Wangaratta-trained Ashlor wins on Cox Plate day for Daniel McCarthy

The group one Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) in Perth in early December has been a long-time aim for trainer Dan McCarthy, who achieved one of his biggest and most satisfying career victories with the five-year-old.

McCarthy’s late father Brendan Snr was a Moonee Valley Racing Club committeeman and is credited with being one of the creators of the super successful Victorian Owners and Breeders Incentive Scheme (VOBIS) in the state.

His brother, Brendan Jnr, also won a race on Cox Plate day last year with Blondie.

Ashlor ($10) wore down Desert Lashes in the final 100m to score by a long neck in the $120,000 dash over 995m where he has had six starts for two wins, two seconds and a third.

“We set him for the race as soon as he came back into work,” McCarthy said.

“It was nice it all came together.”

McCarthy said the $750,000 prizemoney on offer and timing of the Winterbottom at the end of the spring was attractive to connections including owners, David and Allan Strain.

“It is probably pie in the sky type stuff, but it’s something we are definitely looking very seriously at,” he said.

“The class of race it will be for the money on offer is very, very tempting.”

An option for the stable is to run Ashlor in the listed Doveton Stakes (1200m) at Sandown on November 17 before the horse can fly to Perth the next day ahead of the Winterbottom on December 1.

“The other option is to have a barrier trial or jump out somewhere in mid-November,” McCarthy said.

“The thing that will probably determine which way we go is the order of entry for the Winterbottom.

“If it looks like he needs to win one more we might have to race in the Doveton.”

Jockey Daniel Stackhouse was aboard Ashlor for only the second time and had also only recently returned from a six-month stint in Mauritius.

“He has ridden him in trackwork, trials and jump outs and on a big day like that I just wanted to put someone on who I knew and trusted would get the job done,” McCarthy said.

Ashlor is the first Wangaratta-trained galloper to win on the valley’s biggest day since Lad Of The Manor won the Crystal Mile in 2004 before running in three successive Cox Plates with his best result being fifth to mighty mare Makybe Diva.

McCarthy has 12 horses in work with the stable possessing a great winning strikerate.

He also works full-time as an electrician.

Meanwhile, the Jodie Bohr-trained Footmark ran fourth in the $75,000 Highway Hcp (1800m) at Randwick as the $4.60 equal favourite.