Uncle Sigh will skip Mike Lee Stakes

Trainer Gary Contessa said he will scratch Uncle Sigh from Saturday’s Mike Lee Stakes to await one of several more-lucrative spots against open company on the schedule in the weeks ahead. Uncle Sigh, idle since finishing 14th after setting the early pace in the Kentucky Derby, would have been the odds-on favorite to defeat six other New York-breds in the seven-furlong Mike Lee.

“After talking it over with my owners, we decided to do what we feel is best for Uncle Sigh’s racing career, and winning a race like the Mike Lee really doesn’t do anything for him,” Contessa said. “There are three lucrative opportunities for 3-year-olds in the weeks ahead – the Belmont, the Easy Goer on the Belmont undercard, and the Grade 3 Pegasus at Monmouth Park the following week. Although the Belmont is not a reality, the other two races look like really good opportunities for this horse.”

Contessa said while he plans to take a close look at the Easy Goer, he’s leaning toward the Pegasus at the present time.

“The Pegasus is at a mile and one-sixteenth, which is his best distance, around two turns, the purse is $150,000, and winning a Grade 3 would do a lot for his career,” Contessa said. “It’s also six weeks out from the Haskell and would provide perfect prep over the Monmouth track if we were to consider going back for that race.”

One thing is for certain: Uncle Sigh will race with a nasal strip in his next start. Contessa has had considerable success using the nasal strip since the equipment was legalized in New York earlier this month. He sent out three winners wearing a nasal strip for the first time this past week, the latest being Ode to Sammy here Thursday.

“I think all three of those horses were meant to win anyway,” he said. “But I am a firm believer in the nasal strips. I’m a heavy breather, and I put them on when I play tennis or jog, and it’s helped me breather better. I don’t think it can hurt a horse, and I’ll continue to use them on every horse I run.”