McLaughlin has three-win day at Aqueduct

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin’s first three wins of 2018 came within a two-hour span at Aqueduct on Saturday when Benevolence broke a 14-race losing streak in a New York-bred allowance race, followed later on the card by impressive first-level allowance wins by Spieth and Westwood.

Westwood, a 4-year-old gelding by Bernardini out of the two-time champion mare Ashado, won a first-level allowance race by 2 3/4 lengths, running 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:15.83 and earning a 104 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He’s a nice gelding,” McLaughlin said. “He looked good doing it. Last time, it looked like he was a winner and he got beat the last jump or two.”

Despite his solid breeding, Westwood was gelded after his first start, in September 2016. He was off more than a year with what McLaughlin explained as “a clubby foot,” which had put his racing future in doubt.

McLaughlin said he would likely point Westwood to a second-level allowance race later this meet.

Meanwhile, Spieth, a 4-year-old son of Bernardini named after the professional golfer Jordan Spieth, won a one-turn mile allowance race by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:37.53, earning a 94 Beyer Speed Figure. It was a huge bounce-back effort following a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Discovery at Aqueduct in November. Junior Alvarado was aboard on Saturday.

“We ran in a short field in the Discovery, thinking to give him a chance around two turns,” McLaughlin said. “That didn’t work out really well. Junior rode him well [Saturday] and he ran really well.”

McLaughlin said he would likely point Spieth to a second-level allowance race as well. The $150,000 Stymie Stakes, at a mile on March 10, also could make sense for him.