Social Inclusion has first work back

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Social Inclusion, who holds the Gulfstream track record for 1 1/16 miles, was back on the work tab for the first time this winter, going an easy three furlongs in 39 seconds last week at Palm Meadows. Social Inclusion came out of his seventh-place finish last August in the Grade 1 Haskell with a tendon injury.

“He came out of his first work terrific,” said trainer Chad Brown. “I was really happy with the way he moved down the lane. Right now, we have no real set schedule for him. It’s going to take a lot of time and patience with a horse like this.”

It’s not unusual for Brown to send out a European invader to capture his U.S. debut, but it is rare when that victory comes on dirt, not turf. That was the case here Sunday, when Matrooh registered an extremely impressive 2 3/4-length allowance win going a mile over the main track. The race was Matrooh’s first since finishing fourth at Doncaster in England in October 2013.

“He trained so well on the dirt since he arrived that we decided to try him on the main track, even though all his previous starts had been on grass,” said Brown. “We got him in the barn last summer, but he’s had a couple of little hiccups along the way. We’ll talk it over, but logically, his next start would likely come in a second-level allowance around two turns on the dirt.”

Matrooh, owned by Shadwell Stable, earned a 94 Beyer Speed Figure for his U.S. debut.