On Leave ready for graded stakes debut in Sands Point
On Leave is primed and ready to carry the family torch into the winner's circle on Saturday as she vies for victory in her graded stakes debut in the Grade 2, $500,000 Sands Point at 1 1/8 miles on the inner turf at Belmont Park.
A homebred filly by Stuart Janney III, the 3-year-old filly by War Front is out of Meghan's Joy, who, to date, has already produced four graded stakes winners including 2015 Grade 2 Bernard Baruch winner and 2016 Grade 1 Manhattan runner-up Ironicus.
On Leave is undefeated in three starts this year for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, first posting a two-length maiden-breaking win in June and returning with a victory against optional claimers the following month.
The gray filly delivered as the 9-5 favorite in her stakes debut in the Riskaverse at Saratoga, where, despite encountering early trouble, she went on to draw clear by 2 ½ lengths under Jose Ortiz on August 25.
"She overcame a bad start and had some problems going into the first turn but Jose said when he got clear at the three-eighths pole, he knew he was sitting on a winner," said McGaughey of the Riskaverse. "She's done well off of that race. When I ran her, I didn't know if I was going to run her back yet but she came out of it good and she's trained good.
"Everything with her has been a progression and tomorrow's another progression, so we'll see what she does there," he added. "We're going to go a little further, which shouldn't be a problem, but we'll learn a little more about her."
Meanwhile, her big brother, the 5-year-old Ironicus, continues to gear up for a return to the races following his runner-up finish to turf star Flintshire in Manhattan on June 11, recording his first local work last Sunday, a half-mile move on the main track in 48.25 seconds.
"He's doing great," said McGaughey. "Since I've started working him back, he's been really, really good. He worked last weekend really well and he'll work again this weekend. We'll point him at the Shadwell Mile [on October 8] at Keeneland and hopefully we'll make it."
Source: NYRA Communications