McGaughey could hit milestone in Davona Dale

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – With no entries through Friday, and his career victory total standing at 1,999, it’s possible that Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey could be shooting for number 2,000 on Saturday in the Davona Dale.

McGaughey is the trainer of Fly So High, one of the top contenders in the Grade 2, $200,000 Davona Dale, a Kentucky Oaks qualifying race. In her last start, Fly So High was an easy winner of a Jan. 4 allowance at Gulfstream, and McGaughey has been pointing to this one-mile race ever since with the Phipps Stable homebred.

McGaughey, 67, has accrued stable earnings of more than $141 million since he began training in 1979.

Brutal trips in defeat

A couple of horses surely made it onto the watch lists of serious handicappers with the difficult trips they endured last Saturday as beaten favorites at Gulfstream.

Samurai’sfirstlady lost all realistic chance in a 7 1/2-furlong turf claimer when rearing at the start, yet persisted to finish fourth, beaten just 2 1/2 lengths by the winner, Plein Air.

King Zachary, ridden by Robby Albarado, was fortunate to escape a serious incident in a later maiden-special race when a 107-1 shot, Happy Hat, suddenly ducked in on him leaving the chute down the backstretch. Albarado had to take up sharply, yet his mount closed steadily to finish third, just 1 1/2 lengths behind the winner, Penalty.

◗ Beach Patrol, second to World Approval in the 2017 Eclipse Award voting for top turf horse, had his first breeze Sunday, going three furlongs in 38 seconds at the Palm Meadows training center. Trained by Chad Brown, Beach Patrol earned triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in all seven of his starts last year, including victories in the Arlington Million and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and a runner-up finish behind Talismanic in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

◗ The fundraiser held Sunday at Frank and Dino’s restaurant in Boca Raton for the victims and families of the Stoneman Douglas shooting tragedy raised at least $161,000 and was expected to exceed $200,000 when all mail and credit card orders were processed, said Carlo Vaccarezza, who organized the event.

Vaccarezza is a Florida-based trainer best known as the owner of 2012 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Little Mike. His sons, Nick and Mike, are students at the Parkland high school.