For a guy who didn’t arrive until four months ago, Todd McCarthy continues to impress in harness racing’s toughest driver colony stateside.
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 favourite 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 longshot Joey on the front early, and the six-year-old gelded son of Yankee Glide-Jodis 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 favourite 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. … All-source handle totaled $2,804,088. … 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.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)