Barn Tour: McCarthy updates on Ce Ce, Rombauer and more

Trainer Michael McCarthy put an exclamation point on what’s been a career-best year at last week's Breeders’ Cup.

Some six months after Rombauer won the Preakness for McCarthy’s first classic victory, stablemate Ce Ce positioned herself to become his first Eclipse Award winner when taking the Filly & Mare Sprint. Add to those accomplishments a new season-high in stable earnings of $6,141,117 through Tuesday and 2021 has been a breakout season for the 50-year-old trainer.

“It’s been a combination of things,” McCarthy explained of the stable's heightened success. “The barn kind of gelled and really came together this year. We had the right type of horses for the right types of races.”

In addition to his aforementioned classic winner and potential champion, McCarthy conditioned an additional Grade 1 winner this year in Smooth Like Strait, as well as Grade 2 winner Independence Hall. All four were returnees from 2020, which had McCarthy entering this season with heightened expectations for his stable.

“We always thought Smooth Like Strait was very good and Ce Ce was a multiple Grade 1 winner last year,” said McCarthy, who saddled his first starter in 2014 after more than a decade as an assistant to Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher. “Rombauer was Grade 1-placed as a 2-year-old. So that kind of gave us hope he would go on to do bigger and better things this year. Obviously no one knows if they are a legitimate classic-type horse at that point. But all of that together did give us a little glimmer of hope going into this year.”

In this latest Horse Racing Nation Barn Tour, McCarthy provides updates on several of his top performers.

Ce Ce. McCarthy made it known he was not happy when this gal was not made a finalist for an Eclipse Award last year despite a stellar campaign that included a pair of Grade 1 wins at two turns and a start in the Breeders' Cup Distaff. It will not be an issue this time around. Ce Ce is squarely in the mix to be this year’s champion female sprinter after taking down last year’s champion Gamine in the Filly & Mare Sprint at Del Mar.

Going seven furlongs in the Filly & Mare Sprint, Ce Ce and jockey Victor Espinoza sat off a contested pace that included defending champion Gamine before rallying past all rivals in the stretch to win by 2 1/2 lengths. The race ultimately played out as McCarthy and sharp bettors alike had envisioned.

“It looked like on paper that Bella Sophia was going to give Gamine a little bit of company on the lead,” said McCarthy whose other Breeders' Cup win came with City of Light in the 2018 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. “Those two hooked up, and my filly was able to prove the best on the day.”

Prior to the Breeders' Cup, Ce Ce this summer powered to victory in the seven-furlong Princess Rooney (G2) at Gulfstream Park then was third behind a loose-on-the-lead Gamine in the seven-furlong Ballerina (G1). In her most recent prep, she dominated the 6 1/2-furlong Chillingworth Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita.

“I was very happy with the way she had been training all yeara and was looking forward to running her seven-eighths as she had a couple very good performances early in the year,” McCarthy said. “Her Princess Rooney was very good and (in the Ballerina) at Saratoga, the race didn’t shape up the way I hoped. Gamine was able to get a nice easy lead. Then in the Chillingworth, she was just dominant.”

Immediately following the Filly & Mare Sprint, owner-breeder Bo Hirsch indicated Ce Ce would be back for a 6-year-old campaign. McCarthy told HRN that her immediate future remains to be determined.

“We’re just kind of taking it all in right now,” he said. “She goes back to the track (Thursday) and we’ll just see what kind of options are out there.”

Smooth Like Strait. This 4-year-old turf specialist could also find himself among the finalists for an Eclipse Award. Winner of the Shoemaker Mile (G1) earlier this year, the Midnight Lute colt nearly pulled off a front-end score under Umberto Rispoli in the Breeders’ Cup Mile before getting nailed late by favorite Space Blues.

The Mile was Smooth Like Strait’s fourth-straight runner-up finish this year following seconds in the Eddie Read (G2), Del Mar Mile (G2) and City of Hope (G2).

“He just keeps on laying it down every time,” McCarthy said. “ I certainly was happy the way he ran...I thought it was going to take a very good effort to beat him and it did.”

Given there is no clear-cut winner of the turf male division this year, McCarthy has not ruled out another start for Smooth Like Strait this year in an effort to bolster his candidacy.

“Yes, I have thought a little about that. We’re going to kind of play it by ear,” McCarthy said. “He’ll be back on the track here in a few days and then we’ll start to think of what we’re going to do.”

A homebred for Cannon Thoroughbreds, Smooth Like Strait has banked $1,423,823 with a record of 19: 7-7-2. 

Rombauer. After being sent to the farm for a freshening in July, the Preakness winner returned to McCarthy’s barn three weeks ago and is currently enjoying daily gallops. McCarthy indicated he will continue to take things slow with the son of Twirling Candy.

“He looks great, absolutely great,” McCarthy said, “He’s back galloping and we’re just kind of waiting for him to tell us when he’s ready to pick his game up a little bit and start working. But I’m very happy with what I’ve seen.”

In addition to the Preakness, Rombauer also won the El Camino Real Derby earlier this year and was third in both the Blue Grass (G2) and Belmont (G1) for owners-breeders John and Diane Fradkin.

McCarthy reiterated Rombauer’s major early season objective is the Dubai World Cup on March 26.

Independence Hall. The 4-year-old Constitution colt is slated to make one more start before retiring to stallion duty at WinStar Farm in central Kentucky, either in the $750,000 Cigar Mile (G1) at Aqueduct on Dec. 4 or the $750,000 Clark (G1) going 1 1/8 miles at Churchill Downs on Nov. 26.

“The Cigar Mile seems the most likely path,” McCarthy said.

Independence Hall, who carries a record of 13: 5-2-2 with earnings of $874,000, is coming off perhaps the best effort of his career when blitzing the field by 7 1/4 lengths in the 1 1/8-miles Fayette (G2) at Keeneland Oct. 30.  

Moraz. The Empire Maker filly went from maiden winner to an 11th-place finish in the Kentucky Oaks in less than fourth months early this year. Those efforts bookended graded-stakes placing in the Las Virgenes (G3), Santa Ysabel (G2) and Santa Anita Oaks (G2) for Don Alberto Stable.

Moraz was subsequently given time off after the Oaks and returned as grass filly, culminating with a wire-to-wire win versus allowance foes last Wednesday at Del Mar.

“She came out of that race great. We’ll see what happens here before the end of the year,” McCarthy said. “It would be nice if we had some turf options through the month of December, but there’s not a whole lot out there. It might be a little quick to jam her in at Del Mar.”

Queen Goddess. McCarthy could be represented in the American Oaks with this lightly raced daughter of Empire Maker. Queen Goddess earned her diploma in start No. 2 at Del Mar on Aug. 7 and came right back to beat allowance foes there a month later.

She was then ambitiously sent to Keeneland to take on sophomore fillies in the Oct. 16 Queen Elizabeth II (G1) where she checked in fifth in a field of nine at 47-1.

“She’s back in California and is doing well, she came out of the race very good,” McCarthy said.

A second Grade 1 attempt could await Queen Goddess. Opening day of the Santa Anita winter-spring meet on Dec. 26 includes the $300,000 American Oaks (G1).

“I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to do with her. The American Oaks would be the most obvious plan. I’m just not sure how I’m going to get there yet.”