By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – McCarthy,
McCarthy, McCarthy, McCarthy!
No, not Andy of Hambletonian fame,
but little brother Todd, who stole the show at The Meadowlands Saturday night.
The recent Australian invader won four times on the 13-race card to record his
first victories at the mile oval.
There figure to be many more to come.
McCarthy, 27, arrived from Down Under
at the end of August and has made an immediate impact racing in the States,
winning 11 times from 87 starts entering action Saturday.
“Australia was good to me. It’s been
great for years,” said McCarthy. “I was the top driver at Menangle Racetrack in
Sydney for the last five years. The timing was tricky [to come to the States]
the way things are in the world right now, but it was a good time to come over
and give it a go. The racing here is definitely faster and a little more
aggressive, but so far it’s been great and I’m really enjoying it.”
So did those who bet him Saturday
night.
McCarthy got the ball rolling in the
third race, finishing first in a dead heat. Guiding A Major Omen, he managed to
catch Griffon Hanover at the wire to record his first career Big M win in
1:52.2 in a low-end conditioned pace, paying $7.20 to win. Both horses went off
at odds of 6-1.
Somebodyitreasure and McCarthy hooked
up to destroy their foes in a non-winners of two pace by 5¾ lengths in 1:49.4
as the 6-5 favorite in race four before Flyingevenbettor N gave McCarthy his
third win of the night in the sixth race non-winners of four pace in 1:51.2 as
the 1-2 public choice.
Completing McCarthy’s grand slam was
7-1 chance The Bettormack N, who got the better of 3-5 favorite Ocean Colony
nearing the finish of race seven. The time for the mile in the mid-range
conditioned pace was 1:50.
“I’ve had a good night,” the
understated McCarthy said. “With a lot of help from some good horses and some
good trainers. I’ve been a lot busier than I thought I’d have been. I think for
anyone in the harness racing industry, you look at America, The Meadowlands is
the pinnacle. To crack one tonight and then to get a few more after that, it
was pretty awesome.”
Big brother Andy has been in his
corner. “Andy’s been a key factor in throwing a lot of work my way,” said Todd.
“The fact that he’s been away [racing in Canada] has been a help. He’s told
some of the trainers, ‘I’m away, you can throw my brother down on something’.”
McCarthy said he plans to race at
Philadelphia, Pocono Downs and The Meadowlands in the coming months. “I’ve
enjoyed every track I’ve raced at,” said McCarthy.
It shows.
BOMBS AWAY! Driver Pat Berry, aka “The Blueberry
Bomber”, was up to his old tricks again, guiding three winners on the card,
none close to being the post-time public choice.
Berry scored with Always The Sun
($15.20 to win) in the first race and Imageofarocker ($12.00) in the fifth
before saving his best for last, winning with 33-1 shot Harambe Deo ($68.40) in
the 10th.
On March 7, the last night of racing
before the coronavirus shutdown, Berry swept the late double that paid
$2,700.40 with horses who went off at 47-1 and 27-1.
A LITTLE MORE: With a carryover of $37,159 serving
as the catalyst, Early 20-cent Pick-5 players got to shoot for a total pool of
$188,387. Those correctly selecting five winners cashed in for $271.46. … With
Harambe Deo providing the big upset, neither the Late 50-cent Pick-4 nor the
Late 20-cent Pick-5 were hit. When racing resumes, the Late Pick-4 will have a
carryover of $38,390 while the Late Pick-5 will start out with $21,811 in the
hat. … All-source wagering on the 13-race card totaled $2,744,326. … The Big
M’s next live racing program is Friday. Post time is 7:15 p.m.
