Integration takes Virginia Derby, ends Program Trading's win streak

Earlier this week, Terry Finley, the CEO of West Point Thoroughbreds, expressed some surprise that trainer Shug McGaughey wanted to run Integration in Saturday’s Grade 3, $600,000 Virginia Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles.

After all, the Quality Road colt had started only once, winning a maiden special weight at Colonial on Aug. 12, and would be jumping into the deep end of the pool for his first race against winners.

It turns out McGaughey, as he’s been more than a few times in his Hall of Fame career, was right on the money as Integration and jockey Kendrick Carmouche powered down the center of the track to defeat heavily favored Program Trading by 1 1/2 lengths in track-record time of 1:46.41

“Shug was the one that brought up the Virginia Derby and I was certainly taken aback a little bit,” Finley said. “I thought it was a significant endorsement of this colt.”

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The pace was strong on Saturday as Runaway Storm, Salute the Stars and Ari Gold prompted quick fractions of 22.80, 46.80 and 1:10.00 as Integration settled nicely near the back.

Runaway Storm remained the leader turning into the stretch, but he was leg-weary and ripe for the pickings. Program Trading, the winner of the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby on Aug. 5, and looking to remain unbeaten after four starts, stormed to the lead in midstretch, but Integration was rolling on the far outside.

He readily ran past Program Trading inside the sixteenth pole to win going away. Runaway Storm was another 2 1/4 lengths behind in third.

Mondego, Dataman, Gigante, Activist Investing, Salute the Stars and Ari Gold completed the order of finish. Integration returned $15.80 as the betting public’s second choice.

Bred in Kentucky by Larkin Armstrong, Integration is out of Harmonize, a Scat Daddy mare that grabbed the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks in 2016. He was purchased for $700,000 as a yearling and is owned by West Point in partnership with Woodford Racing, et al.

“We thought very highly of him when he bought him,” Finley said. “He grew into a beautiful horse and got bigger and stronger as the spring went on. Shug said we had a nice prospect here and he was accurate in his depiction of this horse’s talent.”

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