Todd McCarthy took The Meadowlands driver colony to school Saturday night (Nov. 5) as the 29-year-old pilot took three of the eight $20,000 fourth – and final – leg divisions of the Kindergarten Series for two-year-olds.

Horses were scrambling to earn enough points to qualify for next week’s four big-money finals, with estimated purses totalling just over $1 million.

McCarthy got rolling in the second race when he guided 1-9 favourite Southwind Admiral, a colt by Tactical Landing-Amber Ella, to an easy 2-1/2-length score in 1:56.3 to up his win streak to six in a division for male trotters for trainer Ron Coyne Jr.

Heart On Fire was win No. 2 for McCarthy in Race 5, scoring at 8-1 in a division for filly trotters in 1:55.2. A daughter of Father Patrick-Corazon Blue Chip, the Tony Alagna student won by a neck to score for the fourth time from nine starts.

McCarthy’s third victory came behind another Alagna student, Bellisima Hanover, who stopped the clock in 1:53 as the 1-5 public choice in the eighth race. A filly pacer by Captaintreacherous-Bedroomconfessions, Bellisima Hanover hit the wire 3-1/2 lengths to the good.

AKE A-OK: Ake Svanstedt had a training-driving double, scoring with Bond ($5.40) in a Kindergarten filly trot in a lifetime-best 1:54. The daughter of Southwind Frank-Boccone Dolce has now won four in a row.

Svanstedt’s second score came in the overnight feature, a high-end conditioned trot, with Southwind Tyrion (Muscle Hill-Taylor Jean) in a lifetime-best equalling 1:51.4 as the 1-5 public choice.

A LITTLE MORE: Yannick Gingras won two of the final three races on the card to equal McCarthy’s driving triple. Trainer Ron Burke sent four to victory lane.

All-source wagering totalled $2,596,878.

Racing resumes Friday (Nov. 11) at 6:20 p.m. (EST).

(The Meadowlands)