McGaughey sends pair of comebackers
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Shug McGaughey’s ability to bring horses back off extended layoffs will be tested Wednesday at Belmont Park when the filly Path and the colt Peter Island return to the races in a pair of first-level allowance races which highlight Belmont’s nine-race card.
In the sixth, a 1 1/16-mile turf event for 3-year-old fillies, McGaughey runs Path off a 193-day layoff against six rivals, including two horses formerly based in Europe and making their North American debuts.
In the eighth race, a seven-furlong event for 3-year-olds and up, Peter Island returns off a 398-day layoff against five opponents.
Both races are part of a pick six that begins with race 4 (2:53 p.m. Eastern) with a carryover of $26,938.
\Path, a daughter of Tapit, is 1 for 3, having won a maiden race over this course in September. Peter Island, a son of Tapit, won his debut at Gulfstream in March 2014 before running second to Life In Shambles in a one-turn mile race at Aqueduct that April.
KEY CONTENDERS
RACE 6
Path (Last 3 Beyers: 69-71-56)
◗ Her lone win in three starts came over a firm Belmont turf last September at this 1 1/16-mile distance.
◗ A slow pace and yielding turf conspired to compromise Path in the Chelsea Flower Stakes last October.
“I thought she lightened up a little late in her 2-year-old year, so I gave her the winter off,” said McGaughey, who trains path for Stuart Janney and the Phipps Stable. “I thought in the stakes she layed a little bit too close and I’m going to try and get her back a little bit and see what happens.”
◗ Path will get Lasix for the first time in her career.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Path. Trainer Shug McGaughey is 15-1-1-7 with a $0.52 ROI over the past two years in turf routes following a layoff of 180 days or more. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Tap It Out (Last 3 Beyers: 68-73-42)
◗ She won a maiden race by a neck on the Gulfstream turf in January, then had some slight trouble when third in a first-level allowance race in February.
◗ She gets a rider switch from Gabriel Saez to John Velazquez.
◗ Trainer Alan Goldberg, based in New Jersey, has won 27 races over the last six Belmont spring meetings and is off to a 2-for-3 start at this meet.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Tap It Out. Trainer Alan Goldberg is 21-1-0-5 with a $0.20 ROI over the past five years in turf routes following a layoff of between 61 and 180 days. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Easy Feeling. Trainer Barclay Tagg is 50-3-4-11 with a $1.12 ROI over the past five years going sprint to route on turf. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
RACE 8
Peter Island (Beyers: 83-76)
◗ A 4-year-old, he ran twice in five weeks at Gulfstream in the late winter/early spring of his 3-year-old year, winning first out and running second, beaten a neck by Life in Shambles first time against winners.
◗ He went to sidelines with bad feet, according to McGaughey.
“And I mean to tell you they were bad,” he said.
◗ He has come back with a solid string of workouts.
“I think he’s fit,” McGaughey said.
◗ Owned by Robert Evans, he was once held in similar regard as Tonalist, also owned by Evans.
Ship Disturber (Beyers: 74-81)
◗ He was an impressive debut winner at Aqueduct last November when taking advantage of a pronounced speed bias.
◗ He was third to the multiple stakes winner Majestic Affair in the Fred “Cappy” Capossela on Jan. 2.
◗ He could be the primary speed from the rail under Jose Ortiz.