McGaughey saddles Cugino and Limited Liability in G2 Red Smith

Hall of Fame-trainer Shug McGaughey will send out Cugino and Limited Liability in Sunday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Red Smith, an 11-furlong inner turf test for 3-year-olds and up, on Closing Day of the fall meet at Belmont at the Big A.

West Point Thoroughbreds and Jimmy Kahig’s Cugino [post 5, Flavien Prat] is 2-for-3 this year, including a seasonal debut win in a local 1 1/16-mile optional claimer in June. The 4-year-old Twirling Candy bay exited the one-length victory over next-out winner Exact Estimate to land a four-length sixth in the one-mile Grade 1 Fanduel Fourstardave in August at Saratoga Race Course. 

Cugino followed his top-level attempt with a redemptive victory at the one-mile distance in the Red Bank last out on September 1 at Monmouth Park. Among his 12-5-4-0 career record, Cugino has made just one attempt at beyond nine furlongs, landing off the board in the lucrative 1 5/16-mile Grade 3 Nashville Derby last August at Kentucky Downs. 

“I’m looking forward to getting him stretched out,” said McGaughey. “I think he’ll be fine over there. He’s won there. I thought he ran good at Monmouth, but he wants to run farther than that. That’s why I’m looking forward to getting him stretched out.”

Much more experienced going longer is Limited Liability [post 6, Joel Rosario], a Kentucky homebred for Stuart Janney, III. The 6-year-old Hard Spun gelding has made his last eight starts at 11 furlongs or beyond, and will cut back Sunday from a third in the 2 1/16-mile Bowling Green Gold Cup on August 30 at Kentucky Downs.

“This is a good spot to run him,” McGaughey said. “It doesn’t really matter to him, as long as it’s this far, if he goes a little farther, that’s OK, too.” 

Limited Liability boasts a 23-4-4-8 record with over $1 million in earnings, including a second in this event last year to stablemate Integration. The gray’s most recent win came by 8 1/4 lengths in last year’s 2 1/16-mile Nashville Gold Cup at Kentucky Downs.

McGaughey, who saddled the exacta in last year’s Red Smith, has won this race a record five times, including with Boisterous [2011-12], Imagining [2013], North Dakota [2020] and Integration [2024].

Stonelea Stable and Bonnie Rye Stable’s Desvio [post 4, Manny Franco] enters from a 34-1 upset win in the 1 1/2-mile Grade 2 Sycamore on October 10 at Keeneland. Trained by Madison Meyers, the 4-year-old Yoshida gelding closed from 9th-of-10 to post his first win since the 11-furlong Listed Kent last July at Delaware Park. 

Desvio, prior to the Sycamore, was winless in six starts this year, including rallying placings when third in the nine-furlong Grade 3 Dinner Party in May at Pimlico Race Course and a runner-up try in the 1 1/2-mile Colonial Cup in September at Colonial Downs. 

Molly Willis and Paul Willis’ Irish-bred Fleetfoot [post 2, Kendrick Carmouche] enters from a dominating nine-length win in the two-mile John Forbes Memorial on October 18 at Far Hills. The 5-year-old Teofilo gelding was making his first stateside start and debut for trainer Barry Foley, after 18 outings overseas for conditioner Jim Bolger. 

Fleetfoot, before heading to North America, was second in the 1 1/2-mile Group 3 Kilternan in September at Leopardstown. He has hit the board in 12-of-19 career outings. 

Rounding out the field is graded stakes-placed Dancin in Da’nile [post 3, Junior Alvarado] for trainer Gail Cox, off a fourth in the Grade 1 Canadian International on October 4 at Woodbine Racetrack; and dirt graded stakes-placed Common Defense [post 1, Chris Elliott] for trainer Ken McPeek. 

The Red Smith is slated as Race 7 on Sunday’s 11-race card, which features the Grade 3 Forty Niner in Race 4, the Grade 3 Bold Ruler in Race 9 and the Listed Turnback the Alarm in Race 1, and will close out the Belmont at the Big A fall meet. First post is 11:35 a.m. Eastern. 

America’s Day at the Races will present live coverage and analysis of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule/.

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