Inspector Lynley targets Maker's 46 Mile

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said Inspector Lynley likely will be steered toward the Grade 1 Maker’s 46 Mile in April at Keeneland after winning the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes for the second time Saturday.

McGaughey said Monday he was unsure whether the 6-year-old horse will have an interim start.

Inspector Lynley got a terrific ride from Jose Ortiz on Saturday in replicating his half-length victory in the 2017 Tampa Bay. He was eighth in the Maker’s 46 in his subsequent start that year.

Inspector Lynley earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 101 on Saturday.

Hawksmoor might keep racing

Owners Roy and Gretchen Jackson had been resigned to sending Hawksmoor to the breeding shed after she ran Saturday in the Grade 3 Endeavour. But then the 6-year-old Irish-bred mare jumped up with a big one, earning a 95 Beyer with an off-the-pace triumph and thereby giving the Jacksons second thoughts about retiring her.

“We enjoy the racing more than the breeding,” Gretchen Jackson said.

Trainer Arnaud Delacour said Monday a decision on a next start for Hawksmoor would be made “in the next couple of weeks.”

Imperial Hint returns in Pelican

The eagerly awaited return of Imperial Hint comes Saturday when the 6-year-old horse makes his seasonal debut as a huge favorite in the $100,000 Pelican Stakes at six furlongs.

Trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. is looking to use the Pelican as a prep for the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 30 for Imperial Hint, a winner in 12 of 19 career starts. Entries for the Pelican and its filly-mare counterpart, the $50,000 Minaret, will be drawn Wednesday.