McCarthy has his eye on the Eureka

The Luke McCarthy trained Eye Keep Smiling (Sweet Lou) raced into TAB Eureka calculations when she defeated the Australia’s best harness racing mares in the $150,000 Group 1 Garrards The Golden Girl at Albion Park.

The race panned out as most punters expected with the $1.55 favorite Ladies In Red working to the lead and was joined shortly after by her main danger Aardies Express as the pair matched strides until turning for home.

McCarthy gave Eye Keep Smiling the run of the race in the one out one back trail.

The relentless tempo took its toll on Ladies In Red in the home straight and it was left to Eye Keep Smiling ($16) to power down the centre of the track and score by three metres from Aardies Express in a mile rate of 1:51.5. for the 1660 metres.

McCarthy said the mare had been working up to a win 

“Her form this whole campaign has been awesome and she was huge in defeat last week and she ran a second quicker than they did in the Rising Sun doing all the work,” McCarthy said.

“I have been dying to drive her like that but it just hasn’t worked out,  but tonight with the barrier draw I figured we’d get a great trip and she just finished off perfect,” he said. 

EYE KEEP SMILING REPLAY

McCarthy said he was determined to track Aardies Express during the race.

“I figured it was going to be a cheap lead for Ladies In Red and I just wanted to make sure there was nothing else between me and Aardies Express, she was the one I wanted to follow and it worked out a great trip,” he said.

McCarthy said the daughter of Sweet Lou will be aimed at the TAB Eureka.

“I think you’ll see the best of her in against a good field when I can drive her like that just off the pace,” he said.

“She is strong and fast and a race like the Eureka is probably made for her.”

For complete race results, click here.

by John Dunne, for Harnesslink