthy after they “won” last year’s pacing final at Menangle with Expensive Ego, only to be stripped of the title in the stewards’ room 30 minutes later.

In contrast to last year when Team McCarthy won seven of the nine qualifying heats of the pacing series, this time they have won just one – with Spirit Of St Louis on night two at Shepparton.

Stewart and Tonkin have taken that role this year with seven wins in the night heats across three nights.

But the powerhouse Ballarat couple has raised the bar on that, having qualified a record-equalling five pacers for the 12-horse final at Melton on Saturday night.

“Their horses have been fantastic, completely dominant really. And most of their (five) finalists look to be at their peak going into the final,” Luke McCarthy said.

“We’re right up against it, that’s for sure.”

McCarthy was thrilled with Expensive Ego and Spirit Of St Louis through the first two rounds of heats, but things took a twist for the worse at Geelong last Saturday night.

The ultra-consistent and classy Spirit Of St Louis ran the worst race during his time in the stable when a tiring 10th to Mach Dan.

“We can’t find why,” McCarthy said. “He scoped all-clear and hasn’t left a grain (of feed) since. Maybe he just didn’t back-up for that third run in a week. At least now we’ve got a full week until the final.”

In contrast to winning all three heats last year, Expensive Ego has run three solid placings through the qualifiers of this series. Each time he’s been beaten by a Stewart and Tonkin-trained runners, Act Now twice and Mach Dan at Shepparton.

“He’s been good each time, but hasn’t had the best luck with draws. He’s had to sit parked every run and hasn’t been far away,” McCarthy said.

“It will suit him getting to the longest trip (distance) of the series for the final (2760m). He’s a great stayer this guy.

“We know he thrives on the racing and I’ll cut back on his feed a bit so he’ll be as good as we can possibly have him for the final.

“But Emma and Clayton’s horses are going to be very hard to beat, especially Act Now, Honolua Bay and Mach Dan the way they’ve gone through the heats.”

The trotting final has taken on a very different look since the scratching of long-time favourite and Kiwi superstar Bolt For Brilliance.

The big guns are now classy Victorian quartet Just Believe, Queen Elida, Majestuoso and Mufasa Metro.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Adam Hamilton, for Newscorp