Even a bounce may not derail Go Go Shoot

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Go Go Shoot could bounce in the $75,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park and still coast to victory.

He was that dominant last time out, winning the Longfellow Stakes here on June 6 by 9 1/2 lengths. In his second start for trainer Bruce Levine, Go Go Shoot earned a 109 Beyer Speed Figure, one of the top numbers run anywhere this year.

Sometimes horses will bounce, or regress, following a career-topping effort like that. Even if Go Go Shoot concedes points on the Beyer scale, he will still be hard to catch in this six-furlong race.

Levine was pleasantly surprised by the Longfellow, almost as much as he was disappointed by Go Go Shoot's fade to eighth in the Vincent Moscarelli at Delaware Park.

"I expected more the first time I ran him," Levine said. "I was disappointed by that race because he trained really good going into it and he didn't really run that well. Maybe he needed the race. Last time, he surprised me. I didn't expect him to run that big."

Levine also entered Man of Danger, but will likely scratch him from this spot. He drew the rail, the same slot he had in the Longfellow, where he was a distant third to Go Go Shoot.

"I didn't like the post," Levine said. "He was down in the 1-hole last time and he didn't break well so I'm looking at an allowance race Saturday at Delaware Park."

Completing the field are Grand Minstrel, Secretintelligence, Timely Advice, Brush On By, Actin Good, Who's the Cowboy, and Unwritten.

Musket Man breezes on grass

Musket Man had a two-minute lick on the Monmouth turf course Wednesday morning as trainer Derek Ryan keeps the Kentucky Derby and Preakness third-place finisher on target for the $1 million Haskell Invitational here on Aug. 2.

"He looked like he handled the turf just fine," Ryan said. "We just want to get him back to where we were before we gave a break after the Preakness."

Musket Man is one of a growing number of prominent 3-year-olds on the grounds that includes Big Drama, Atomic Rain, and Papa Clem, the Arkansas Derby winner who arrived Wednesday at 6:30 a.m.

Papa Clem and Atomic Rain are both being pointed to the Long Branch Stakes here on July 11, the traditional Haskell prep.

Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird is expected Friday morning after making a rest stop at Churchill Downs on Thursday on his van ride from trainer Tim Ice's barn at Louisiana Downs.

Which surface next for Mary's Follies?

Mary's Follies really took to the grass last weekend, winning the Grade 3 Boiling Springs Stakes for 3-year-old fillies in her turf debut.

That doesn't mean her future path is lined with green. Mary's Follies is 2-2-1 in 5 dirt races, creating a range of options.

If she stays on turf, the Virginia Oaks at Colonial Downs is a possibility. Main-track options include the Delaware Oaks or the Monmouth Oaks.

"We're not sure if we're going to keep her turf or dirt," said Pat McBurney, who shares the training with John Forbes. "We're going to see what shapes up in the races as we get closer. Dirt is still in the equation."

* Hall of Fame jockey Jorge Velasquez is the new agent for Jose Velez Jr.