McCarthy's quest for Queensland riches begins
Champion NSW trainer Luke McCarthy launches a huge month chasing the Queensland winter riches at Albion Park tomorrow (Saturday) night.
While defending Inter Dominion champion Don Hugo will be his star act, McCarthy's team of raiders oozes star power with a range of feature race targets.
We won't see Don Hugo until the opening round of Inter Dominion heats on July 5, but McCarthy has five runners tomorrow night, headed by Australia's best mare Eye Keep Smiling, exciting three-year-old Hesitate and Inter Dominion trotting hopeful Constantinople.
• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Additionally, McCarthy, who spent much of his formative years in Queensland, is also caretaker trainer and driver for Mick Stanley's Queensland Oaks hopeful, Soho Americano, who steps out tomorrow night.
'I love getting back up to Queensland, especially this time of year,' McCarthy said.
'This Carnival has grown and grown and now adding the Inter Dominion has taken it to another level. I've got a really good team of horses at the right time to give it a real crack this year.'
Don Hugo capped his Inter Dominion preparation when he made it two-from-two this campaign and thrashed his rivals at Menangle last Saturday night.
'He's ready now. I want him fresh going into the series, so I'll give him three weeks between runs going into the first round of heats,' McCarthy said.
'I couldn't be happier with my horse and if anyone can beat Leap To Fame, I think it's my guy.'
Eye Keep Smiling is a hot favourite to post her eighth successive win and her 25th win from 36 starts in the Garrards Horse & Hound Mares' Open Pace tomorrow night.
Her main target is a successful title defence in the $150,000 Group 1 Golden Girl at Albion Park on July 19.
McCarthy also has former Group 1-winning mare Coastal Babe aiming for the Golden Girl.
If Hesitate beats older rivals in the eighth race at Albion Park on tomorrow night, it will open the door for a tilt at the $350,000 Group 1 Rising Sun on July 5 as well as the $150,000 Group 1 Queensland Derby on July 19.
'I was chasing my tail with him last campaign, but he's come back really well after a break and I'm sure he'll be a factor in those big races. He's got so much speed,' McCarthy said.
'Mac Bon is another I'll have up here for the Redcliffe and Queensland Derbys.
'Constantinople won the consolation (of the Inter Dominion trotting series) in Brisbane two years ago and is back in form at the right time, while a horse like Beach Ball, who runs this week, will be competitive through the heats (Inter Dominion pacing) as well.'
* Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp
Originally published as NSW trainer Luke McCarthy brings an elite team to Albion Park in pursuit of Queensland glory
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
18 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Sunrays owner Peter Moran confident star filly will be a warrior Princess when she resumes in Sydney this month
Peter Moran, the owner of Queensland galloper Sunrays, is confident the promising filly can fulfil her massive potential at Group 1 level if she can begin Sydney's upcoming Princess Series with a bang. The Kelly Schweida -trained Sunrays will resume in the $300,000 Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) on August 23, the first leg of the four-race Princess Series for 3YO fillies at Randwick. The daughter of Hellbent will then be further tested in Group 2 company next month when she contests the Furious Stakes (1200m) and the Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) before her grand final, the $750,000 Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m). 'I think she's up to it,' owner-breeder Moran said of Sunrays, who has won five of six races and $364,000 in prizemoney since making her debut at Doomben on January 22. 'I think she's capable of performing well in a Group 1. 'She came up to Brisbane as a yearling from Widden Stud (in the Hunter Valley) and got a really bad case of travel sickness which knocked the stuffing out of her. 'We were very lucky we didn't lose her. 'She went from being broken in to going to Kelly and then she won three straight races. 'I saw her the other day and she looks enormous. I've bred a lot of horses in my time and she's right up there with the best.' • Melbourne Cup champ Robbie Dolan wins race in Shergar Cup Champion jockey Tommy Berry has been aboard Sunrays in past three races and has been offered the rides for the Princess Series. Sunrays finished a distant runner-up to the Peter Snowden -trained Beadman in the Group 3 Ken Russell Memorial Classic on a bog track on the Gold Coast on May 10. She then stamped her black-type credentials with victories in the Bill Carter Stakes (1350m) at Doomben and the Show A Heart (1500m) at Eagle Farm before going for a well-deserved spell. Schweida, currently holidaying in South Africa, at the time described Sunrays' dominant victory in the Bill Carter Stakes as 'arrogant' while Berry said after the race the filly was 'bombproof and adaptable' with 'improvement to come'. ðŸ'¥ HELLBENT 2YO STAKES WIN ðŸ'¥ She’s tough and she’s good! SUNRAYS (2f) made it back-to-back Stakes wins taking the Listed Show A Heart @EagleFarmRacing ðŸ'° 6 starts, 5 wins including two Stakes wins & second in a G3.. awesome for Kelly Schweida and owner-breeder Peter Moran! — Yarraman Park Stud (@yarramanpark) June 7, 2025 • Beadman may have won the Ken Russell Memorial Classic by eight lengths, but it was in that race that Moran knew he had a Group 1 horse in the making, with Sunrays the only horse to make ground on a heavy track. 'Tommy Berry got off her that day and said 'I'd like to stay with this filly if I can',' Moran recalled. 'For one of the leading jockeys in Sydney to say that, I was pretty happy. 'He does a lot of riding for the big trainers like Chris Waller and I'm only a little fella with one horse but I hope he stays on her (for the Princess Series). 'It'll be a huge step for Sunrays, going from a Listed race at Eagle Farm to a Group 2 at Randwick against the best fillies in Australia.' Given the filly's pedigree – Sunrays is the first living foal of Hiccups, an unraced granddaughter of the celebrated mare Staging – Moran is confident she can win a Group 1. 'She's a bit like Staging in that she's tough, easy to train and she eats her head off,' Moran said. 'She's going to be a lovely filly when she's completed. She'll have these four runs and then we'll give her a break before bringing her back for the Sydney autumn carnival.'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Crowd fight erupts in wild scenes following Swans and Lions clash as police launch investigation
Police are investigating a violent brawl at The Gabba on Saturday night, which left several fans bloodied and bruised. Just minutes after the Swans defeated the Lions 92-90 in a thrilling game, a crowd fight broke out. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Vision shows several fans throwing down in unsavoury scenes, with a push and shove quickly escalating into an all-in brawl. In the brief clip, two women are seen grabbing each other by the hair and wailing punches, while several men in the background are also involved in a scuffle, punching and pushing one another. You can watch the video in the player above Both police and stadium security eventually stepped in to break up the fight, with those involved being ejected from the venue. The brawl was understood to have left several pundits bloodied and bruised. understands no one involved in the brawl has been charged as of Monday morning, but investigations are still ongoing. has contacted Queensland Police for comment. Andy Maher calls out AFL fan behaviour The latest incident comes amid a concerning trend of rowdy fan behaviour at the footy. Last month, Channel 7 star Andy Maher found himself caught in the middle of ugly scenes at the MCG while watching his beloved Blues. The Front Bar host was approached by a fellow spectator who leaned over and spoke to him for around two minutes before he was escorted out. 'Hopefully he woke up the next morning feeling like a right git because he carried on like a pork chop,' Maher said following the ordeal on his SEN 'The Run Home With Gazey And Andy' show. 'If he'd have just turned around and sat down and watched the last three minutes of the game and stopped doing whatever he was doing, he would have been fine.' Maher also pointed out that the unruly behaviour was becoming all too common at footy games. 'There's too much of that going on at the footy,' he continued. 'There are too many blokes going and getting (drunk) at the footy these days. There's too much of it. 'There are too many blokes going to the footy – go to the footy and have a few beers, by all means – but why do so many people have to go the footy and get three sheets to the breeze? Why does that happen?'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
WATCH AFL Round 22 Wrap: Hawks Statement & Clutch Freo
The AFL Today Show is here for all your Round 22 needs, wrapping up every single game with stats, banter and insights as Hawthorn & Fremantle have clutch wins, Aaron Naughton rises, West Coast put up a strong fight & the top eight begins to take shape!Is the Hokball style back? Which team can stop Freo in the clutch? Will Brisbane or Collingwood drop out of the top four? Who takes out the 2025 Rising Star? Did the panel overestimate the Crows? Should Carlton have re-signed Michael Voss? Is this the closest finals race in history? Who can make the top eight from here? The panel chat about the biggest AFL news, with Voss re-signing for Carlton, amazing moments, huge match-ups, plus highlighting the biggest & best moments, led by Isaac Heeney's five goals against Brisbane, continuing his great form, while Ben King & Lloyd Meek were influential in their respective matches, hitting the scoreboard in a big way! Get around the AFL Today Show with panelists Liam McAllion, Marcus Bazzano & Leo Mullaly as they talk out all things footy for the 2025 AFL season & look ahead to the finals campaign! FOLLOW AFL TODAY CONTENT The AFL Today Show is your ultimate footy companion, covering every single team equally and in depth! We break down each game and round of the 2025 season with three shows a week, expert tips, social posts galore, in-depth analysis, debates, interviews with players and top journalists, as well as plenty of banter—chatting about all the things that make AFL great! Two shows every week, including a round preview show and a round wrap on every game!
