Driver Todd McCarthy put forth a driving clinic at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel on Monday, May 26 when he won six total races on the afternoon including four of the five $68,493 Kentucky Sire Stakes (KYSS) divisions for four-year-olds topped by the Virgil Morgan Jr. pupil Women Layer, who will try again for a KYSS Series sweep after his 1:50.2 stroll to victory. 

In the lone KYSS dash for four-year-old pacing horses and geldings, McCarthy secured the top with Women Layer smoothly to a :26.4 first quarter and just coasted through the remainder. He grabbed a breather to a :55.4 half before revving for three-quarters in 1:23.1 and pulling away from his rivals under minimal encouragement to register a two-length win over Better Is Nice (Andy McCarthy), who gamely held his ground from a pocket ride for second. Lou Hill (Devon Tharps) rallied for third and Copperfield (Jeremy Indof) took fourth.

A gelded son of Sweet Lou, Women Layer stayed unbeaten from four starts this season and has now won 16 times from 25 outings, good for $696,020 in earnings. He races for owners Let It Ride Stables Inc., Douglas Overhiser, Jeff Fought Racing and Larry Wills. He paid $2.26 to win.   

Todd McCarthy's six-win day started with a surprise in the KYSS division for four-year-old pacing mares when he finally got the upperhand on 3-5 favourite Bath Bomb (Andy McCarthy) to win with Asweetbeachhere in 1:51.1. McCarthy orchestrated another down-the-road mile for the win, cutting a clip of :26.3, :56 and 1:24 to stave off the first-over push from Bath Bomb and win by 3-1/4 lengths in 1:51.1. Defining Moment (Yannick Gingras) saved ground from a pocket trip and snagged second from Bath Bomb while Peace Talks (Tony Hall) closed from last for fourth.

Andrew Harris trains and co-owns Asweetbeachhere, a daughter of Sweet Lou, for William Pollock and Bruce Areman. She won her first race of the season and her seventh race from 34 starts in the career, which bolstered her bankroll to $557,024. She paid $4.40 to win.

McCarthy got his second win of the day in the single KYSS division for four-year-old trotting mares when guiding 1-5 choice Woman Of Passion to a 1:53 win. He circled Woman Of Passion to the top after a :27.3 first quarter and sealed the race with a reprieve to the half in :56.4, and from there incrementally upped the tempo to separate from the competition. Past three-quarters in 1:25.2, Woman Of Passion slipped away to a 4-1/2-length win over pocket-chasing Spy Coast (Yannick Gingras), who just held second from Black Velvet As (Tony Hall) as she pushed first over for third. Danger (Robert Taylor) saved ground for fourth. 

Woman Of Passion collected her 14th win from 28 starts and has now earned $602,418 for owner-breeder Al Libfeld. Carter Pinske, winning three races total on the day, trains the daughter of Walner. Woman Of Passion paid $2.46 to win. 

Pinske and McCarthy teamed a few races later for a victory with 6-5 favourite Convoy Hall in the first of two KYSS divisions for four-year-old trotting horses and geldings. Convoy Hall worked a covered trip to the winner's circle, finding a helmet to follow from Mister Dad (Tony Hall) after a :27.1 first quarter. Mister Dad marched along the rim after tempo-setter Ordained (Yannick Gingras), who circled to the helm past the quarter, but soon levelled off from the grind up the backstretch. That prompted McCarthy to send Convoy Hall three-wide and the Muscle Mass gelding swiftly punched forward through three-quarters in 1:24.3 to then reel in Ordained and pull away to a three-length win in 1:53.2. Ordained held second from fast-closing Toms Muscle (Ernie Hendry) while Spanish Room (Pat Curtin) gave chase in fourth.

Convoy Hall competes for owners Doug McIntosh, Randy Liepa and Beverley Snobelen. He won his ninth race from 13 starts this season and has now earned $231,580 in his career. He paid $4.46 to win.

Mike Simons nabbed the lone KYSS division not won by Todd McCarthy when he faced few challengers in a pillar-to-post win by 11-1 shot International Law in the second division for four-year-old trotting horses and geldings. Simons grabbed the point to a :28 first quarter and coasted through middle fractions of :57.2 and 1:25.2 while an outer tier struggled to menace. International Law spun for home on a healthy cushion to snag a measured win in 1:53.4 by a length over pocket-chaser Pennteller Hanover (Brett MacDonald) in second. Ways N Means (Andy McCarthy), the 1-2 favourite, followed the stalled flow from third over but rallied for third and Show Me (Pat Curtin) took fourth. 

Erv Miller trains International Law, a gelding by International Moni, for his Ervin Miller Stable Inc. and co-owner Douglas Overhiser. The gelding won his fourth race from 25 starts and has now banked $234,274. He paid $24.42 to win. 

Todd McCarthy even scored a win in the undercard feature, the $33,000 Open Trot, when pouncing from a pocket ride to a 1:52.4 victory with DP Freedoms Chrome. McCarthy found a seat to older brother Andy McCarthy as 3-5 favourite Railee Something reached for the lead to a :27.2 first quarter. She set a modest tempo through a :56.4 half and 1:24.3 three-quarters, but the pocket ride emboldened DP Freedoms Chrome as he just waited for room to angle outside spinning for home. Once first-over Oh Look Magic (Yannick Gingras) retreated, McCarthy took to the outside and slid by Railee Something to win by three-quarter lengths with Whiskey Lou (Jeremy Indof) closing for third and Keg Stand (Brett MacDonald) taking fourth. 

A four-year-old stallion by For You Almostfree trained by Wayne Oke, DP Freedoms Chrome won his 26th race from 38 starts and has now earned $310,175 for owner Aimes Racing. He paid $10.40 to win.

Todd McCarthy completed his six-win day, as well as a training hat trick for Carter Pinske, in the afternoon's 11th race when finding the winner's circle with You Dont Own Me (1:56.3 winning time; $6.46 to win) in a $23,288 conditioned trot. McCarthy forged forward with the Pinske trainee and withstood a furious charge from 6-5 favourite Shady Maple Bow (Jeremy Indof) to notch the lifetime-best equalling victory. 

Racing continues at Oak Grove on Monday, June 2 and features the second preliminary of KYSS action for four-year-olds. First-race post time at Oak Grove is 1:25 p.m. (CDT).

(Oak Grove)