McCarthy to keep Endlessly on turf for time being

Endlessly started on a synthetic track for the first time when he won the third stakes of his brief career in the $101,350 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields on Saturday.

The victory did not change trainer Michael McCarthy’s outlook for the colt’s spring campaign.

“We know he’s a top talent on the turf,” McCarthy said Sunday. “He showed his versatility on the synthetic. We’ll keep him on the turf for now.”

There is a chance that could change in a few months. Endlessly earned a berth in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 18 for winning the El Camino Real Derby. Golden Gate Fields and Pimlico are both owned by 1/ST Racing.

“We’ve got a few months to think about something like the Preakness,” McCarthy said.

In 2021, McCarthy won the El Camino Real Derby and Preakness with Rombauer, who had a history of racing on dirt.

Endlessly, who races for John and Jerry Amerman, won 3 of 4 starts on turf as a 2-year-old in 2023, including two Grade 3 stakes at a mile at Del Mar and Santa Anita. He finished the season with an eighth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita in November.

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets.

For his next start, Endlessly could start in a stakes on turf outside of California. McCarthy did not have a race goal in mind on Sunday.

“There’s plenty of them around,” he said of stakes to consider. “If he’s as good as we think, we need to probably get on the road.”

In the El Camino Real Derby at 1 1/8 miles, Endlessly closed from seventh in a field of eight to take the lead in the final furlong, winning by 1 1/4 lengths over Tapalo, a maiden race winner at Santa Anita in his previous start.

Endlessly, the 7-10 favorite, was timed in 1:50.68 under jockey Umberto Rispoli and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 87.

“He’s a class horse,” McCarthy said. “He answered a lot of questions. He shipped out of town for the first time, he went a mile and an eighth, and it was his first time on a synthetic surface.

“He was a little bit farther back than I would have liked. Umberto had everyone’s measure. This horse has some gears and it was nice to see him get his head down at the wire.”

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.