Shagaf targets Gotham Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – With the undefeated Mohaymen definite to run in Saturday’s Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park, the unbeaten Shagaf is now confirmed to run in the Grade 3, $400,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct on March 5.

Both Mohaymen and Shagaf are owned by Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Stable. Both horses won races one day apart at Gulfstream Park.

Shagaf, a son of Bernardini trained by Chad Brown, won a first-level allowance race by two lengths at Gulfstream on Jan. 29, the day before Mohaymen won the Holy Bull Stakes.

Since his allowance win, Shagaf has put in two workouts at Palm Meadows in south Florida, including a half-mile breeze in 48.75 seconds Saturday.

Brown said Shagaf wasn’t totally cranked up for his allowance race, noting that the colt had just four half-mile workouts in the nearly 10 weeks between his first two starts. Brown said Shagaf had a brief illness shortly after his win.

“I thought the allowance race was a good starting point for him,” Brown said. “He ran well and has moved forward.”

Brown said Shagaf will have one more workout over the weekend at Palm Meadows before shipping to New York next week.

My Man Sam, an eight-length maiden winner for Brown at Aqueduct on Jan. 31, breezed four furlongs in 48.24 seconds Saturday over the Belmont Park training track. He is nominated to the Gotham, but no decision has been made on whether he will run.

Flexibility, the Brown-trained 3-year-old who won the Jerome Stakes but was fourth in the Withers Stakes, will not run in the Gotham. Brown said Flexibility would have skipped the Gotham regardless of whether he won the Withers. He will be pointed to either the Wood Memorial or the Blue Grass Stakes, both April 9, at Aqueduct and Keeneland.

Flexibility returned to the work tab Sunday at Belmont, breezing a half-mile in 49.05 seconds.

There were 32 nominees to the Gotham, 11 of whom are trained by Todd Pletcher. Pletcher has mentioned Rally Cry, a troubled third to Shagaf on Jan. 29, as a Gotham candidate. Others likely to run include Withers winner Sunny Ridge, Matt King Coal, and Adventist. Governor Malibu is possible.

One horse who won’t be running in the Gotham is Vorticity, the runner-up in both the Jerome and Withers stakes. Instead, Vorticity likely will make his next start in the Grade 2, $900,000 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park on March 19, trainer James Lawrence said.

Lawrence said he liked the additional two weeks from the Jan. 30 Withers that the Rebel affords him, and he would prefer not to run Vorticity again over Aqueduct’s inner track.

“I think he likes a little quicker track,” Lawrence said Monday.

Vorticity, who won a maiden race over Aqueduct’s outer track, returned to the work tab last Thursday, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.40 over the synthetic surface at Fair Hill.

Vorticity, a son of Distorted Humor owned by Matthew Schera, won the Marylander Stakes at Laurel on Dec. 5 before his runner-up finishes to Flexibility in the Jerome and Sunny Ridge in the Withers.