Breeders' Cup Turf: Point of Entry gets green light

ELMONT, N.Y. – Early on in the process, trainer Shug McGaughey admitted to doubting whether he could get Point of Entry to the Breeders’ Cup Turf less than four months after the horse suffered a hind-leg fracture in winning the Grade 1 Manhattan here in June.

“Probably not,” McGaughey said when asked Sunday if he felt he could get there. “I was hoping.”

Hope has turned into happiness for McGaughey, who was extremely pleased with Point of Entry after watching him breeze five furlongs in 1:00.66 on Sunday over Belmont Park’s inner turf course. With jockey John Velazquez in the irons for the third straight week, Point of Entry powered home his final quarter in 22.75 seconds while catching and passing stablemate Abaco, whom McGaughey had put 10 to 12 lengths in front.

“I was happy; Johnny seemed to be very pleased with the way he worked, the way he galloped out,” McGaughey said. “He came home playing. I think everything’s in good shape.”

McGaughey said he put Abaco so far in front of Point of Entry to “give him something to run at.” Two weeks ago, Point of Entry worked alongside another horse and got a bit rank early in the move.

“If you work him in company, he wants to get a little bit strong,” McGaughey said. “I wanted to give a space target to where he has something to run at, get to it, and take it from there.”

Sunday’s work was the seventh for Point of Entry and his third on turf since McGaughey got him back in the summer. Point of Entry, who was second in last year's BC Turf, is 2 for 2 this year, with a victory over Animal Kingdom in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf and then a win in the Manhattan, a race from which he emerged with a hind-leg fracture that required surgery.

“I don’t think it’s a lot what I did, it’s what the horse did,” McGaughey said of Point of Entry getting back to the races. “He’s such a good horse, and he’s very athletic in what he does. He loves to train. If you give him an off day, he doesn’t like it. He likes to come to the track in the morning.”

Point of Entry was scheduled to ship to Southern California on Monday. He will be accompanied on that flight by stablemate Hymn Book, who on Sunday worked four furlongs in 49.12 seconds under jockey Javier Castellano in preparation for Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Hymn Book, third in the Grade 2 Kelso last out, worked outside of stablemate Jetaway.

“We thought off that race that he deserves a chance,” McGaughey said. “What are you going to do, run him there or in an overnight race here? He’s done really, really well since the Kelso. I thought his work this morning was every bit what you want. Javier seemed to be delighted. With the addition of blinkers last time, it set him in the race a little bit better. Going around two turns out there, I would think we would get a pace and see what happens.”

McGaughey said the Dirt Mile would be the final race for Hymn Book, who might become a pony for his stable at Fair Hill.