Trevor McCarthy rides Rainbow Heir to 1,000th victory

Trevor McCarthy scored the 1,000th victory of his career on opening day of the Monmouth Park meet Saturday, guiding Rainbow Heir to a repeat victory in the Wolf Hill Stakes. The five-furlong race was originally carded for turf, but was moved to the main track as the East Coast was pelted with an all-day soaker of a rainstorm.

McCarthy won his 999th career race earlier on the card.

McCarthy, who will turn 23 Tuesday, began riding in 2011. He has won six riding titles in Maryland, including the Laurel Park winter meet, which concluded last Sunday. His agent is Scott Silver.

A native of Wilmington, Del., McCarthy was the winningest rider in Maryland in 2014 and 2016. He finished second to Paco Lopez in the 2015 Monmouth Park standings. He rode primarily in Maryland last summer.

"It's nice to get my 1,000th in a stakes race," McCarthy said. "I'm very grateful to the owners and trainers who have allowed me to reach this milestone. I’ll cherish this moment for quite some time."

McCarthy is the son of Mike McCarthy, a former top jockey in the Mid-Atlantic, who won more than 2,900 races and numerous riding titles.

Mr. Neetie outsprinted Delta Bluesman for the early lead in the $59,400 Wolf Hill over a sloppy track. He showed the way to upper stretch before Rainbow Heir, who had saved ground in the second flight, overpowered him from the outside and pulled away to win by 1 3/4 lengths.

Rainbow Heir is a 7-year-old New Jersey-bred who races for his breeder, the New Farm of Ebby Novak. Jason Servis has trained Rainbow Heir since the beginning of 2016.

Last year, Rainbow Heir won the Wolf Hill by 7 3/4 lengths in his debut for Servis. That race also was moved to the main track.

Rainbow Heir is now 11 for 26 with $562,945 in earnings. He paid $4.40 as a slight favorite over Delta Bluesman in Saturday's field, which scratched down from 14 to six horses. Rainbow Heir was timed in 58.01 seconds.

Blue Y Gold rallied up the inside to finish second. Delta Bluesman, who settled off the pace of Mr. Neetie and raced outside the winner early, was closing belatedly and finished third, a length farther back. Mr. Neetie was fourth at 25-1.