By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – For a guy who
didn’t arrive until four months ago, Todd McCarthy continues to impress in
harness racing’s toughest driver colony.
The 27-year-old McCarthy continued to
do good things since his arrival from Australia, winning four times on the
Friday night card at The Meadowlands.
The five-time driving champion at
Australia’s Menangle Racetrack finished second at the recently concluded Fall
Big M Meeting, ending up just four winners behind leading pilot Dexter Dunn,
the native New Zealander who won 46 races.
Break The Deal got McCarthy’s big
Friday off to a good start in the opener, taking a low-end fillies and mares
pace in 1:52.4 as the 8-5 favorite for trainer Tom Shay before recording three
more victories with non-chalks.
The Double Deuce raced uncovered
around the far turn on the way to taking the fourth race, a low-end conditioned
distaff pace, for trainer Nancy Takter as the 5-1 third choice in 1:53.1 before
another 5-1 chance, the Noel Daley-trained Darkrshadeofpale N, won the fifth
race mid-range fillies and mares pace in 1:51.4 as the fourth choice in the
betting.
The “Todd Squad” were smiling once
again at the conclusion of race eight, when Godspell Hall tipped off perfect
cover to score as the 9-2 third choice in a mid-range conditioned trot in
1:53.2 for trainer Nifty Norman.
JOEY UPSETS IN FEATURE: Driver Dave Miller put 13-1 long shot
Joey on the front early, and the 6-year-old gelded son of Yankee Glide-Jodi’s
Jayme went all the way to take the featured $19,000 high-end conditioned trot
in 1:53.1.
Seeking his third consecutive win,
4-5 favorite Some Chapter used a huge brush down the backside to challenge the
eventual winner, but flattened out on the far turn before coming back to battle
Joey through the stretch, only to come up a neck short in a superb try.
A LITTLE MORE: Dunn guided three winners on the card
while Dave Miller had a pair. … The Julie Miller-trained, Andy Miller-driven
Get Legs stayed perfect in five lifetime starts after winning the 11th
race non-winners of three trot in a lifetime-best 1:53.1 as the 1-5 public choice.
… Racing resumes Saturday at 6 p.m. when the first race 20-cent Pick-5 kicks
off. The Meadowlands and the Standardbred Owners Association of New Jersey have
teamed up to seed the pool with $25,000. The wager sports a $100,000 guaranteed
pool.
