War Cabinet to try dirt in Comely

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Before trainer Shug McGaughey ships Code of Honor and the rest of his stable to South Florida for the winter, he will have ample action in the upcoming bevy of stakes being run at Aqueduct.

McGaughey will try War Cabinet on the dirt in Friday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Comely Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles. A daughter of War Front, War Cabinet has made all five of her starts on turf, winning once.

“She’s worked really good on the dirt, she’ll run that far – whether some of the rest of them will or not I don’t know – so I thought it was worth taking a shot,” McGaughey said. “If we were to catch a sealed track that would even be better. If we catch a deep, cuppy track, that might not be too good.”

A field of eight was entered Sunday for Friday’s Comely, led by Blamed, the Sunland Park Oaks winner who finished second to Shamrock Rose in the Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland in her first start for Bill Mott. Shamrock Rose came back to win the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

Others entered in the Comely include Split Time, Hey Niki, Stronger Than Ever, Alberobello, Indy Union, and Remedy.

The Comely is one of four stakes to be offered on Friday’s 10-race card. The others are the $150,000 Gio Ponti for 3-year-olds on turf, the $150,000 Forever Together for females on turf, and the $100,000 Key Cents for New York-bred juvenile fillies on dirt.