Journalism's Trainer Takes Trip Down Memory Lane

Michael McCarthy's time in New York this past week has played out like a kaleidoscope of memories. The 54-year-old trainer will saddle Journalism, the morning-line favorite in the June 7 Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. He began his career in racing in his native Southern California, earning a solid early education under trainers Ben Cecil, Doug Peterson, and John O'Hara. Then an extraordinary opportunity to work for trainer Todd Pletcher brought him east in 2002. He spent 11-plus years, first as a foreman and then an assistant, with Pletcher's juggernaut operations in New York, Kentucky, and Florida. He was part of a team that was hands-on with Ashado, English Channel, Palace Malice (2013 Belmont Stakes winner), Princess of Sylmar, Rags to Riches (2007 Belmont Stakes winner), and Super Saver—just several of the horses that played a role in landing Pletcher in the Hall of Fame in 2021. While McCarthy was with Pletcher, his boss earned six of his eight Eclipse Awards for training excellence. But family was always foremost on McCarthy's mind. He left his job with Pletcher in 2013 to return to Southern California to be with wife Erin, whom he married in 2009 and whose job in corporate cash management kept her in California with daughter Stella, who was born in 2010. In January 2014, he saddled his first runner, a horse owned by Aron Wellman's Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners which purchased Journalism as a yearling in 2023 at Fasig-Tipton's The Saratoga Sale and remains a co-owner of the Curlin colt. A self-described "California guy" who loves the lifestyle and feels a strong connection to Santa Anita Park, a place he grew up near and frequented as a youngster, McCarthy still remembers the culture shock of the early days of training on his own after those heady years in Pletcher's employ. The going was slow at first; McCarthy didn't win his first race until August 2014 with his 10th starter. That year he saddled 30 runners and won six races. "When I left, I left a lot of things," McCarthy said this week on the Saratoga backstretch, outside the barn where Journalism is stabled, which also houses some Pletcher horses and is adjacent to the Hall of Famer's main barn. "I left probably not only what was the best job in racing for me but also for the other assistants that worked for Todd. It was a very, very big position. I left relationships... the crew I had been with since the day I walked in, some of them are still here today. "When you're used to hanging a bridle on a horse that is running in the Kentucky Derby, putting rundowns on a horse who is running in the Breeders' Cup, leaving the barn with a horse running in the Belmont, those are things you covet and you maybe take for granted a little bit because you are doing it all the time." McCarthy's breakout year came in 2018 when his runners earned more than $3.9 million. One of his stable stars was City of Light, the winner of that year's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1). City of Light kept the ball rolling into 2019 by capturing the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1). Ce Ce earned an Eclipse Award as champion female sprinter in 2021 for the trainer who also saddled his first Preakness winner, Rombauer, that year. After finishing second in this year's Kentucky Derby (G1), Journalism provided the trainer with his second victory in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. McCarthy is just one of Pletcher's former assistants to strike out on their own. The list includes George Weaver, Jonathan Thomas, Whit Beckman, and most recently, Amelia Green. This represents an extension of what has become known as the D. Wayne Lukas school of horsemanship. Pletcher worked for and was mentored by Lukas before he launched his career in December 1995. Other accomplished horsemen to come through the Lukas shedrow are Weaver, Kiaran McLaughlin, Dallas Stewart, Mark Hennig, Randy Bradshaw, Mike Maker, and Bobby Barnett. "It's an interesting family tree because everyone has always made a big deal out of the Lukas tree. Now our branch has spread out as well," Pletcher said. Pletcher, who will saddle a pair of longshots, Crudo and Uncaged, in Saturday's Belmont Stakes, said given the dedication and smarts he observed in McCarthy while he worked for him, it has come as no surprise his former assistant is making a name for himself. "Michael was well prepared to train on his own. I think just like everyone, you have to find some opportunities. As soon as he got those opportunities, he showed what he could do with them," Pletcher said. "While with me, Michael had an accurate opinion on how the horses were doing. I thought he was pretty good at assessing talent. One thing that has carried on from Wayne to me to my current assistants and former assistants, is commitment, work ethic, and reliability. In order to fulfill that position, you have to have the trainer's trust that you're always going to be there. "Michael and I had a great relationship, never had any issues," he added. "I was happy with the job he was doing and he was happy with the job he had, but when you have a young family, I think it was becoming a strain on Michael to figure out what to do and, obviously, family comes first." As he glances at Pletcher's wash rack, McCarthy remembers the time he was wearing a boot on his foot because he had fractured it. As he gazes at the current occupants behind the TAP webbings, he recalls the horses of years past that he had the privilege of working with. "I'm certainly grateful for the time working for Todd," McCarthy remarked. "I've said this before, everything we sort of do with our operation, even though the logistics are different, basically runs through (my time with Todd)."