Haikal, who 'ran great' in his comeback, under stakes consideration

Eight-plus months since being scratched from the 2019 Kentucky Derby, Shadwell Stable homebred Haikal made a promising return to the races on Sunday at Aqueduct that could propel him back to stakes company.

Sent postward as the 3-5 favorite in a one-mile allowance flight, Haikal and jockey Manny Franco comfortably settled behind horses while racing about three paths off the rail through moderate fractions. They held that position to the quarter pole when Haikal was angled out to take pursuit of leader Lone Rock.

As Haikal surged to even terms with Lone Rock inside the final 200 yards, Junior Alvarado aboard Lone Rock on the inside switched to a left-handed stick. The chart notes Haikal was then “herded out three to four paths through to the finish," which was perhaps the difference in a race decided by a nose.

A stewards’ inquiry and jockey objection were lodged for the incident, but no change was made to the order of finish. Haikal's trainer, Kiaran McLaughlin, agreed with the decision. 

“The horse was coming out, but he didn’t make contact,” McLaughlin said. “I wasn’t upset about it all.”

Instead, the effort offered connections plenty of optimism for 2020.

“He ran great,” McLaughlin said. “To come back from such a long layoff and do that, I was very pleased.”

Haikal earned a 92 Beyer Speed Figure with the effort.

The Daaher colt will now depart New York to join McLaughlin’s new full-time base of operations in south Florida. McLaughlin, a long-time stalwart on the New York circuit, recently announced he was moving his stable full time to Palm Meadows Training Center near Gulfstream Park. He cited burdensome workers’ compensation laws in New York as the main catalyst for the move.

Once Haikal is settled in his new environs, an early-season campaign will be plotted.

“We’ll send him down to Florida and look for a race,” McLaughlin said. “It could be an allowance, but if they don’t have one we’ll look around. He could also ship for a stakes.”

Haikal earned his diploma in start No. 2 last winter and followed with wins in the Jimmy Winkfield Stakes and Gotham Stakes (G3). After running third in the Wood Memorial (G2), Haikal was entered for the Kentucky Derby. However, a foot abscess developed the week of the race, and he scratched.

Haikal was back on the work tab in late November and went into his comeback off four half-mile breezes.