First Captain sets sail following seven-month absence
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Shug McGaughey is not easy to rile nor excite. The Hall of Fame trainer has pretty much seen it all in a career dating to 1978, and yet there’s still the occasional entry that’ll pick his head up.
One of those is First Captain, a 4-year-old chestnut colt who will make his first start in seven months in the Sunday allowance feature at Gulfstream Park. First Captain began his career last year with three straight victories, ending with the Grade 3 Dwyer at Belmont Park, then went to the sidelines following his first defeat at Saratoga in the July 30 Curlin, a restricted stakes named for his sire.
“He came to me after his little vacation in great shape and has continued to train well,” McGaughey said Friday. “We’re looking forward to his return to the races.”
A half-dozen timed works at Gulfstream precede this eagerly awaited return, including a half-mile breeze in 48 seconds Sunday. Jose Ortiz, who rode First Captain in each of his first four races, will be back aboard when the colt goes stoutly favored in a field of seven older horses competing for a $63,000 purse under a third-level condition.
First Captain has been a source of interest to insiders and fans not only because of the auspicious way he began his racing career, but also because he was bred by celebrity chef Bobby Flay and fetched $1.5 million in August 2019 at the Fasig-Tipton yearling sales at Saratoga. His current ownership group includes Flay, West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm, and Woodford Racing.
McGaughey hopes the Sunday comeback serves as a useful prep toward a re-entry into stakes, which could mean a good effort might lead to something like the Grade 3 Ghostzapper on the April 2 Florida Derby card.
His opposition in Sunday’s seven-furlong race is something of an eclectic and capable group. Real Talk and Doc Amster both have been productive in sprints such as this, while Trophy Chaser and Dennis’ Moment have epitomized the highs and lows of the game with flashes of brilliance offset by major disappointment.
The feature is the 10th of 11 Sunday races and the second of back-to-back allowances on a card that starts at 12:30 p.m. Eastern. The preceding allowance (race 9) is a $61,000, first-level turf route that drew an oversubscribed field of older males, with Mid Day Image and Microphone likely to vie for favoritism.
Both co-features are part of a brand-new Rainbow 6 (races 6-11), which had its jackpot zeroed out Saturday by forceout.
Mostly sunny skies and a high near 80 are in the local forecast for Sunday, meaning turf racing should proceed as scheduled. Races 4, 6, 9, and 11 are carded for turf.