His latest superstar Kingman returns to racing on Saturday evening in the $75,000 Group 2 Bendigo Cup (1609m).
And today (Wednesday) his mighty mare Eye Keep Smiling is sharpening up for her own trip to Victoria with a Menangle test.
But McCarthy’s reigning Miracle Mile winner Don Hugo will not join his stablemates in Victoria.
“We’re very focused on defending his Miracle Mile crown, so we’ll freshen him up every now and then and then we’ll pick a few Menangle races to get him ready for that,” he said.
“We learned from last year when we probably chased him a few too many races.
“We’re going to be more selective this time and the Miracle Mile is such an ideal race for him.”
McCarthy and owner Tony Licastro completed the plan after Don Hugo finished second to champion stayer Swayzee in the epic Goulburn Cup last week.
“He did great, but Swayzee was out of this world,” McCarthy said. “It’s an opportunity to freshen up our man now with the Miracle Mile in mind and then he also has that place in the Nullarbor in Perth.”
Australian champion mare Eye Keep Smiling is back after a short stint in breeding and a failed attempt to use the embryo transfer process to make her a mother for a second time.
Her first foal, a colt by Bettors Delight, will be sold at the Sydney Nutrien auction in March.
Eye Keep Smiling will continue her efforts to earn $1 million in prize money when she chases a three-race series of mares in Victoria in the coming weeks.
She has raced 40 times for 28 wins, five seconds, a third and earned $805,283.
Eye Keep Smiling won 12 of her 16 starts last season and hasn’t raced since finishing third against the boys with a huge run in the Group 1 Len Smith Mile on September 6.
“She’s very quick to respond,” McCarthy said. “She’s actually been ready to go for a month or so, but there haven’t been any suitable races for her.”
Her three Victorian targets are the $50,000 Group 3 Make Mine Cullen (Ballarat, January 24), $50,000 Group 3 Angelique (Cranbourne, January 31) and the $150,000 Group 1 Queen of the Pacific (Melton, February 14).
Through Adam Hamiltonfor Harness Racing Australia
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