Rally Cry seeks revenge over Shagaf in Gotham

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Shagaf and Rally Cry were both 4-5 when they met in a $38,000, first-level allowance race at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 29. While Shagaf won the race by two lengths, trip handicappers figure to be all over Rally Cry when the two meet again in Saturday’s Grade 3, $400,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct.

Shagaf and Rally Cry were two of eight 3-year-olds entered Wednesday for the Gotham, a 1 1/16-mile race that offers the winner a virtual guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby on May 7. The Gotham awards 85 qualifying points to the Derby to its top four finishers on a 50-20-10-5 basis. As neither Shagaf nor Rally Cry has run in a stakes race, this will be their first chance to earn points.

In that Jan. 29 race at Gulfstream, Shagaf – the actual betting favorite – benefitted from a clean trip from his outside post and beat Southside Warrior by two lengths. Meanwhile, Rally Cry was squeezed slightly at the start, then got back into the race along the inside. Going into the far turn, as Shagaf was assuming the lead, Rally Cry had to steady sharply under Javier Castellano. He went from second to sixth.

Around the turn and approaching the top of the stretch, Castellano got Rally Cry wide and into the clear. Though he made a bid, Rally Cry appeared to tire, lugging in during deep stretch and switching to his incorrect lead. He finished third, beaten 4 1/4 lengths.

A month before that race, Rally Cry won a one-mile maiden race at Gulfstream, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 80.

“He’s a horse that trains very impressively, always has and continues to do so,” said Todd Pletcher, who trains Rally Cry for Paul Pompa Jr. “Even in his win, we haven’t quite seen the same type of performance we’ve seen in his breezes.”

Pletcher said he believes two turns “is what he’s been looking for.”

Post positions will be reversed for Shagaf and Rally Cry in the Gotham. Shagaf will break from post 2, while Rally Cry will break from the outside post.

Pletcher also entered Mo Power, a son of Uncle Mo owned by Mike Repole. Mo Power won a maiden race at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 30, getting a smooth outside stalking trip under John Velazquez, who is named to ride Mo Power here Saturday. Pletcher said he will talk with Repole about possibly entering Mo Power back in a first-level allowance race scheduled for Sunday at Aqueduct. That race is expected to attract Matt King Coal and My Man Sam, who were both held out of the Gotham, which will go as race 9 of 10 on Saturday’s card.

The Gotham field, from the rail out, is: Laoban (Aaron Gryder), Shagaf (Irad Ortiz Jr.), Adventist (Kendrick Carmouche), Vincento (Angel Arroyo), Mo Power (John Velazquez), Conquest Big E (Jose Ortiz), Sunny Ridge (Manny Franco), and Rally Cry (Junior Alvarado).