Tommy Macho will tune up for Donn in Queens County

Trainer Todd Pletcher is getting ready to head to south Florida for the winter, but he will have plenty of horses to run in upcoming New York stakes.

Tommy Macho, 4 1/4-length winner of the Grade 3 Discovery here on Nov. 11, will make his next start in the $100,000 Queens County Stakes here on Dec. 19.

“Two turns and the timing, I thought, was good to possibly set him up for the Donn,” Pletcher said, referring to the Grade 1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 6. “He seems to like a little bit of space between races.”

Tommy Macho earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 99 in the Discovery, in which he defeated stablemate Madefromlucky, who is being pointed to the Harlan’s Holiday Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 12, according to Pletcher.

The following weekend Pletcher will look to run New York-breds Sudden Surprise and Spooked Out in either the Damon Runyon Stakes on Dec. 26 or the Great White Way Division of the New York Stallion Stakes the following day. The $100,000 Damon Runyon is run around two turns at a mile and 70 yards. The $150,000 Great White Way is run at six furlongs.

“We’ll probably split those two up,” Pletcher said. “We’ll probably enter both in both races and sort it out then.”

Pletcher said that Alto Belle, an 18 1/2-length winner of a one-mile maiden race for juvenile fillies, will be pointed to the $100,000 Busanda Stakes here on Jan. 23.

Meanwhile, Pletcher said that Mshawish, fourth in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile, was vanned to south Florida on Thursday and he will likely get another dirt opportunity in the Grade 3, $150,000 Hal’s Hope at Gulfstream on Jan. 9.

Pletcher said the plan is for Mshawish to make a return trip to Dubai in March, but he said “we need to clarify what race we need to be pointing for.” Last year, Mshawish ran third in the $6 million Dubai Turf.

The Cigar Mile was Mshawish’s first start on dirt. He was beaten only 1 1/4 lengths by winner Tonalist.

“I thought he ran well,” Pletcher said. “I was a little disappointed because it looked like at the eighth pole he was going to win, but then he flattened out a little bit. That’s why we need to try again to see if he’s a dirt horse. He certainly trains like it.”

Last year, Mshawish won the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap. In 2016, that race is scheduled for Feb. 6.