Memories of the late great Vin Knight will come flooding back if Kingman can win Saturday night’s Group 1 Victoria Cup at Melton.
Of all the great horsemen in Australian harness racing history, none have been as colorful or charismatic as the incomparable Knight, who dominated the major races through the 1980s.
The sport hasn’t quite seen anything like Knight, before or since.
He still holds the record with five Victoria Cup wins, which came in the space of just nine years from 1982 to 1991.
Knight’s wins came on Popular Alm (1982 and ’83), Bag Limit (1987 and ’88) and Sinbad Bay (1991).
It would have been six had suspension not sidelined him when Brian Gath took the pick-up drive and won on Sinbad Bay in 1989.
When Knight upset WA champion Village King and won aboard Bag Limit in 1988, who had flopped at his final lead-up run, the crowd booed him at the presentation, angry at the pacer’s improved performance.
Knight famously said: “It doesn’t matter how much you boo, I’m gonna keep talking … youse that are booing must have your heads up your backsides because he should have run fourth last week.”
Knight tragically took his own life just months after that 1991 Victoria Cup win on Sinbad Bay. He was in the prime of his career.
Luke McCarthy, who wasn’t born when Knight won his first Victoria Cup and was only eight when he died, is trying to equal his Victoria Cup record aboard Kingman on Saturday night.
McCarthy’s first win came aboard Mr Feelgood in 2010 and he has since added victories on For A Reason (2013), Bling It On (2019) and Kingman last year.
Kingman caused an upset beating the great Leap To Fame last year, but will deliver an even bigger surprise if he can upstage wonder mare Captains Mistress on Saturday.
As if Captains Mistress wasn’t going to be hard enough to beat, she will start from gate two and find the lead, while Kingman has to overcome an awkward inside back row draw (gate eight).
“It would be amazing to equal a record Vinnie set on those awesome superstars he drove,” McCarthy said.
“But it looks like I’ve got my work cut out now, especially the way the barriers have fallen.
“I couldn’t be happier with the horse. He’s had two soft runs back and is primed, but we really needed a draw where we could try and match it with the mare (Captains Mistress).
“Now, tactically, it just looks so hard. We’re going to need lots of luck.”
McCarthy also concedes his star filly Ripples will need luck to overcome a wide draw (gate six) and star local pair Willows Girl (gate two) and Bettor Beach (four) in the Group 1 Victoria Oaks final on the same card.
“She went terrific in her heat, but so did that pair. Emma (Stewart) and Clayton (Tonkin) horses are so hard to beat in these big races, especially on their home track,” he said.
“My filly keeps running great races and she’s proven at the distance, so I’m sure she’ll be right there at the finish.”
