McGaughey weighing options for new graded winner Vigilantes Way
Improving 4-year-old Vigilantes Way came out of her decisive win in the Grade 3 Eatontown Stakes in good shape, trainer Shug McGaughey said, and appears to be a filly on the rise. Vigilantes Way earned a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure while winning her first graded race.
Vigilantes Way has yet to race beyond 1 1/16 miles, but McGaughey believes she’ll get 1 1/8 miles. And having won a graded race now, Vigilantes Way, whose second dam is the great Personal Ensign, could further boost her residual value by winning or placing in a Grade 1 race. That leads one to imagine the Grade 1 Diana over nine furlongs at Saratoga as a possible spot, but McGaughey said no plans are set for the filly.
“We’ll nominate there, but whether we go or not, we’ll see,” said McGaughey, who also mentioned the Ballston Spa at Saratoga and the Matchmaker at Monmouth as other options. “It was a long hot day there, but she seems fine coming back [to New York]. I was proud of the way he ran. That was a competitive bunch of horses. She’s had three really good races now.”
Vigilantes Way came into the Eatontown off a good, closing second-place finish to Grade 1-class Mean Mary in the Gallorette at Pimlico.