McGaughey from the clouds at Belmont
{{monthName}} {{day}}, {{year}} {{hour12}}:{{minuteTwoDigit}}{{dayPeriod}}
Pace makes the race. Anybody who plays the races worth his weight in salt knows this adage for one simple reason … It’s the most important single handicapping angle known to man. Lone speed kills, as proven recently by such wire jobs as Fort Larned in the Cornhusker and Blueskiesnrainbows in yesterday’s Swaps. If there is an abundance of early speed in the race however, the opposite will be true, and the frontrunners usually will melt faster than Frosty the Snowman taking a steam. In handicapping the pair of graded stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday, I believe there may be enough horses pushing the contested pace envelope in both races to expect horses coming from well back to enjoy some sweet set-ups in the Victory Ride and Suburban respectively. If they do indeed come from the clouds, the big beneficiary of this should be the Hall of Fame conditioner they call Shug.
McGaughey’s big stakes day could get started with the little known sophomore filly Sea Island, who will make her stakes introduction in the Grade 3 Victory Ride Stakes. At first glance, it appears Shug’s filly may be overmatched by the likes of Agave Kiss, but then again, pace could make this race. With a record of 6 for 6 lifetime, including four straight impressive stakes scores, there is plenty of reason to see why the fleet New York-bred will be an overwhelming favorite, but keep in mind, she has never faced early speed before like she will in the Victory Ride. Chief among her fast fractions friends is the multiple stakes winner from the Wesley Ward barn, Gypsy Robin. Like Agave Kiss, she has plenty of class and even more early speed. If the two favorites ding-dong early and maybe get some company from Jamaican Smoke, things could get a little tough down the lane. Enter Sea Island who has won two straight at longer distances and has been working strongly for Saturday’s affair. It doesn’t hurt either that Shug showed confidence in his filly by supplementing her to the race for the Phipps Stable. Look for the 10-1 shot to lag back early and make one big run. It could be that Agave Kiss is simply too good, but at 2-5 or so, isn’t it worth a shot to make her prove it?
As I wrote earlier this week, the Grade 2, $350,000 Suburban has come up loaded. Names like To Honor and Serve, Mucho Macho Man, Stay Thirsty, Buffum, and Trickmeister have fans giddy with anticipation. Meanwhile, poor old Hymn Book seems to be the forgotten hoss. Despite sporting a grade 1 win already this year in the Gulfstream’s Donn, two consecutive starts finishing out of the money have left the McGaughey trained six-year-old gelding off most A-lists. No need for Shug to worry though, for in both of those races, the Oaklawn Handicap and the Pimlico Special, Hymn Book received neither the pace set-up, nor the trip, that I expect him to enjoy in the historic feature. With Trickmeister laying down fast fractions, look for Endorsement, Caixa Eletronica, To Honor and Serve, Buffum, and Mucho Mucho Macho Man all to follow in close contact, with Stay Thirsty not too much farther back. This will allow Shug’s horse to relax back in last early, waiting to uncoil a fierce rally, and do one better than his second place finish in last year’s edition of the Suburban. Sound familiar? Saturday could be a really big day for Shug McGaughey and his pair of stakes closers.
Read More
Wolfie's Dynaghost , a 7-year-old homebred gelding for Woodslane Farm, led all the way under Luis Saez to...
Fully Subscribed showed her class in her stakes debut when she entered the stretch with a group of...
Juddmonte’s Kentucky homebred Disco Time was ultra-impressive when improving his record to 5-for-5 in Saturday’s $200,000 Dwyer , a...
Highplainsdrifter led all performers with a 136 Horse Racing Nation speed figure at Del Mar, winning a $50,000...
Ragtime, the Grade 3 Dogwood winner who most recently placed third in the Raven Run (G2), breezed four...