Always Sunshine lost shoe in True North

Always Sunshine, who has developed into one of the top sprinters in the Mid-Atlantic, came out of the Grade 2 True North at Belmont Park “super,” according to trainer Ned Allard, but did lose a front shoe during the six-furlong race.

Always Sunshine came into the True North with wins in four of his five prior starts. He raced in a good stalking position under jockey Frankie Pennington but finished evenly and crossed the wire last in the five-horse field, beaten 1 3/4 lengths.

“I told Ned after the race he didn’t seem like himself in the stretch,” Pennington said. “He kept reaching, but he wasn’t going anywhere. He’s the type of horse that’s always on the bit and always trying. He was sitting good but then just didn’t feel right.”

Always Sunshine wears glue-on shoes, according to Allard, who suspects that the 4-year-old son of West Acre lost one in upper stretch.

“He was beaten less than two lengths,” Allard said. “It’s not like he ran terrible, and fortunately he came back good.”