Belmont Stakes 2021: McCarthy a rookie on paper, but a veteran in reality
ELMONT, N.Y. – Rombauer will go down as trainer Michael McCarthy’s first winner of a Triple Crown race. As a longtime assistant to trainer Todd Pletcher, however, this trail for McCarthy has not been one less traveled.
McCarthy worked for Pletcher from 2002 to early 2014, when Pletcher was a constant presence in the Kentucky Derby, winning it in 2010 with Super Saver, as well as the Belmont Stakes, which the stable won with Rags to Riches (2007) and Palace Malice (2013).
“I was very used to participating in those races when I worked for Todd, and when I went out on my own it was a little difficult to even watch them at times, to be honest with you.” McCarthy said. “In your mind, you’ve been there, you know what it’s like.”
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The lack of McCarthy’s participation in the Triple Crown series ended with Rombauer, who after skipping the Kentucky Derby, was a dominant 3 1/2-length winner in the Preakness Stakes three weeks ago at Pimlico. Rombauer, a son of Twirling Candy owned and bred by John and Diane Fradkin, will enter Saturday’s $1.5 million Belmont Stakes as the first or second choice in the eight-horse field.
During his time working for Pletcher, McCarthy oversaw strings in Kentucky, Southern California, and Delaware. McCarthy, who grew up in Southern California, met his future wife, Erin, there and by 2014, with the couple having had a child, McCarthy needed to get back home on a full-time basis.
Professionally, it was a tough decision for McCarthy to leave Pletcher, who had discontinued his winter presence in Southern California.
“When you have arguably one of the best jobs in racing, it’s awfully hard to walk away from something like that,” McCarthy said.
When he started out on his own, McCarthy had one client – Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. Aron Wellman, the president of Eclipse, grew up with McCarthy in California and also knew his talent as a horseman. McCarthy’s first Grade 1 victory came for Eclipse with Illuminant, the 2016 Gamely winner. Eclipse and McCarthy have campaigned Grade 1 winners Ohio and Speech.
“Michael’s a first-class horseman, a family man through and through, and a true friend,” Wellman said. “Whether he’s winning big races for Eclipse or other clientele, we’re very happy for him.”
McCarthy, 50, won his most recent Grade 1 on Monday, when Smooth Like Strait captured the Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita. In 2017, McCarthy trained City of Light, who won Grade 1 races in three calendar years – the Malibu in 2017, the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in 2018, and the Pegasus in 2019.
McCarthy’s stable had grown to more than 60, with approximately 50 at Santa Anita and a dozen at Churchill Downs.
“You always like to keep growing, keep flourishing, keep finding,” McCarthy said. “It’s a drafting game, right? You’re always looking to add new players, improve your stock.”
Jonathan Thomas met McCarthy 17 years ago when he was an exercise rider for Dale Romans and McCarthy was working for Pletcher in Florida. Ultimately, Thomas and McCarthy both wound up working for Pletcher, though never under the same shed row. This week, they are sharing the same barn, as Rombauer is stabled in Thomas’s barn at Belmont Park.
“I would have been more surprised if he wasn’t doing what he’s doing now,” said Thomas, who has been out on his own for several years. “We’ve been peers, but over the years we’ve become very good friends. He’s an amazing family guy, he’s super hard-working. I’ve also seen all the sacrifices he made early on in his young family’s growth.
“A lot of people have paid their dues, but Michael has paid his dues times 10.”
When Rombauer crossed the finish line first in the Preakness, Pletcher was among the first to congratulate him. On Saturday, Pletcher will saddle three of the seven horses Rombauer will try to beat in the Preakness.
“He was an excellent assistant, very committed and reliable, had a good opinion of how the horses were doing, judging talent,” Pletcher said. “We had a good run together and happy to see that he’s doing well.”
McCarthy has said the way he tries to operate his business stems from his time with Pletcher.
“You’re so far up the mountain when you’re there, when you go ahead and set out your own shingle, it takes you a while to climb back up,” McCarthy said. “If you stick to what you learn, the habits created during that time, it certainly helped me get back up the mountain.”
And the view is pretty sweet.