Plenty left in the King’s tank

By Jordan Gerrans

Top reinsman Luke McCarthy has sent an ominous warning to King Of Swing’s rivals, declaring the star pacer still has many seasons ahead of him at a high level of racing.

The six-year-old, a winner of more than $2 million in prizemoney, kick-started his 2021 TAB Queensland Constellations carnival on Saturday night with a comfortable victory in the Lucky Creed Open Pace (2680m), seven metres ahead of the rest as the short-priced favourite.

The dual-Miracle Mile winner and reigning TAB Blacks A Fake champion is back in the Sunshine State this year for another crack at the Group 1 $250,000 Grand Circuit on July 24.

With 34 victories from 68 starts on his resume, McCarthy, who has spent much of his life living in Logan, thinks there is plenty more left in the tank for King Of Swing.

“He feels really good and hopefully we can keep him at this level for the next couple of seasons,” McCarthy said.

“If he can stay healthy and sound.

“It all depends on if they can stay sound and healthy but he does not get over-raced, we only race him in what we set him for.

“We just set him for the marquee races, they do not go around every week, they get set for the big races and that is what they do.”

Turn It Up fired up early on to lead in the Lucky Creed before McCarthy and King Of Swing were eventually able to take over shortly after and were not headed again.

After winning first-up at Menangle seven days prior, the champion horseman is pleased with the way King Of Swing has settled into Queensland for the carnival.

“He felt really good second-up from a spell,” McCarthy said.

“That run on Saturday night will tighten him up even more and he will race again Saturday week at Albion Park in the Wondais Mate.

“He has done a massive job, winning two Miracle Miles and all the rest of it, everything we have set him for, he has always performed really well.

“He looks towards the Sunshine Sprint and then the Blacks A Fake.”

The McCarthy team were at their best on Saturday evening at Albion Park, with King Of Swing’s triumph joined by a pair of stable-mate victories, giving them three for the evening.

Spirit Of St Louis and Expensive Ego were the stable’s other two winners, with Expensive Ego on the way towards the brand new $250,000 Group 1 The Rising Sun, a race for three and four-year-olds.

The pacer became the first horse to be invited for the inaugural The Rising Sun earlier this year.

“Expensive Ego has really come on the scene and he comes up here and goes towards The Rising Sun now,” McCarthy said.

“Full credit for everyone involved to put this race on to think outside the square, we have some really good horses here like Krug, Copy That and Amazing Dream here for the carnival.

“The Rising Sun is going to be a really good race.”

The TAB Constellations carnival heads to Redcliffe this Saturday night for the Group 2 Redcliffe Cup and the Group 1 Garrards Yearling Sale Series for two-year-old pacers.