McCarthy, Magee Capture Maryland Year-End Titles

McCarthy, Magee Capture Maryland Year-End Titles

MCA Racing, Schera Share Top Owner Honors
 
 
LAUREL, MD – The 2016 calendar year ended with some familiar names at the top of the standings on the Maryland circuit, as jockey Trevor McCarthy claimed his second leading rider title in three years and Kieron Magee finished with his third consecutive title as leading trainer.
 
McCarthy, 22, rode 167 winners and banked $5,353,601 in purse earnings from 933 starters at Laurel Park and historic Pimlico Race Course. His 67 wins led Laurel’s winter-spring meet to kick off 2016, and he topped Pimlico’s Preakness meet with 29 victories.
 
Among McCarthy’s Maryland stakes victories in 2016 were the Commonwealth Turf Cup (G2) with Blacktype, the Bert Allen with multiple stakes winner Rose Brier, and the James F. Lewis with top 3-year-old prospect El Areeb.
 
The Wilmington, Del. native was also Maryland’s leading rider in 2014 with 167 wins, and finished third with 86 during an injury-filled 2015. He earned his 900th career victory with El Manut in the final race of the year at Laurel Dec. 31, and finished 2016 with career highs in wins (274) and purses earned ($8.75 million).
 
Jevian Toledo won Laurel’s summer and fall meet titles and finished second overall with 157 wins, 16 more than his Maryland-leading total from 2015.
 
Magee, who turns 56 Jan. 15, was first with 64 wins and fourth with $1,254,761 in purse earnings from 316 starters in 2016, after leading Maryland with 65 wins in 2015 and 55 in 2014. He led the trainer standings at Laurel’s winter-spring stand (29) and Pimlico’s Preakness meet (14).
 
Maryland stakes wins for Magee in 2016 included the Maryland Million Sprint with Nicaradalic Rocks and the Claiming Crown Rapid Transit Preview with It Behooves Me. A native of Wicklow, Ireland, Magee ended the year with 105 wins and $1.9 million in purse earnings overall.
 
Mary Eppler, who made history as the first woman to win training title at Laurel at its recently concluded fall meet, and Jamie Ness tied for second with 45 victories apiece.
 
MCA Racing Stable and Matthew Schera shared Maryland’s leading owner title with 18 wins apiece. Schera’s John Jones tied for the most wins in Maryland with six, including the Mister Diz and Jennings Stakes and Claiming Crown Jewel Preview.