Michael W. McCarthy (born February 1, 1971 in Youngstown, Ohio) is an American trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses best known for winning the 2018 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile with City of Light, the 2021 Preakness Stakes with Rombauer, and the 150th Preakness Stakes in 2025 with Journalism.
California based, McCarthy worked for trainers Doug Peterson and Ben Cecil as well as Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher with whom he spent 11 years before going out on his own in 2014. [1] [2]