All Eyes On Us a clear winner in the Lands Legal Carousel Final at Tabcorp Park Menangle on Sunday. Photo by Michael Court
LEADING reinsman Luke McCarthy tipped more feature race wins were in store for All Eyes On Us after the son of Art Major’s all-the-way win in the Group Two Lands Legal Carousel Final at Tabcorp Park Menangle today.
After sustaining pressure from equal favourite Bettor Downunder for much of the 2400m journey, All Eyes On Us strode away from his rivals in the straight to score a three-metre win over the fast-finishing Barimah, with Stormont Czar third, rating 1:55.6 for his last mile.
Trained by Luke wife’s Belinda, the four-year-old missed a lot of his three-year-old racing after an operation was required to have a bone fragment in his hind ankle taken out.
“In the long run that could be the best thing to have happened to him,” said Luke after the win.
“This win will also be a great tonic for part-owner Emilio Rosati, who has been having some back and foot problems.
“All Eyes On Us’ other part-owner Tony Pace has also been a great supporter of harness racing for many years and I’m sure this horse could have some more good wins in store for him.”
Spearing straight to the front from gate three, if McCarthy was hoping for a saloon passage throughout the race he was mistaken when Michael Stanley took off from midfield and quickly turned the race into a stern staying test.
Turning for home the two $3.30 equal favourites had been at each other’s throats for most of the journey but it was Bettor Downunder who cracked first, enabling All Eyes On Us to kick clear and easily hold off the late charging finish from Victorian visitor Barimah (Damian Wilson), who came from near the tail of the field with a flashing finish.
It was the second successive Carousel win for the McCarthy stable, which also scored with Beetson, although he was handled by James Rattray for them in 2014.
