McCarthy eagerly awaits ‘biggest race of my life'
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Michael McCarthy had a hand in many major races as a longtime assistant trainer to Todd Pletcher. But nothing compares to what lies ahead Saturday, when McCarthy will saddle City of Light as a top contender in the $9 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park.
“This is the most important race we’ve all been involved in, except for maybe Todd,” said McCarthy.
Pletcher, the future Hall of Famer who will send out Audible in the Pegasus, has won the Kentucky Derby twice, and his horses have amassed nearly $370 million in purses during his 23-year training career. So, yeah, even if he were to win Saturday, taking home 10 percent of the $4 million winner’s share wouldn’t qualify as a life-changing event.
But for most everyone else involved, including himself: “This is the biggest race of my life,” said McCarthy.
McCarthy, who turns 48 on Feb. 1, has done everything in his power to bring City of Light to the Pegasus in ideal shape. After a dominant 2 3/4-length victory in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Churchill Downs in his most recent start, City of Light has established himself as one of the most effective middle-distance handicap horses in training.
He’s the 5-2 second choice on the Gulfstream morning line for this third running of the Pegasus, although some think he might even challenge BC Classic winner Accelerate (9-5) for favoritism in their third and final meeting. City of Light beat Accelerate in the Oaklawn Handicap and finished third to him in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita. Both are headed for stud duty after the Pegasus at Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky.
“The horse is coming up to this just the way I want him,” said McCarthy, who traveled here from his California base on Jan. 16 to oversee the final week-plus of preparation. “He’s breezed over the track, he’s gotten used to his surroundings, and I’ve schooled him in the paddock. I’ve pretty much followed the same recipe we used at Churchill before the Breeders’ Cup. Hopefully, we’re all set.”
Owned by Tulsa, Okla., businessman William K. Warren Jr. and his wife, Suzanne, City of Light, a 5-year-old horse by Quality Road, has progressed remarkably since finishing second in the first of his 10 starts, a maiden sprint at Los Alamitos in July 2017. Subsequent triumphs in the Grade 1 Malibu, the Grade 1 Triple Bend, and the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap were followed by a third in the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita and a second in the Grade 1 Forego. Then came his scintillating score in the Dirt Mile and a career-high 110 Beyer Speed Figure.
“I always thought he had the tools to become a top horse,” said McCarthy. “We’ve split decisions with Accelerate, so this third race is for all the marbles.”
The 1 1/8 miles of the Pegasus is precisely midway between the distances of the Dirt Mile and the 1 1/4-mile BC Classic, making for what should be an equalizing middle ground for the two favorites.
“I don’t have any doubts whatsoever about my horse at this distance,” said McCarthy. “My feeling is that Accelerate is a very good horse, but so are Audible and Gunnevera and anybody else showing up on their best day. It’s going to be one heck of a race.”
McCarthy has been on the racetrack for most of his adult life after growing up near Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. He went to work for Pletcher in the late 1990s and quickly become a top lieutenant, working primarily in California and Kentucky while also spending time in New York and Florida. His Florida stints included winters at the Palm Meadows (2003, 2004, 2011) and Payson Park (2006) training centers, but he rarely made the southward commute to Gulfstream for the races while overseeing the goings-on back at the barn.
“I’ve hardly spent much time here at all,” he said.
His last five years have been spent mostly in California, where he set up shop after leaving the Pletcher fold in 2014. The move has made for a more stable home life for him and his wife, Erin, and their 8-year-old daughter, Stella, although he was hoping his numbers would have grown larger than they have. Despite having run five starters in the Breeders’ Cup last fall, “I’ve only got 27 head back home right now, and I’d like to be double that,” said McCarthy. “Shows you what a tough game this can be.”
Still, it would take a whole lot of starts and wins to match what City of Light could collect in less than two minutes Saturday.
“You don’t get too many opportunities like this,” said McCarthy. “I just hope the horse runs like we know he can.”
