3 minute read

Bathurst heat No 6 TAB Inter Dominion Pacing Championships

There's no such thing as taking it easy in an Inter Dominion heat.

King Of Swing  found that out the hard way – but like any champion, he found a way to win, diving at Boncel Benjamin right on the line to score one of the best wins of his career in tonight's third Inter Dominion pacing heat at Bathurst.

Max Delight  came from well back for third, with Loorrim Lake poking through to grab fourth.

Boncel Benjamin and Jack Trainor had already made their intentions clear, they were going to lead, not hand up and make King Of Swing earn it if he was to give Luke McCarthy and trainer-wife Belinda, a clean sweep of the three Bathurst heats.

King Of Swing did the rest, rating 1:51.4 and diving at his speedy rival right on the line to score.

"He's incredible; horses just don't do what he's done tonight. And he's not fully wound up yet," said trainer Belinda McCarthy.

"It's hard to put into words what these horses have done tonight . . . I'm just so proud of all our horses and their efforts tonight."

King Of Swing, as usual, took it all in his stride. He acts like he knows he's good and he's not prepared to let anything else usurp him at the moment.

"He had to earn that tonight," said Luke, who became what the historians believed the first reinsman to win all three heats on an Inter Dominion round of heats.

"He did a lot of work and still had a real dig in the straight . . . he went super.

"This horse and Expensive Ego, they just have amazing constitutions – they seem to thrive on all these hard races.

"They'll go home and eat up and take all this in their stride.

"Don't forget this horse hadn't raced for eight weeks, so he's building through the series.

"Winning all three pacing heats is a heck of a thrill. I come from this town and still have a lot of friends here. So this is pretty special.