trevor mccarthy | Horse Racing Free Tips

Happy Saver Stays Perfect With Federico Tesio Triumph: Preakness ‘On The Radar’

Wertheimer and Frere's homebred Happy Saver, stepping up to stakes company for the first time, kept his perfect record intact through three starts with a popular and professional 1 1/2-length victory in Monday's $100,000 Federico Tesio at Laurel Park in Maryland.

The 39^th running of the 1 1/8-mile Tesio for 3-year-olds was the third of five $100,000 stakes on a special 10-race Labor Day holiday program that capped Laurel's Preakness Prep Weekend. For the fifth straight year, the Tesio served as a 'Win and In' event to the 145^th Preakness (G1) Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

Seven-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher, watching from Saratoga where he won the training title, said the Preakness would be on the radar for Happy Saver, a chestnut son of Super Saver, who in 2010 gave Pletcher his first of two Kentucky Derby (G1) wins. Not Triple Crown nominated, Happy Saver would need to be supplemented for $25,000 to run.

“It's hard to win any races, much less your first three and step up in distance in your second start and into a stake in your third start. It's impressive he's been able to do that on three different surfaces, so I'm really pleased with his progress,” Pletcher said. “He's three-for-three and if he comes out and trains accordingly we'll consider stepping up and taking a shot.”

Happy Saver ($2.40), out of the Distorted Humor mare Happy Week, completed the distance over a fast main track in 1:49.15 – the fastest nine-furlong Tesio since Marciano won the 2001 edition in 1:49 when it was held at Pimlico Race Course. The Tesio was contested at 1 1/16 miles from 1981-91 and 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015. It was not run in 2012.

It was the second career Tesio win for both Pletcher and jockey Trevor McCarthy. Pletcher won in 2002 with Smoked Em, while McCarthy was first with Bodhisattva in 2015.

“He really turned it on that last eighth of a mile, the last quarter. They were running,” McCarthy said. “This horse is all class. Everything you want to do, he'll do for you. It was just a big privilege to be on him today. I have to thank Todd and his whole crew for doing such a great job.”

Winner of the Heft Stakes last December at Laurel but unraced since a fourth-place finish in the Withers (G3) Feb. 1 at Aqueduct, Monday Morning Qb broke sharply and was intent on the lead, rolling through a quarter-mile in 24.76 seconds and a half in 48.82 while Amen Corner chased along the rail and McCarthy kept Happy Saver in the clear three wide in third.

Monday Morning Qb was still there after going six furlongs in 1:13.69 when McCarthy began to move on Happy Saver and the top two gained distance from the rest of the field. Happy Saver nudged a head front once straightened for home and was set down for the drive while Monday Morning Qb determinedly kept on to his inside.

“He really warmed up well for me today. I was really impressed with the way he warmed up. He broke really strong and those speed horses on the outside didn't break very well. I knew [Monday Morning Qb] would break good off the layoff. I didn't know how fit that horse would be today but I just left him alone and let my horse get in a great stride and a great rhythm,” McCarthy said. “When [Monday Morning Qb] came to him galloping out, he rebroke. He was pretty impressive.”

Monday Morning Qb was a clear second, nine lengths ahead of late-running Big City Bob, followed by Mexican Wonder Boy, Amen Corner and Letmeno, who stumbled out of the gate and trailed throughout. Plot the Dots was scratched.

Happy Saver went unraced at 2, breaking his maiden at first asking in a seven-furlong sprint June 20 at Belmont Park then stepping up to open allowance company July 26 at Saratoga to win by four lengths at 1 1/8 miles. The Tesio was his first race against straight 3-year-olds.

“I just kind of told Trevor a little bit about the horse and told him he can ride him tactically however he wanted. He won first time out going wire to wire basically seven-eighths and then he came from off the pace and got some good education his second start so I told him to just use his best judgment,” Pletcher said. “He was in the clear, stalking. That was the horse that I felt like we had to beat. The horse put up a good fight but our horse was able to keep finding a little more.”

The Tesio is named for the noted Italian breeder, owner and trainer whose hombreds Nearco and Ribot dominate Thoroughbred bloodlines around the world. Tesio died in Italy in 1954 at age 85.

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Sprained Ankle Will Keep Trevor McCarthy Off Mounts At Laurel This Weekend

Unseated when his mount War Lance stumbled during Thursday's third race at Laurel Park, jockey Trevor McCarthy was diagnosed with a sprained ankle and will not ride this weekend's cards, reports racingbiz.com.

Thursday was McCarthy's first day back in the saddle since Aug. 5; he missed the past several weeks of racing due to testing positive for the coronavirus. Prior to testing positive, McCarthy had been leading the standings at Colonial Downs with a 42 percent win rate.

He was named in all nine races on Friday and eight more on Saturday's card at Laurel Park.

War Lance was uninjured in the incident.

Maryland Jockey Trevor McCarthy Recovered From Coronavirus, Returns To Saddle Thursday

Trevor McCarthy has endured his share of job-related injuries over the course of a 10-year riding career that has seen him win more than 1,500 races, four overall Maryland championships and 12 individual meet titles.

His latest setback came courtesy of a bout with coronavirus amid the ongoing pandemic that paused live racing in Maryland for 2 ½ months until May 30 and caused the early Aug. 14 closure of the Colonial Downs meet, where McCarthy was leading rider.

Back at full health and eager to return to riding, the 26-year-old McCarthy is named in six of nine races when live racing resumes at Laurel Park Thursday, Aug. 27. It will be his first action since going winless with two mounts Aug. 5 at Colonial.

McCarthy has ridden just 11 of the first 33 days of Laurel's extended summer meet and just once since June 27 – on July 17 – having spent most of the summer at Monmouth Park and Colonial. He still ranks eighth in the standings in both wins (15) and purses earned ($443,151).

“I've been back working out on my bicycle and back on my Equicizer, getting ready to gear up and get back to the races. We're looking forward to it,” McCarthy, engaged to fellow rider Katie Davis, said. “We've been trapped in the house for [two weeks] and it's been something else. We're excited to get back.”

McCarthy said he first began feeling ill Aug. 8, enough to cancel his morning workout and evening riding assignments the following day at Colonial and urge Davis to do the same.

“I woke up in the middle of the night and I felt terrible,” McCarthy said. “I said to Katie, 'We're not going anywhere.' She said, 'What do you mean?' and I said, 'I feel terrible. I feel like I'm really, really sick.'

“She kind of looked at me like 'are you serious,' and I was like, 'We're not leaving the house,'” he added. “We were just very cautious and right then and there I made the decision. I was just thinking more about everybody else than myself at that time. It was the right move, and Katie couldn't go as well because she's been around me even though she didn't have any symptoms. It wouldn't be smart to have had her go without me.”

McCarthy said he experienced symptoms over the next 48 hours that felt like a severe flu and kept him housebound until he was able to get checked out Aug. 11. It was then that his worst fear was confirmed.

“I was sick for like two days. More like flu – fever, headache, I had the chills, a runny nose. Finally the third day I felt so much better so I went and got tested and that's when I found out I was positive,” McCarthy said. “Katie was negative, so it was really strange that day. We just went back home and I did my quarantining. It was only about five days total that I felt really bad. I lost my taste and smell for one day. Two days were really strong and then the three days after that were like a small cold I was just kind of getting over.”

Having heard and read stories about COVID-19 cases where people experienced extreme symptoms, McCarthy said he didn't expect to get a positive result for the virus.

“I went into the test kind of confident that I wasn't going to have it because I kind of whacked this thing out in two days and I was feeling so much better on the third day. Hearing from everybody else, it's a week-long drag where you're really sick,” McCarthy said. “So, when I knocked it out in two days I thought it was just a bug or a small virus or flu. They ended up testing me for the flu, as well, and I was negative, and I was positive for the coronavirus. It was really weird and I guess it just hits people differently.

“After those five, six days I was fine. It was weird,” he added. “Katie eventually showed a little bit of symptoms, nothing as severe as mine, just stuffy nose and she lost her taste and smell. But she wasn't anywhere close to how sick I got. It was strange.”

McCarthy credited his career and active lifestyle with helping to curtail the most serious symptoms of coronavirus as well as lessen its duration.

“I think it has a lot to do with being an athlete, being young, being in good shape, and having a healthy diet. When I had symptoms, our local farmer's market delivered groceries to our house. We just kept eating our strong diet, all natural foods and trying to give ourselves the best nutrition and keep our immune systems up,” he said. “I drank a lot of Pedialyte, hot tea, lots of water and kept on my diet. After five or six days, I was back to normal.”

All jockeys coming from the Colonial meet, including other Maryland regulars such as Davis, Forest Boyce and Jorge Ruiz, are required to serve a 14-day quarantine period from Aug. 13 and have a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours in hand to return to ride at Laurel, with Aug. 27 being the first eligible day. McCarthy said he is scheduled to be re-tested Aug. 24.

“I haven't had any symptoms lately,” he said. “It's just a part of what's going on in this world right now. I've got to follow the rules and that's it. There's not much more we can do.”

McCarthy is excited about the upcoming calendar in Maryland. Laurel is scheduled to host nine $100,000 stakes over Labor Day weekend including the Federico Tesio for 3-year-olds and Weber City Miss for 3-year-old fillies Sept. 7. Both races are automatic qualifiers for the Preakness (G1) and Black-Eyed Susan (G2), respectively, rescheduled for Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

“It should be a real exciting fall meet. It's going to be great,” McCarthy said. “It seems like they're going to have a nice weekend the first part of September and then you're always looking forward to Preakness time and Maryland Million time, as well. It should be a fun fall meet.”

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Colonial Downs Cancels Tuesday, Wednesday Cards After McCarthy Tests Positive For COVID-19

Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va. has cancelled both its Tuesday and Wednesday cards this week after leading rider Trevor McCarthy tested positive for COVID-19, reports the Daily Racing Form.

McCarthy experienced symptoms on Saturday, and subsequently took off his mounts on Sunday and Monday. His agent, Scott Silver, reported that the rider got tested Tuesday although he was feeling better, and was later told he was positive.

The track will seek guidance from the Virginia Department of Health on how to proceed.