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Celestial City, Skims have a bright future for McGaughey

by NYRA Press Office

• Celestial City, Skims have a bright future for McGaughey
• Evvie Jets garners 89 BSF in G3 Noble Damsel score
• Breeders’ Cup still undecided for Gufo, Soldier Rising; Lady Edith to $150K Autumn Days
• Be Your Best arrives at Keeneland for Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf
• G3 Comely a ‘good possibility’ for Fingal’s Cave

The past couple of weekends have given Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey high hopes as the 2023 racing season approaches, having saddled turf sophomores Skims and Celestial City to graded stakes scores at Belmont at the Big A. The latter, a Stuart S. Janney, III homebred, captured Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Hill Prince despite stumbling at the start, and equaled a career-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure for the 2 1/4-length win in the nine-furlong inner-turf test for sophomores.

Celestial City, by Uncle Mo, was forced to utilize different tactics from his previous stalking technique after breaking poorly from his inside post. But the now three-time winner appeared to relish the late-rallying style, maintaining his rail position down the backstretch and angled a path wide passing the chute in mid-stretch to power past pacesetting longshot Nantasket Beach and Grade 1-placed Mackinnon to make the grade.

“He always had been laying up a little bit closer and kind of hanging, but yesterday, when he didn’t break well, he was back and was able to make that one move at the end,” McGaughey said. “I think that’s probably going to be the secret to him. By doing that, we did learn something.”

The victory came one week after McGaughey saddled Skims to victory in the Hill Prince’s female counterpart race, the Grade 2 Sands Point. With stakes options for straight 3-year-olds limited at the end of the calendar year, McGaughey said this pair of victories provide a great deal of optimism.

“I think both of those horses are on the improve and I think they’ll both do what we want them to do whether it’s a mile and an eighth or something even farther,” McGaughey said. “We’ll see how it comes up, but for sure something to look forward to. He seemed to come back fine, all is good.”

McGaughey previously mentioned the possibility of a West Coast venture with Skims, who could provide the veteran conditioner with a late Christmas present should she pursue the Grade 1, $300,000 American Oaks on December 26 at Santa Anita. He said Sunday morning that Celestial City, “could also be a possibility” to ship cross country for the Grade 1, $400,000 Hollywood Derby on December 3 at Del Mar. McGaughey captured the 2004 Hollywood Derby with Phipps homebred Good Reward at the now defunct Hollywood Park. 

Bred in Kentucky, Celestial City is out of the Malibu Moon mare Lunar Evening, a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Hymn Book. 

Emory A. Hamilton’s homebred Pleasant Passage worked a bullet half-mile in 47.63 seconds over the Belmont inner turf on Saturday morning. The daughter of More Than Ready, who captured the Grade 2 Miss Grillo on October 1, is targeting the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on November 4 at Keeneland and will likely ship to Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday, according to McGaughey. 

Also, on the work tab with Breeders’ Cup aspirations was West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing's Battle of Normandy, who will pre-enter the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. The son of freshman sire City of Light went a half-mile in 50.03 over the inner turf. He was a last-out seventh in the Grade 2 Pilgrim on October 2.

“I pre-entered him in the Breeders’ Cup. I don’t know if he’ll get in or not, but we’ll see,” McGaughey said. 

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Evvie Jets garners 89 BSF in G3 Noble Damsel score

Robert J. Amendola’s Evvie Jets made the grade with an impressive 1 1/4-length score in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Noble Damsel, a one-mile inner turf test for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up at Belmont at the Big A.

The victory also provided trainer Mertkan Kantarmaci his first graded win, avenging a narrow neck defeat to Love And Thunder in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Athenia on September 24 here.

Evvie Jets, who set the pace in the Athenia, stalked from second position on Saturday as Por Que No set honest splits of 23.98 and 48.60 over the firm going. The Eric Cancel-piloted Evvie Jets advanced late in the final turn and took over at the eighth pole, drawing off to win in a final time of 1:35.65 with the Christophe Clement-trained duo of Plum Ali and Messidor completing the trifecta.

With Kantarmaci traveling in England, Evvie Jets was saddled on Saturday by his brother and assistant trainer, Ilkay, who said the turn back in distance benefitted the talented 4-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy.

“Last race, Eric told me that she was on top and doing really good, so we kind of knew she was going to get the job done today. She was training great,” Kantarmaci said. “I think she can do anything. She can be in the front. She can come from behind."

Evvie Jets was claimed for $80,000 by her current connections out of a runner-up effort in an optional claimer last September at Belmont and has posted a 7-for-9 in-the-money record since.

Evvie Jets, who exited the race in good order, will likely target the $135,000 Forever Together traveling 1 1/16 miles over the turf on November 20 at the Big A.

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Breeders’ Cup still undecided for Gufo, Soldier Rising; Lady Edith to $150K Autumn Days

Otter Bend Stables’ multiple Grade 1-winner Gufo, who is nominated to several upcoming international engagements, worked on Saturday in his first effort back from a seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Classic. The chestnut son of Declaration of War posted a half-mile in 49.22 seconds over Belmont Park’s inner turf course, the sixth-fastest time of 17 recorded works at that distance. 

“I thought he worked a little bit lazy yesterday,” said Clement. “So, I will speak to [owner] Mr. [Stephen] Cainelli today and we’ll make a decision about where to go next.” 

Gufo, who scored a repeat victory in the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer Invitational in August, has been nominated to both the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase on December 11 at Sha Tin Racecourse and the Group 1 Japan Cup on November 24 at Tokyo Racecourse. As the winner of the Sword Dancer, Gufo would receive a handsome bonus for performing well in the Japan Cup. The prestigious race, worth just over $3.4 million USD, will offer the winners of several top American turf races a $3 million, $1.2 million, $750,000, and $200,000 for a respective first, second, third or fourth-place finish. 

Clement said Gufo’s nominations are to keep his options open, and included the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf on November 5 at Keeneland as another potential target. 

“Everything has been considered,” said Clement. “We’re just keeping him eligible for everything. But the well-being of the horse comes first and we’ll just worry about that first.” 

Along with two editions of the Sword Dancer, Gufo scored another Grade 1 victory as a sophomore in the Belmont Derby Invitational. His lone Breeders’ Cup start was a distant 10th-place finish in last year’s Grade 1 Turf at Del Mar. 

Also nominated to the Hong Kong Vase is multiple graded stakes-placed Soldier Rising for owners Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Morris Bailey, Wonder Stables and Michael J. Caruso. The bay son of Frankel was last seen finishing a good fourth in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on October 8 at Belmont at the Big A where he rallied from fifth-of-7 to just miss show honors by a nose. 

Clement said Soldier Rising’s next start will be determined after he has his first work back from the Joe Hirsch. 

“Same story with him,” said Clement. “I haven’t worked him yet, so I want to work him first and see where we’re at.” 

Abbondanza Racing and Omar Aldabbagh’s Lady Edith topped a Clement-trained exacta over Too Sexy in the $150,000 Floral Park, a six-furlong turf sprint for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward last Sunday at Belmont at the Big A. 

Lady Edith earned the third stakes win of her career and first for Clement with her Floral Park score, tracking in third for the first quarter-mile before easily improving her position and drawing away from her stablemate down the lane. 

Though the daughter of Street Boss is entered as a racing or broodmare prospect [Hip 89] in the upcoming Keeneland November Sale, Clement said she is likely to skip the sale and target the six-furlong $150,000 Autumn Days over the turf on November 27 at the Big A instead. 

“She’s doing well and the same spot comes back in late November, so we’ll try to aim her for that,” said Clement. “I thought she was very impressive the other day. I don’t think she’ll go to the sale.”

Clement said The Elkstone Group’s Too Sexy, a 5-year-old daughter of Quality Road, emerged from her game runner-up effort well and that a next start has not been determined. 

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Steven Rocco and Tango Uniform Racing’s New York-bred Silver Skillet will likely get a chance to break her maiden in style in next Sunday’s one-mile $200,000 Maid of the Mist on the Empire Showcase Day card. 

A 2-year-old Liam’s Map filly, Silver Skillet has made two starts at the state-bred maiden special weight level, most recently finishing third in a September 22 six-furlong main track sprint after being squeezed at the start and improving position throughout at the Big A. 

Silver Skillet worked a half-mile in 51.21 seconds Sunday over the Belmont main track, and Clement said he is looking forward to stretching out the $260,000 Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale purchase. 

“She worked well this morning, so I’m going to the Maid of the Mist,” said Clement. “She’s a maiden, so it’s ambitious, but since she’s training well, I want to be ambitious with her. There’s no maiden going long, so it’s fun to try there.” 

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Be Your Best arrives at Keeneland for G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf

Trainer Horacio De Paz said Michael J. Ryan’s graded-stakes placed Be Your Best arrived at Keeneland on Sunday to prepare for a start in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on November 4.

The Irish-bred daughter of Muhaarar made her first two starts traveling 1 1/16-miles over the turf at Saratoga Race Course, graduating on debut with a wide trip on July 31 in a maiden special weight and following on September 1 with a rail-rushing 3 3/4-length score in the P.G. Johnson. 

Last out, Be Your Best finished third in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Miss Grillo on October 1 over yielding Big A turf. Sent to post as the mutuel favorite, Be Your Best tracked in fourth but was unable to make a dent in the lead of pacesetting winner Pleasant Passage and the chasing runner-up Free Look.

“Coming up the rail like that showed a lot of professionalism in her second start. She's definitely got the class,” De Paz said. “The race at Aqueduct, with the track conditions, and the way the race laid out as far as pace was a bit against her. She lost to two nice fillies and was no worse for wear after that race.”

De Paz said the shape of the race didn’t quite work out for Be Your Best in the Miss Grillo.

“She broke a step slow and broke out. There were little, tiny things that could have been better,” De Paz said. “She's a nice filly that won and had an easy pace and just sprinted on home that last sixteenth. Our filly was trying, but she would have to have been very quick to catch up.”

Be Your Best has breezed back twice, including a half-mile in 48.88 Friday over the Belmont dirt training track under regular pilot Jose Ortiz, who will retain the mount.

“Her breeze was pretty straightforward,” said De Paz, who will be saddling his first Breeders’ Cup starter. “Jose breezed her and he was happy with her. She's doing well. She arrived at Keeneland this morning in good order and she'll possibly have another breeze there a week out. It's exciting. We're still 12 days away and a lot can happen, but it's exciting to be there.”

De Paz said he will wait for the post-position draw before determining race strategy.

“Her first race, she overcame wide trips both turns and came outside of horses,” De Paz said. “In her second race, she sat behind horses and came up the rail. That was also on good ground. She's handled different situations. For now, we'll just have to see how we draw.”

Barry Schwartz’s New York-homebred Sharp Starr, winner of the 2020 Grade 3 Go for Wand Handicap at the Big A, will make her next start in the nine-furlong $250,000 Empire Distaff as part of Empire Showcase Day on October 30 at Aqueduct.

The 5-year-old Munnings mare has banked $389,695 through a record of 19-4-3-4, including a win in last year’s Empire Distaff which was contested at a one-turn mile and a sixteenth over a sloppy and sealed main track at Belmont. 

Sharp Starr has yet to hit the board in three starts this year, finishing a distant fourth last out in a seven-furlong optional-claimer on September 16 here when racing off a five-month layoff.

Jose Ortiz piloted Sharp Starr in last year’s Empire Distaff score, rallying from last-of-10 to post a visually-impressive 3 1/4-length score. That effort also came following an off-the-board layoff effort.

“I was surprised she was as far back as she was,” De Paz said of last year’s effort. “There was a good pace to run at as well and Jose picked out the right spots every time he asked her to go. She definitely likes to run on the mud, too.

“It's similar to what happened last year,” De Paz added regarding her recent 

Aqueduct effort. “We brought her back at Saratoga and gave her the race and got her fit to prepare for the Distaff.”

This year’s Empire Distaff will be run around two turns which may hinder Sharp Starr’s chances, although the filly does own an impressive 9-2-2-3 record at the Big A, including a career-best 101 Beyer for a romping score in a one-mile 

state-bred allowance in November 2020.

“It seems her best races are at a mile around one turn. Obviously, in that Distaff last year they set a pretty good pace for her to run at,” De Paz said. “With the two turns, a lot will depend on the pace of the race. I would have preferred a mile or a mile and a sixteenth around one turn, but this is the way it came up since we're not running at Belmont.”

De Paz will also saddle Rupp Racing’s impressive maiden winner Quick to Accuse on Empire Showcase Day in the $200,000 Sleepy Hollow, a one-turn mile for juveniles.

The Accelerate colt, out of the Speightstown mare Speightful Affair, is a half-sibling to graded-stakes placed millionaire Mr. Buff, who is by Friend Or Foe. Bred in the Empire State by Chester and Mary Broman, Quick to Accuse exited the inside post and drew off to win by 9 3/4-lengths at second asking here on October 7 in a one-mile state-bred maiden special weight.

De Paz said the colt’s debut effort in August at Saratoga was a good learning experience when fourth in a seven-furlong state-bred maiden special weight after exiting the inside post. The third-place finisher in that event, Jackson Heights, graduated next out in the Bertram F. Bongard at the Big A.

“I figured off of that race he was ready to come forward. The horse that beat us a nose for third came back and won a stakes, so that gave me hope second time out,” De Paz said. “Second time out we drew the rail again, but this time he was very professional. He put himself into the race right away. He got a lot of experience out of that first race.”

De Paz said the 17.2 hands tall Mr. Buff has a wider build than Quick to Accuse, who was purchased for $200,000 at the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

“He's by Accelerate and has a bit more of a refined body on him,” De Paz said. “He's good height wise but he's not as broad as Mr. Buff is, but he's a good sized horse for a 2-year-old.”

Schwartz homebred Stonewall Star, a 2-year-old daughter of Flatter, graduated impressively at second asking under Manny Franco in a six-furlong state-bred maiden special weight on September 22 at the Big A.

Last out, she took on the boys and finished third in a thrilling renewal of the six-furlong New York Breeders’ Futurity on October 17 at Finger Lakes.

De Paz said he made the decision to take on the boys at six furlongs as he didn't want to stretch her out to one mile in next Sunday's Maid of the Mist, especially with the long-range target of the $100,000 Key Cents, a six-furlong test for state-bred juvenile fillies on November 20 at the Big A.

Jose Ortiz picked up the mount for the Futurity which featured graded-stakes placed Andiamo a Firenze and stakes-winner Acoustic Ave, who Franco had piloted to a 9 1/4-length score in the Aspirant in September at Finger Lakes.

Stonewall Star broke slowly from the inside post and stalked in third position as Andiamo a Firenze battled with Acoustic Ave through swift splits of 21.90 and 45.01. Andiamo a Firenze appeared to have the race won in the final 70 yards, but Acoustic Ave fought back gamely on the rail to secure a nose win with Stonewall Star a length back in third.

“She drew inside with speed horses on her outside and I was hoping those two horses would hook up and we could sit a trip behind them and they would come back to us. But they just had a little bit more in the tank,” De Paz said. “At the quarter-pole, she's jumping on heels and in the bridle. Once they got to the lane, she was right there with them.

“It was a very good effort on her part and I'm really proud of her,” he added. “Those were seasoned horses for her to run at and her effort was really good.”

De Paz said Franco tipped his cap to the filly in the days following the Futurity after working a few horses for his barn.

“When they were in the stretch, Manny said, 'Oh no. The filly is going to beat me,'” said De Paz, with a laugh. “Even though he won, he said the filly was very impressive to run against those horses and be right there. She's just a game, honest filly.”

De Paz said Stonewall Star, a full-sister to multiple stakes-winner La Fuerza, remains on target for the Key Cents.

Michael J. Ryan and Sarah Sutherland’s New York-bred Noble Emotionfinished a non-threatening seventh last out in the Grade 2 Nearctic, a six-furlong turf test for 3-year-olds and up on October 8 at Woodbine. He will look for redemption in a Thursday optional-claimer here, sprinting six furlongs over the turf in Race 7. 

The 5-year-old Noble Mission gelding, who boasts a ledger of 16-5-0-1 for purse earnings of $278,962, garnered a career-best 93 Beyer two starts back when nosing out a win in a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint at the Spa that saw Nearctic winner Cazadero finish third. The runner-up of the Spa score, Comedy Town, exited that race to finish second, by a nose, in the Laurel Dash.

Noble Emotion exited the inside post in the Nearctic and steadied sharply down the backstretch before being forced wide through the turn and wider still in the expansive stretch run over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

“It wasn’t the best of trips and doesn't justify him as a horse. We'll just have to draw a line through it,” De Paz said. “A lot of things happened through the first eighth that isn't going to set up a horse and then on top of that going wide around the turn. It was a very tough trip.”

Jose Ortiz is named to ride from the inside post.

“Unfortunately, we've drawn inside three times in a row now, but that seems like the logical place to run him at this point,” De Paz said.

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G3 Comely a ‘good possibility’ for Fingal’s Cave

Alifyfe Racing’s Fingal’s Cave may not have made her first out-of-state venture a winning one, but she did give her connections plenty of hope moving forward, following a late-closing second in Saturday’s Grade 2 Raven Run at Keeneland. Trainer David Donk said the New York-bred daughter of Carpe Diem could target the nine-furlong Grade 3, $175,000 Comely for sophomore fillies on November 25 at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

Fingal’s Cave entered the seven-furlong Raven Run unbeaten in four starts, and was cutting back in distance from the nine-furlong Fleet Indian on August 26 at Saratoga Race Course. She previously was an open-lengths winner against state-breds going one turn at Belmont Park this summer before facing open allowance company on July 29 going two-turns at Saratoga. 

Fingal’s Cave was squeezed at the break of the Raven Run and forced to take to the rear of the nine-horse field under Joel Rosario before launching a late stretch rally to finish four lengths behind the victorious Wicked Halo, who captured the Grade 2 Prioress at Saratoga in her previous outing. 

Donk noted the frontrunning favoritism the Keeneland main track appeared to display on Saturday, which made his filly’s effort all the more impressive. 

“It was a really big step up for her and a big effort. She got squeezed a bit and checked at the start, which is not what you needed to happen the way the racetrack was playing,” Donk said. “The track was really playing to horses that were close up to the pace and that was kind of the plan. Joel had to go to Plan B after the break and I was impressed with the run she made, for her to finish up as well as she did because we hadn’t been seeing that at Keeneland.”

While options were aplenty for Fingal’s Cave, Donk ultimately decided to ship her to Keeneland to give her a try in a meaningful race against straight 3-year-old fillies. The nine-furlong $250,000 Empire Distaff and the 6 1/2-furlong $150,000 Iroquois against New York-breds next Sunday were options, but Fingal’s Cave would have been asked to face elders in either race. 

“The decision to run there was to get her against fillies in her own division. We didn’t have that option in New York,” Donk said. “I could have run her against state-breds next week, but she would have had to face older fillies, which were comparable numbers that I think we were seeing in the Raven Run. And it’s a Grade 2. It was a good spot to give her a class test and I think we found out that we have a filly that belongs with them.”

Donk said the Comely will now be under serious consideration for Fingal’s Cave, bred in the Empire State by Chester and Mary Broman, before she gets a winter break in preparation for her 2023 season. 

“It’s a good possibility, we’ll discuss with the owner. She seemed to cool out well and she will ship back to New York this afternoon,” Donk said. “I think everything is on the table. I think she would run once more and then we would put her away and freshen her up. I look to have her long term and have nice 4 and 5-year-old seasons. She got started a little later than some of the fillies her age, and she’s accomplished a lot. Hopefully, we’ll have a lot of fun with her in the future.”