Talk of the Nation's next race uncertain
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ELMONT, N.Y. – There are four turf stakes for 3-year-olds this weekend and Talk of the Nation would be a top contender in any of the them.
Circumstances may lead him to have to run in Saturday’s $100,000 Jersey Derby at Monmouth Park, the least lucrative of the quartet, if he can run anywhere at all.
Talk of the Nation, trained by Shug McGaughey, was scratched from the Grade 2 American Turf at Churchill Downs on May 6 by the Kentucky state veterinarian during the on-track warm-up.
Talk of the Nation was put on the 14-day vet’s list and had to work before a regulatory veterinarian and have a blood test come back clean from any banned substances in order to come off the list. Talk of the Nation worked on May 21 at Belmont Park and subsequently had blood drawn. As of Monday, the test results had not yet come back.
Due to there being live racing on Monday, Memorial Day, the racing offices at the New York Racing Association and Churchill Downs took entries for their Saturday stakes on Monday instead of the usual Wednesday. So, even if the blood test came back clean Tuesday, McGaughey could not enter Talk of the Nation in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Pennine Ridge at Belmont or the listed $225,000 Audubon at Churchill Downs. Entries for Friday’s $400,000 Penn Mile at Penn National were taken on May 26.
Entries for the Jersey Derby at Monmouth are to be taken Wednesday. So, if the blood test results come back clean by then, “that’s an option that I can go to,” McGaughey said.
Talk of the Nation has not run since he won the Columbia Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on March 11.
In the American Turf, Talk of the Nation was warming up when he apparently shied away from another horse and wrapped one of his legs around a pony’s leg briefly.
The on-site state vet told jockey Tyler Gaffalione that he saw something and made the jockey jog the horse back and forth a couple of times.
According to McGaughey, the vet told Gaffalione that Talk of the Nation was off in his left front and he scratched him.
McGaughey said Gaffalione said to the state vet: “Don’t scratch the horse. There ain’t nothing the matter with him. I want to ride him.”
“They scratched him and put us through all this,” McGaughey said.
Talk of the Nation worked four furlongs in 49.43 seconds Sunday over the Belmont turf course.
Far Bridge heads Pennine Ridge
Far Bridge, beaten a nose by Webslinger in the Grade 2 American Turf on May 6 at Churchill Downs, heads the field of seven who were expected to pass through the entry box Monday for Saturday’s Garde 2, $200,000 Pennine Ridge Stakes at Belmont.
Far Bridge, a son of English Channel, won his first two starts for Calumet Farm and trainer Christophe Clement before being sold to LSU Stables and transferred to Todd Pletcher.
Far Bridge rallied on the inside while Webslinger had a smoother path on the outside and just outfinished Far Bridge.
Trainer Chad Brown entered the trio of Belouni, winner of the Woodhaven Stakes, Congruent, who when in the barn of Antonio Sano won the John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway in March, and Kalik in the Pennine Ridge.
Silver Knott, second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last fall, Freedom Trail and Lachaise were also entered.
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