Mohaymen starting second act in Westchester

While everyone everywhere will be focused on Churchill Downs on Saturday, you also might want to keep tabs on Belmont Park, where the day’s three stakes are coming up strong, especially the Grade 3 Westchester.

The one-mile race for 4-year-olds and up is expected to feature the return of Mohaymen, the best 3-year-old in the East early in 2016, and Connect, who blossomed in the fall by winning the Pennsylvania Derby and Cigar Mile.

Mohaymen’s career arc is that of a shooting star. He won his first five races, including scores in the Nashua, Remsen, Holy Bull, and Fountain of Youth, then lost his way. He finished fourth to Nyquist as the 4-5 favorite in the Florida Derby and then failed to hit the board in his final three starts of the season.

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is happy to have Mohaymen back in the fold and is optimistic regarding the 4-year-old son of Tapit.

“He is doing fabulous,” McLaughlin said. “He went to Shadwell after the King’s Bishop and just dropped his head and ate grass. He has put on 140 pounds since last year, and it’s just not that he’s added weight, he has matured.”

Mohaymen is a May 2 foal and was “light-framed” at 2 and 3, according to McLaughlin.

“We were always kind of concerned about him,” McLaughlin said.

As Mohaymen’s 3-year-old season progressed, the stress of the campaign began to take a toll.

“In the spring last year, he was getting keen on us,” McLaughlin said. “He was all jacked up and jumping around on the track, and that’s not what you want to see in a horse you’re trying to keep weight on. Now, he’s calmer and galloping normal. He’s happy and just doing great.”

After being turned out at Shadwell, Mohaymen was sent to South Carolina to be legged up. He worked at the training center three times before joining McLaughlin’s stable at Palm Meadows in early March.

He has since worked three times in Florida and four times at Belmont.

“We’re all excited he’s back, and we feel privileged to have him for a 4-year-old campaign,” McLaughlin said.

Junior Alvarado has ridden Mohaymen in all nine of his races but injured his shoulder April 23. McLaughlin has given the mount to 22-year-old Manny Franco.

In addition to Mohaymen and Connect, the field for the $200,000 Westchester is expected to include Greenpointcrusader, Realm, Virtual Machine, and Vorticity.