In-form stable sets sights on Penrith

THE winners just keep rolling on for Cobbitty-based reinsman Luke McCarthy, who landed a quartet of victories at Tabcorp Park Menangle last Saturday night, taking his season tally to 148 in New South Wales.

What is equally as impressive is that the combined bankroll of those horses that he has steered has topped $2.18m and 80 of his winners have been at the metropolitan track.

Most of Luke’s winners have come from the Craig Cross barn, which is on the verge of achieving a significant milestone.

The Cross-trained horses have earned $2,933,970 in stakes, just $66,030 shy of $3m, an achievement that would appear to be a formality.

Tonight, the dynamic duo will combine with former New Zealander Cullenburn (Race 5) at Penrith, which should add to their impressive tally.

The striking bay entire is by former champion racehorse Christian Cullen, who amassed more than $1.2million from 22 career wins and has proven himself to be a top sire.

Locharburn, who raced in the Shaky Isles, won 14 races and $418,584 in stakes, is a brother to Cullenburn.

Cullenburn joined the Cross-McCarthy team in April, 2019 and could not have made a more impressive start to his Australian career, as in his first two starts, he took out a heat and the final of the prestigious Carousel series.

He followed that with three more wins, including one at Melton, where he rated 1.52.

Since resuming from a spell, Cullenburn ran a close third at Newcastle behind Marty Major and then struck a hot field, finishing fourth in a race won by star pacer Cash N Flow on July 25 when that pacer rated 1:49.2 for the mile.

Tonight, McCarthy will be content to let the field settle in front of him from his barrier nine draw over the longer 2125-metre trip, but if there is no speed in the race, he will no doubt make an early move.

Craig Cross has six runners engaged at Penrith, while Luke has only two drives, his other being aboard the Michael Doltoff-trained Rock Of Delight (Race 4).

The gelding by Art Major was a Newcastle winner two starts back where he won comfortably in a 1:57.7 mile rate.

He then was forced to work too hard when facing the breeze and was beaten into third in a race won by King Triton at Tabcorp Park Menangle.

• MICHAEL DUMESNY