Growing up in Australia it was impossible for Andrew McCarthy to imagine one day driving the favorite in the Hambletonian. On Saturday (Aug. 8), the 34-year-old driver will do just that when he takes a seat behind the filly Ramona Hill in the $1,000,000 final carded as race 11 on a 16-race stakes-filled Meadowlands program. "You dream of something like that because it is an iconic race," said McCarthy, who has been competing in North America since 2007 and raced in the Hambletonian final for the first time in 2019 when he was seventh with Pilot Discretion. "For the first few years I was working as a groom and driving a little bit for Noel Daley. I started racing full time in 2009 on the Pocono/Chester circuit. Then I eventually decided to make the move to The Meadowlands (2014) because I thought there would be a spot for me. Back in 2009/2010, there really weren't too many spots. There were 12 Hall of Fame drivers sitting around. I think I timed it pretty good." Off a Dan Patch Award-winning season in 2019 as a 2-year-old for owners Brad Grant, Crawford Farms Racing, Robert Leblanc and In The Gym Partners, expectations were no doubt high coming into the year for Ramona Hill. The Tony Alagna-trained filly was third in the Reynolds from an outside post to start her year on July 11, and despite her credentials, went off at 8-1 the following week in the $253,500 Del Miller, where she blasted down the road in 1:50 3/5 for the win. The final clocking stands as the second fastest of 2020 for 3-year-old trotters. [Get FREE Harness Eye PPs + 5% rebate on exotic wagers from DRF Bets] Entering last week’s Hambletonian eliminations the public got on board, making Ramona Hill the 6-5 choice to win. She responded by coming away next to last in the field of eight and was positioned in eighth at three-quarters stuck behind poor cover in an impossible spot. That is when McCarthy pulled the right line and showed her daylight. The response was instant and the acceleration was explosive. Ramona Hill charged home in 25 4/5 to win going away as McCarthy sat almost motionless in the bike. "Just after the head of the stretch," said McCarthy when asked when he knew he was a winner. "I got her trotting the way I wanted her to trot. Then I looked up and kind of sensed Scottie Zeron's horse’s (Back Of The Neck) body language on the front. After I straightened her up, I felt like she had a good shot at catching him." For those looking to pick holes in what looks like the fastest horse in the Hambletonian, the most obvious flaw, if you can call it that, is Ramona Hill’s somewhat odd gait. Despite the minor imperfection, the daughter of Muscle Hill-Lock Down Lindy has never made a break in her 10-race career. "She must look a little worse than she feels," joked McCarthy. "I'm sure there are probably a lot of trotters that might look a little funny trotting home in 25 4/5. I have all the confidence in the world in her and as far as her gait goes, I think she has a terrific gait. It is a very fast gait. She reaches and gets across the ground good. To me it feels like a strong gait." Her elimination win afforded her the luxury of a good post position in the final. She'll start in the middle of the gate from post five, which will leave McCarthy with an early decision of whether to ask for speed at the start or let the dust settle as other vie for the front. According to the driver, he’s going in with a clean slate. "I have no thoughts on strategy," said McCarthy, who added that he'll play it by ear behind the gate. "The Meadowlands is different than other tracks and you can't really go in with a Plan A and a Plan B. I've always found that you should look at the form (program) and get an idea of what you think everyone is going to do, but a lot of the times it doesn't work like that and you need to have an open mind. "I'm very confident. I know I have the best horse in the race and I just have to make sure she's in position to get the job done." The horses McCarthy will certainly be keeping an eye on as the gate unfolds at about 4:40 PM are fellow elimination winner Ready For Moni (post one) and elim runner-ups Back Of The Neck (post two) and Threefiftytwo (post six). Ready For Moni is perfect in two starts this year. Prior to the Hambletonian elimination, he won the Stanley Dancer at The Meadowlands for the team of driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Nancy Takter. Back Of The Neck has two wins and two seconds in four 2020 starts. He led by more than two lengths in last week’s elimination before getting run down by Ramona Hill. Two-time Hambo champion Scott Zeron drives for trainer Ake Svanstedt, who won the marquee race in 2017. Threefiftytwo flashed speed at both ends of his elimination effort and goes out for 2019 Hambletonian-winning trainer Luc Blais. Dan Dube picks up the drive with Zeron choosing Back of The Neck. The 10-horse Hambletonian final is the anchor leg of a $100,000 Guaranteed Pick 4 that includes the $600,000 Hambletonian Oaks for 3-year-old filly trotters in race 9. Twelve sophomores will go behind the gate in that trotting classic, with Hypnotic Am, who starts in the second tier from post 12, listed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite. While McCarthy said they only card one or two trotting races a week in his homeland, he's become quite proficient behind the diagonally gaited crew on these shores. In addition to driving Ramona Hill in the Hambletonian, he sits behind another major contender in the $350,300 Jim Doherty Memorial final (race 6) for 2-year-old filly trotters. Despite dealing with a breaker while sitting sixth just after three-quarters, Darlene Hanover delivered a Ramona Hill-esque rally in the stretch to sweep by the field and power clear to a very easy 1:54 4/5 win for McCarthy. The impressive performance will no doubt lower her off-time odds from 12-1 outsider in her elimination to potential favoritism status on Saturday. "I never even asked her to trot," said McCarthy about the Brett Bittle trainee. "She's an extremely fast filly. She's been doing everything we've asked of her so far. Brett wanted to teach her that way, from off the pace, and let her come home. She seems to really like it, but I’m sure she is versatile and we can race her any way we wanted. So far she's been terrific and I think she has a really good shot to win the Jim Doherty." McCarthy also drives his share of pacers in rich stakes on the Hambo Day card, including Capt Midnight in the $273,125 Cane Pace. Despite a disappointing sixth-place finish in the $375,000 Adios at The Meadows last Saturday and finishing eighth in the Meadowlands Pace two weeks prior, the driver hasn't lost confidence in the Tony Alagna-trained colt. "It was a bit of a start/stop type of race in the Adios at The Meadows. It wasn't an ideal trip for him. He's a big horse with a big gait and I had to check him in the last turn," said McCarthy about Capt Midnight's most recent effort. "His first start back this year was terrific and then I got parked every step in his second start. In The Meadowlands Pace I was going to finish in the money, but had a little trouble in the last turn. "I think he is a top colt and can go with the top colts. It just hasn't worked out that way yet." The Saturday action at The Meadowlands kicks off at noon and features multiple guaranteed wagers including a mandatory payout of the Jackpot Hi-5 in race 14. The carryover sits at $109,280.