Takaful will prep for Golden Shaheen in Toboggan

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Following last Saturday’s three-win afternoon at Aqueduct, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin is looking ahead to the next two Saturdays, when he will have the likely favorite for New York’s first two graded stakes of the year.

This Saturday, McLaughlin plans to run Takaful in the Grade 3, $100,000 Toboggan Stakes at seven furlongs. McLaughlin is hoping to use the race as a springboard to the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 31 at Meydan.

“We’re planning on running and see how it goes and then we’ll talk to everyone and see if he’s up for Dubai or needs another run,” McLaughlin said.

Takaful won the Grade 1 Vosburgh on Sept. 30 at Belmont, but then finished last in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar with no apparent excuse.

“Never really figured it out,” McLaughlin said. “Just throw it out is what we’re planning on doing.”

Takaful is a bit of a quirky horse to train and McLaughlin has repeatedly said the horse has thrived at Belmont Park. That is why McLaughlin left Takaful in New York this winter to train while many of his better horses have shipped to south Florida.

On Monday, over a fast Belmont Park training track, Takaful worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds.

There were 12 nominations to the Toboggan. Among those expected to enter Wednesday are Great Stuff, Green Gratto, Life in Shambles, Threefiveindia, and Vulcan’s Forge. Do Share, winner of the Gravesend, will also likely be entered but will be permitted to run only if a quarantine placed on his trainer Linda Rice’s barn at Belmont Park is lifted by Saturday.

An unraced horse trained by Rice tested positive for equine herpesvirus on Jan. 9 and has been placed in isolation. That same horse tested positive a second time on Jan. 19 and is expected to be retested again this week.

McLaughlin is closely monitoring the quarantine situation from Florida.

He would like to run Nashua Stakes winner Avery Island in the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct on Feb. 3.

McLaughlin’s New York horses are based at Belmont, but if the quarantine remains in place, he could ship Avery Island directly to Aqueduct. That way, Avery Island would be permitted to ship back to Florida after the race. McLaughlin said Avery Island is scheduled to ship to New York on Jan. 30.

McLaughlin wants to run Avery Island in the Withers because of its 1 1/8-mile distance. Avery Island finished second to Catholic Boy in the Remsen here at 1 1/8 miles on Dec. 2.

As a backup, McLaughlin intends to nominate Avery Island to stakes at other tracks, including the Sam Davis at Tampa on Feb. 10, the Risen Star at Fair Grounds on Feb. 17, and the Southwest at Oaklawn on Feb. 19.

On Saturday at Palm Meadows, Avery Island worked five furlongs in 1:00.75 “and looked great doing it,” McLaughlin said.