Cugino makes 4-year-old debut against stakes-caliber field

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Provided Mother Nature relents and the New York Racing Association powers that be allow, turf racing hopefully resumes Thursday at Aqueduct. Following a weekend washout of turf – nine scheduled turf races were transferred to the main track on Saturday and Sunday – four of the eight races on Thursday’s program are carded for turf.

That includes a multi-conditioned allowance that drew seven stakes winners from the eight entered to run on turf. There also are two entered for the main track only.

Cugino, trained by Shug McGaughey, ended his 3-year-old season with two solid efforts last fall. In November, at Aqueduct, Cugino finished second, one length behind Deterministic, in the Grade 3 Hill Prince Stakes. Five weeks later, Cugino found some running room turning for home and got up by a neck to win the Tropical Derby at Gulfstream.

As that was Cugino’s eighth race of the year, McGaughey gave Cugino the winter off to prepare for a 4-year-old campaign. After giving some consideration to running in last Saturday’s $150,000 Monmouth Stakes, McGaughey settled on this spot, preferring the 1 1/16 miles of this race to the 1 1/8 miles of the Monmouth Stakes.

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McGaughey is hoping Cugino can have a 4-year-old season similar to the one his older half-brother Battle of Normandy had. In 2024, Battle of Normandy reeled off four consecutive wins, including two allowance wins at Aqueduct and the Grade 3 River City Stakes at Churchill Downs.

“I think he’s got a chance to be okay,” McGaughey said in a manner that suggested he thinks Cugino can be better than okay. “He’s really training good.”

Cugino’s loss to Deterministic looks better since that horse has come back to win the Grade 2 Fort Marcy and, less than two weeks ago, the Grade 1 Manhattan. Cugino’s victory in the Tropical Park Derby produced two next-out winners.

There are a couple of tangibles that look to play in Cugino’s favor. First, there looks to be ample speed in the field in Big Everest and Exact Estimate. Second, Forever Souper, a five-time stakes winner in 2024, is entered in an allowance Saturday at Laurel and will run there, trainer Michael Trombetta said.

Dataman could be the biggest threat to Cugino. He beat Forever Souper in two stakes last year. He came off a seven-month layoff to win an allowance race at Laurel, a race in which the runner-up, Otago, came back to win the Cliff Hanger Stakes on May 24 at Monmouth before finishing second to Redistricting in the Monmouth Stakes last Saturday.

Strong Quality, a listed stakes winner on turf and dirt, is running as a first-time gelding after finishing last in an off-the-turf allowance on April 6 at Keeneland. He also figures to be part of the early pace.

Noted was claimed for $50,000 by trainer Gus Rodriguez out of a win in an off-the-turf allowance here May 9. Noted is a stakes winner on turf and dirt and figures to get a nice setup. Junior Alvarado rides.

Master Piece, scratched out of a couple of stakes over the weekend, did win the Grade 2 Red Smith and Grade 2 Fort Marcy over this course in his career.

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