Arlington Park notes: Nates Mineshaft back to work

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Nates Mineshaft, who hasn’t raced since a close third-place finish in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster on June 16, is back in steady training. He posted a three-furlong workout Sept. 5 at Arlington, and is being pointed to the $500,000 Hawthorne Gold Cup on Oct. 8.

“We gave him a little freshener during the heat of the summer,” said trainer Austin Smith. “He seems to be doing all right. He’s a pretty cool character.”

Nates Mineshaft had a remarkable run this past winter and spring. He raced for a $25,000 claiming price in his final start of 2011, but went on to win the Mineshaft Handicap and the $500,000 New Orleans Handicap, setting a nine-furlong Fair Grounds track record in the latter. After a poor showing in the Alysheba Stakes on May 4, Nates Mineshaft bounced back with an emphatic win in the Lone Star Park Handicap before wrapping up his form cycle in the Stephen Foster.

Smith said Nates Mineshaft would be moved across Chicagoland to train at Hawthorne as soon as possible.

** The one-two finishers in the Arlington-Washington Futurity, Pataky Kid and Muppet Man, both came out of the race in good shape, but the two are headed different directions. Pataky Kid remains scheduled for his two-turn debut in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland, trainer Tom Proctor said, while Muppet Man will be kept to shorter races and be pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint, according to trainer Jim DiVito.