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After many wins as a trainer on the point circuit, his first racecourse win under rules came in November 2017 with Pound A Stroke, a surprise 40/1 winner ridden by Kevin Brouder at Thurles.
McCarthy was never fortunate enough to ride a double as a jockey but he landed two winners on the same day as a trainer at Limerick on November 17 in 2020, where Gearoid Brouder rode both Blanketontheground and Moonlight Glory to comfortable victories.
Initially, McCarthy purchased horses on credit to build his yard, including his stable stalwarts like Cosmic Rock, Mattie?s Mountain, and Le Figaro Faoudel. However, he couldn't rely on just that and addressing the pressure that created, he shifted to a more sustainable model, ensuring all horses were fully paid for and could be trained patiently, based on their individual needs.
Instead of treating certain horses as mere ?low-grade handicappers,? McCarthy trains each as a ?good horse,? allowing adequate rest and development to improve both physically and mentally. In 2021, he expanded his facilities by acquiring additional acreage for 40 more stables and added a schooling strip, further establishing his Athea base.
Limerick Racecourse is McCarthy's local yard so it may be no surprise that it has been by far his most successful track, with 17 winners at the venue. That was from a total of 164 runners so he is operating at around 10 per cent there. Next in line is Killarney where he has had seven winners from a total of 76 runners.
