McLaughlin hoping Mohaymen brings best game to Met Mile

ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin sent out Frosted to a memorable victory in last year’s Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. This year, he plans to send out the enigma that is Mohaymen in the 124th renewal of the Met Mile, run on the June 10 Belmont Stakes card.

Mohaymen won the first five starts of his career, including four Grade 2 stakes, before losing his next five starts. In his 4-year-old debut this year, he finished fourth, 14 lengths behind Connect, in the Grade 3 Westchester.

On Sunday, Mohaymen was credited with a half-mile breeze in 47.02 seconds over the Belmont main track. He started about eight lengths behind two stablemates and closed to within about a length of the pair at the wire.

“He started off too far behind those two, but he worked well,” McLaughlin said Monday from Saratoga. “We’re going to go to the Met Mile. We’ll hope that he just needed a run first time out.”

Among those pointing to the Met Mile are Awesome Slew, Connect, Denman’s Call, Economic Model, Imperative, Mor Spirit, Rally Cry, Sharp Azteca, Solid Wager, Tom’s Ready, and Tommy Macho.

◗ Paulassilverlining, the winner of the Grade 1 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs and the Grade 1 Madison at Keeneland in her last two starts, returned to the work tab Sunday, breezing a half-mile in 49.32 seconds over the Belmont main track. Her major objective for the summer is the Grade 1 Ballerina at Saratoga on Aug. 26, with a likely prep in the Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss at Saratoga on July 26.

◗ Mind Your Biscuits worked three furlongs in 36.76 seconds Sunday, his first move since winning the Dubai Golden Shaheen in March. He is being pointed to the Grade 2, $350,000 Belmont Sprint Championship on July 8.