Bordentown residents may not be aware of the fact that one of the hottest and most charismatic young drivers in the sport of harness racing is walking among them.
But if an Aussie accent pops up in a crowd, more than likely that’s the guy.
Todd McCarthy, a 29-year-old Australian transplant, received the sport’s 2021 Rising Star Award from the U.S. Harness Writing Association after a campaign in which he won 337 races and $7,458,614 in purse earnings.
McCarthy hasn’t missed a beat this season. As of July 21, he ranked 32nd in wins in North America with 156, and 14th in earnings with $3,111,883. He stood fourth in earnings among drivers with less than 1,000 starts. On June 18, McCarthy drove Pebble Beach to victory in the North America Cup at Woodbine Mohawk Park in Canada, making him, along with brothers Luke and Andy, the first brother trio to each win a $1 million race.
McCarthy is doing all this while enjoying life among the locals as he regularly races at the Meadowlands and Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack in Chester, Pennsylvania.
“I liked the town,” he said. “Andy actually spent a lot of time here when he first moved over to the U.S. (Trainer) Noel Daley was based around Bordentown. He actually used to live right in town, and when Andy came over, he lived in that house. I heard a lot of good stories about Bordentown.”
Part of the allure is its location. For a guy who flies a lot, it’s nice to have Newark and Philadelphia international airports less than an hour away, or even Robbinsville and Mercer County for lesser flights. If he’s hankering for life in the big city, there’s always New York or Philly.
But what McCarthy really enjoys is the surroundings themselves.
“I’ve pretty much been everywhere down around Farnsworth Avenue,” he said. “Once a week, I’ll try and go in after the races, usually go and have dinner and a beer somewhere. It’s a really friendly little town and it’s a beautiful little spot.”
McCarthy grew up in the small town of Queensland before moving to Sydney at age 20.
“I think it would be great living in a city,” he said. “But at the same time, I don’t think I’d want to do that at this time. I like having a little bit more privacy and having it a little quieter. That seems to suit me.
“I was lucky to get the place I got. I really enjoy being there. It’s a beautiful spot and it feels like home. It makes it a lot easier being so far away from Australia.”
Winning lots of races can also fend off homesickness, and McCarthy has done his share of that. Coming from a racing family, he watched his father and older brothers enjoy success while making his own name for himself Down Under.
John McCarthy, the family patriarch, won the million-dollar Miracle Mile at Menangle Park in New South Wales, Australia in 2005-06. Fourteen years later, after coming to America for a year, Luke returned home to win the same race each of the past three years.
Andy, who has hauled in nearly $64 million in purses since coming to America in 2007, won the sport’s biggest race when he drove Ramona Hill to a record-tying time in the Hambletonian at the Meadowlands in 2020. That marked the same summer Todd came over to give U.S. racing a try.
“The East Coast of America has always been the pinnacle of harness racing in the world,” McCarthy said. “It’s kind of where you want to be driving in the biggest races and driving with the best guys. It’s something we’ve always admired growing up in Australia. And then watching Andy do what he’s done, it was definitely a big part in wanting to come over.”
Unfortunately, McCarthy made his decision just as Covid-19 was introducing itself to the world.
“Covid was so insane,” he said. “When it started, I was kind of in the process of getting my visa to come over. Then it hit and it was like, ‘Whoa!’ It really put the air brakes on.”
McCarthy was eventually able to get here that year and gain some experience on U.S. tracks. It was not what one would call a normal life, however.
“It was a funny time to go somewhere new and meet everyone wearing their mask,” he recalled. “It was kind of like meeting people twice after they take their mask off. But I was just lucky to get over and drive.”
Once he finally got moving, McCarthy got 820 drives; winning 112 and earning $1,733,252, which was pretty good all things considered. McCarthy said he had low expectations and just figured he would stick it out long enough to see if he could make a living.
“It was a lot of just learning to adapt,” he said. “I was still pretty new to learning this racing style here. I was really fortunate that people gave me opportunities to get going. I just had to try and adapt as quickly as I could and make the most of it.
“It was very overwhelming that first year of moving to a new country. There were a lot of logistical sides of things to organize to set your life up here and try to get going again. And on top of that; handle the racing stuff as well. I had some great people around me that really helped and definitely made the process a lot easier.”
Two of those people were his brother Andy and trainer Daley. Although the brothers race against each other on a regular basis, there is never a sibling rivalry as Todd says, “We just go to work and do our thing.”
Daley, a fellow Aussie, was a great help to all three brothers when they came to the U.S. (Luke only raced here in 2009). Driving Daley’s horse to victory in the North America Cup made it that much greater.
“It was really special,” McCarthy said. “Since I’ve come over here, there’s been a lot of great trainers that have taken me on and given me some great opportunities, and Noel’s got a lot of history with our family. He got Andy to come over and Luke followed suit for a little while and Noel was there to help out. He’s done the same for me, he’s just been phenomenal to our family so that was really special to win it with his horse.”
Daley, who is one of sport’s top trainers, is not surprised at Todd’s success.
“From the time I saw him in a race bike as a teenager, he looked like he had ‘It,’” Daley said. “He was an immediate success down home, and it was no surprise that he hit the ground running when he arrived here.”
McCarthy has not only made an impression with his talent, but with his demeanor as well. Trainer Miriam Kraemer, a 2011 Bordentown High School grad, is impressed with McCarthy’s personality and sportsmanship.
“He’s definitely made a name for himself, when he first came here people wanted him to drive horses because he was doing good back home,” said Kraemer, now based in Delaware. “But he just seems very humble. He talks respectfully to people. His head’s not all blown up like some of ’em.
“And he’s not one of those drivers that comes off hooting or hollering about driving (a bad horse). Some drivers come off a little hot and sour if the horse didn’t perform like they like it to. I’ve heard him come off and (tell the trainer) to maybe change this or that. He gives insight to the horse, so I like that.”
Winning the USHWA’s Rising Star Award was a pleasant surprise for McCarthy; “something I never expected.” Awards like that can sometimes put pressure on a young driver, but he says he doesn’t worry about it.
“I never think about things much like that,” he said. “I don’t think it’s changed much. I’ve always been pretty good like that in life to stay away from that stuff. I just try to stay as grounded as I can and focus on the task ahead.”
McCarthy has some big races ahead in August and September and is looking forward to some Grand Circuit races in Kentucky. He is also driving a few horses that could show up in the Hambletonian, the sport’s pre-eminent race.
Between races, he will continue to be the guy walking around Bordentown with an Australian accent.
“I used to get asked about that a lot, but I’ve learned to say certain things when I’m ordering them, so it probably makes them think I’m faking the Aussie accent,” he said with a laugh. “I still get people asking quite a bit, but it’s nice. Everyone has been friendly.”
Driver Todd McCarthy with Pebble Beach, the horse he rode to the winner’s circle in the North America Cup at Woodbine Mohawk Park in Canada on June 18, 2022.,
