Brilliant mare stuns

By Michael Howard (HRV)

To be the best you’ve got to beat the best and it was a brilliant Victorian-trained South Australian mare who did just that, with Encipher rattling past Leap To Fame to win the first TAB Eureka in NSW.

Emma Stewart’s four-year-old was given only a longshot’s hope in the $2.1 million Menangle slot race, but a masterful Luke McCarthy drive saved the race’s only mare for a super final assault to capture the riches.

“A huge thrill,” McCarthy told Sky Racing.

“Thanks to Aaron Bain and Summit Bloodstock for entrusting me with the drive. Emma and Clayton were really confident with this mare, they said she’d run a terrific race and she did.”

From gate three McCarthy held ground, latching on to back of The Lost Storm in the running line while Captain Ravishing whipped to the front and then allowed Catch A Wave to glide by.

Soon after Grant Dixon lobbed favourite Leap To Fame to the leader’s outside and with a tick over a lap to go, the race had taken shape.

They hastened with 28.1s and 26.49s second and third quarters, and with 200 metres to run Leap To Fame had seen off his main challenger, Catch A Wave.

“Here comes the mare” declared Fred Hastings as McCarthy wore down a brave and brilliant Leap To Fame, putting her nose in front with 50 metres to run amid a 27s final quarter.

“She was fantastic,” McCarthy said.

“I stepped her out of the gate a little bit. I just wanted to get some of those wider ones behind me, didn’t want to be any worse than third over. It just worked out fantastic and she hit the line really good.”

Leap To Fame was 1.7m in arrears with Captain Ravishing running a bold third, a brilliant effort for Ahmed Taiba, Greg Sugars and slot holders Danny and Jo Zavitsanos given their star’s challenging lead-in.

The result in the world’s richest harness race was also “a dream come true” for Aaron Bain, who told Sky Racing the slot victory was a terrific outcome for their syndicate’s home state.

“To win the world’s richest harness race and for our state South Australia, this mare’s bred and owned in South Australia – that’s what it was about to us. To the Linke family, to Emma and Clayton, there are no better people to share this with.”

The southern states were also a dominant force in the preceding TAB Len Smith Mile, with Mick Stanley’s Rock N Roll Doo reaffirming he would be a force in his October 14 Victoria Cup defence with a tough victory.

He sat outside Spirit Of St Louis and battled on gamely to score, prompting the proud reinsman to declare his champ “is back”.