THE powerful New South Wales stable of Belinda and Luke McCarthy will lead the homeland challenge in the Australasian Breeders Crown semi-final in Ballarat on Saturday night.

The McCarthys will send around eight runners in the Trans Tasman battle at Bray Raceway.

Their line up features male three-year-olds Lettucerockthem and Bling It On, three-year-old fillies Nike Franco and Spicy Stride, male two-year-olds Ominous Warning and Birdy Mach, and three-year-old fillies Smooth Showgirl and Bamako Mali.

The McCarthy stable will provide the toughest opposition for the New Zealand led by brothers Mark and Barry Purdon, and Cran Dalgety.

Mark Purdon has potentially two of the superstars of the series - two-year-old colt and two-year-old filly Lindagrace.

He also has Ballarat heat winning two-year-old filly Big Lucy and two-year-old colt Kept Under Wraps engaged.

Barry Purdon has boomed three-year-old colt Our Sky Major and three-year-old filly Rocknroll Arden.

Dalgety has just the one starter in two-year-old filly Katy Perry, but she loomed as a leading contender.

Ballarat's Emma Stewart will fly the hometown flag along with Michael Stanley and David Murphy

Stewart's runners are all three-year-old fillies, with multiple group 1 winner Whereibylong heading up a team also featuring Punch Line and Tuscan Breeze.

Stanley will face the starter with two-year-old filly Soho Tokyo, which won a heat in Ballarat, while Murphy has three-year-old filly Whatahottie.

SEMI-FINALS (in barrier order):

2YO COLTS/GELDINGS (1)

DREAMTIME SPIRIT D N Moran

JODAN C J Maggs

HEZ THE ONE D K Harding

ARTISTIC FLITE J P McCarthy

BURNAHOLEINMYPOCKET K M Gath

ITS JUST KENNY S C Stewart

SHOW ME THE BLING N R Jack

MIDNITEDELITE D K Douglas

KEPT UNDER WRAPS G R Sugars

BEAUDIENE BILL R P Morris

OMINOUS WARNING L A McCarthy

BONGIORNO BOYS (emerg) C J Maggs

A MATTER OF COURSE D K Douglas

2YO FILLIES (1)

LETTUCESOMEWHERE R P Morris

THE FINAL FRONTIER D J Druitt

SMOOTH SHOWGIRL L A McCarthy

LINDA LOVEGRACE G R Sugars

NIKI NO NO G R Sugars

BUTTERFLY PRINCESS C A McDowell

ENJAY SPEEDSTAR D K Douglas

RICKS SHADOW J D Attard

KEAYANG EBONYROSE (emerg) J P Lee

CYCLONE KATE J J Caldow

MISSED BY RED A J Turnbull

AMERETTO A M Siejka

KIRA JO E Brosnan

3YO FILLIES (1)

KISS KENNY D Jack

THE WARATAH R K Bartley

SPICY STRIDE J P McCarthy

JUST CALA A J Turnbull

PUNCH LINE

SOMEDREAMSOMEWHERE G R Sugars

OCEAN DIVA B P Fitzpatrick

OUR ARTISTIC LEIGH R P Morris

ULTIMATE CC E Brosnan

ROCKNROLL ARDEN C T Demmler

2YO COLTS/GELDINGS (2)

STENING J J Caldow

VIRGIL HILTS L Miles

FOLLOW THE STARS C A Alford

CONTROVERSIAL L R Panella

ICEOBAR C A Alford

POMPIDOU R P Morris

BOASSON HAGEN C D Salter

MOJO MAJOR A M Ashwood

BONGIORNO BOYS (emerg) C J Maggs

AVALON CASTLE C A Alford

MY FIELD MARSHAL A M Butt

BIRDY MACH L A McCarthy

FRANCISCO DE GORE J J Alchin

3YO FILLIES (2)

TUSCAN BREEZE

WHATAHOTTIE D A Murphy

MY CRAZY HEART A M Siejka

OUR SANTA CATALINA D N Moran

NIKE FRANCO L A McCarthy

WHEREIBYLONG G Lang

STARZZZINTHENIGHT R P Morris

QUICK DRAFT C A Alford

MADISON LOUISE G R Sugars

LETTUCEDANCE K A Turner

BARYNYA R L Hillier

2YO FILLIES (2)

KEAYANG EBONYROSE (emerg) J P Lee

GLAMOUR ART A A Chisholm

GLENFERRIE BLADE J N Quinlan

BIG LUCY C A Alford

KATY PERRY D J Dunn

MISS ROCKNROLL N R Jack

FEEL THE FAITH G W Dixon

GOTTA GLOW C A McDowell

BAMAKO MALI L A McCarthy

GLORY DAZE G Lang

LADY WILLOUGHBY C D Voak

JOANNES A DELIGHT A M Butt

SOHO TOKYO M I Stanley

3YO COLTS/GELDINGS (1)

WILL MACH MY WORD E Brosnan

MESSINI C A Alford

BLACKWARRIOR

MAJOR CROCKER G R Sugars

THEARTOFCONFUSION Z M Phillips

MASTER MACH MANUS B R Gath

DENTONA G Lang

LETTUCEROCKTHEM L A McCarthy

ALLELUIA G W Dixon

HIGHEST MOUNTAIN A J Turnbull

BRAEVIEW BOMBER M L Woodley

IDEAL LEGACY (emerg) M C Muscat

MY GENERAL LEE N R Jack

3YO COLTS/GELDINGS (2)

SALOON PASSAGE N P Hurst

ADAM CARTWRIGHT

OUR SKY MAJOR NZ C T Demmler

ADMIRAL JOY G R Sugars

HECTORJAYJAY S M Walker

MIGHTY GIFT A J Turnbull

RESURGENT SPIRIT T E Rattray

IN RUNAWAY BAY NZ M C Muscat

IDEAL MAJORITY E Brosnan

BLING IT ON L A McCarthy

JILLIBY JAGGER G A Craven

HANDSOME MAJOR N R Jack

13IDEAL LEGACY (emerg) M C Muscat