McCarthy celebrates 21st birthday with first Preakness ride on Bodhisattva

McCarthy celebrates 21st birthday with first Preakness ride
on Bodhisattva

Trevor McCarthy will try for a classic win on his 21st birthday (Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club) When someone turns 21, the birthday is supposed to be special. The celebration might include a person’s first legal drink. The day signals entry into adulthood. Jockey Trevor McCarthy, who turns 21 on Saturday, will be celebrating with a special gift from owner/trainer Jose Corrales. McCarthy will be riding in his first Triple Crown race when Corrales gives him a leg up on Bodhisattva (Student Council), the only horse in the 140th running of the Preakness S. (G1) with a race over the Pimlico track. “It’s quite exciting,” McCarthy said. “I would rather it be this than to go out and drink or go to the casino or something like that. It’s a pretty cool experience.” A son of former jockey Mike McCarthy, who won six riding titles at Delaware Park and the Ohio Derby twice, Trevor McCarthy has ascended quickly in Maryland’s jockey ranks. The younger McCarthy, who rode his first winner in October 2012 at Parx, was the leading rider on the Laurel Park and Pimlico circuit in 2013 with 107 wins. He led the circuit again last year with 167 wins, topping the jockeys’ standings at the Pimilco meet and both Laurel meets. His 263 victories in 2014 — seventh most among jockeys in the country — included wins in the Delaware Oaks (G2) on Fortune Pearl (Mineshaft) at Delaware Park and the Boiling Spring S. (G3) on Munirah (Kitten’s Joy) at Monmouth Park. His 2014 purse earnings, $8.1 million, put him 20th among riders nationally. “I’ve been watching this kid since he started,” Corrales said. “He’s a complete rider.”

Now, Trevor McCarthy has a chance to do
something that his father, who retired in 2002 with 2,907 victories in more than
20 years in the saddle, never did: ride in a Triple Crown race.

“For him to see me ride in the Preakness, I
think it brings him a lot of joy, knowing that I’m really excited about it,”
McCarthy said. “He just always wanted this for me.”

The older McCarthy passed on the fundamentals
of the profession to his son.

“My dad, he taught me everything, pretty much
gave me everything,” the jockey said. “And he’s been such a huge help. Without
him, I wouldn’t be in the place I’m in. Ever since I was little, he’s put me in
the right places and showed me the right things and the wrong things. I think
this is what he kind of wanted.

“He didn’t have the success that I had when he
was starting out riding,” he added. “He had a great career too, but toward the
end. I think he wanted me to be better than him. That’s why he always was very
disciplined to me when it came to riding.”

“I think the father has been the best teacher
for this kid,” Corrales said “When I see him, I told him, ‘Whoever taught you
did a very good job.’ His father was a very good rider.”

Bodhisattva has been learning, too, McCarthy said. The jockey and colt, who is based at Laurel
Park, first got to know
each other in the Private Terms S. there on March 21, not long after McCarthy, who
had broken his wrist in a spill at Laurel on December 20, had returned to riding.
Bodhisattva finished second in the 1 1/8-mile Private Terms, 2 1/2 lengths behind
the winner.

Bodhisattva brings winning experience at Pimlico into Preakness 140 (Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club) But in 1 1/16-mile Federico Tesio S. on April 18 at Pimlico, Bodhisattva led all the way to score by 1 1/2 lengths. Despite being one of the youngest three-year-olds in this Preakness field based on foal dates, Bodhisattva is the second most experienced runner of the eight. He’s had 11 career starts with three wins, a second and four thirds. This will be his first graded-stakes try as a sophomore following a fifth-placing in last year’s Remsen S. (G2) at Aqueduct. “You have to remember that he wasn’t born until April,” Corrales said. “So he’s still learning, but he’s very mature right now. I think the experience has been a good thing for him. He’s never been better than he is right now.” “I see a lot of progression,” McCarthy agreed. “He ‘s learning quite a lot every time he runs every day, every day he trains. Every time I work him, it seems like he’s developing into a real nice horse. And he’s just learning day by day by day, and he’s getting better and better, more confident in himself. “The first time I rode him, he lugged in really bad with me in the Private Terms, and that’s what kind of got him beat. We were a bit bummed about that. So, Jose did some changes with him, kind of really started to figure him out, and in the Tesio, he really showed his true class and what he was about. And we’re very excited about him.”

Bodhisattva arrived at Old Hilltop Thursday morning following a 40-minute
ride from Laurel Park, boarding the van to Pimlico after completing his morning training at Laurel with a
1 1/2-mile gallop.

“He looks good,” Corrales said. “My horse ran very well here. He really
finished strong the last quarter. He’s had a little time since the race, so he’s
not tired or anything. You’re competing with the best, so there’s no excuse. I’m
in the race, so we’ll see what happens. It’s up to God.”

Bodhisattva was on his way to the Preakness following the Tesio, but history
has not been kind to winners of that race. Deputed Testamony (1983) has been the only Tesio
scorer of 18 to go on
to complete the Pimlico sweep in the Preakness.

McCarthy, of course, was headed to the
Preakness, too, though Corrales decided to play a joke on him when the jockey
asked if he still had the mount.

“I said, ‘You know what, let me tell you something, you have to think about
who you are going to ride,'” Corrales said.
He then mentioned that some big-time jockeys, such as Mike Smith and John
Velazquez, might be better choices.

“I kept going,” Corrales said. “He said, ‘I understand.’ Then I told him I
was just kidding.”

McCarthy said that Corrales didn’t lead him on for long, “which was somewhat
nice of him.”

Corrales said he doesn’t expect McCarthy to be
nervous on Saturday.

“It’s another ride,” Corrales said. “It’s just nice you’re able to ride that.
You know the horse. You know the track. Of course, you get a little bit excited.
And then I found out, it’s his birthday the same day. It would be nice to do
good on that day.”

“People think, ‘You’re nervous?’ I haven’t even thought about
being nervous,” McCarthy admitted. “I’m just so excited to have the opportunity to be in the race
that nervousness hasn’t even crossed my mind. It’s a huge opportunity and a big
deal for me and my family.”

It will be an unforgettable birthday for
McCarthy, all right.

“That present already is done by knowing you’ll
have your name in the paper,” Corrales said. “The way I look at it, you look at
the Super Bowl, and everybody’s watching it. And now, I feel like I’m going to
the Super Bowl, and he’s there. Whatever happens, happens. We’re going on with
it and see what happens after that.

“The kid’s going to go big-time,” he added. “He going to go to the Hall of
Fame later on. I will say that.”

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com