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Bees And Honey Gets A Break Following Comely Victory

For the second straight year, someone with the last name McGaughey captured the $200,0000 Grade 3 Comely at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y. This year, it was not Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, but rather his son and former assistant J. Reeve McGaughey capturing his first graded stakes victory with Bees and Honey.

Owned by Gainesway Stable and Andrew Rosen, Bees and Honey, a chestnut Union Rags sophomore filly, registered a 96 Beyer Speed Figure for her effort in the Comely, which last year was won by the Joseph Allen homebred Mrs. Danvers for the elder McGaughey.

“It's pretty exciting,” said Reeve McGaughey. “I certainly appreciate the owners giving me the opportunity. This is my first horse for Gainesway, but I've had one or two for Mr. Rosen. He's always been very fair and a good owner for me.”

McGaughey, who went out on his own in 2020, expressed pride in capturing his first graded stakes race on the NYRA circuit.

“It's exciting to win a graded race in New York like the Comely which has a long history behind it,” McGaughey said. “The filly seems like she came out of the race in good shape. She'll come back down to Lexington on Sunday and from there we'll see where she goes next.”

McGaughey said he learned a number of valuable lessons during his time spent working with his Hall of Fame father.

“Just that you can't control everything – they're horses,” McGaughey said. “As long as you believe in what you're doing, you'll be alright.”

McGaughey said his belief in what he thought was a strong work last Saturday over the main track at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., prompted him to ship Bees and Honey to Aqueduct for the Comely.

“It was in the back of our minds, but we didn't decide to go until her last work,” McGaughey said. “She's not an overly exciting work horse and she put in what I consider a really good work, so it was a race worth trying and it paid off.”

McGaughey, who will have 15 stalls at Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa, Fla., said his newly crowned graded stakes-winner will receive a freshening with a spring and summer campaign in mind.

“She's probably getting a bit of a break now,” McGaughey said. “She wants to run a mile and an eighth or further and there aren't many options over the winter. She's had a pretty busy half of the year from July on and handled it all well. We'll freshen her up a bit. She may go to Ocala or straight to Tampa with me.”

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Sharp Starr Looks To Repeat In Go For Wand At Aqueduct

Barry Schwartz's Sharp Starr will look to capture back-to-back editions of the $250,000 Grade 3 Go For Wand Handicap, a one-turn mile for fillies and mares slated for next Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

The 4-year-old Munnings filly, out of the A.P. Indy mare Mindy Gold, breezed solo Saturday morning under trainer Horacio DePaz over a fast training track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., going four furlongs in :48.68.

Last year, Sharp Starr defeated five rivals in the Go for Wand which saw the New York-bred filly capture her first graded stakes win and also her first win in open company while earning a 97 Beyer. Sharp Starr owns a 3-2-0-1 record racing at one mile on the dirt at the Big A.

DePaz believes his filly is in better shape for this year's edition.

“She's always had good form and it looks like she's stepping up. She's matured much more physically, so I'm very happy with her,” DePaz said.

Sharp Starr captured the $250,000 Empire Distaff last month at Belmont, off a two-month layoff, where she notched a 16-1 upset coming from last-of-10 under jockey Jose Ortiz, who will retain the mount. She earned a 92 Beyer for the win, her first of the 2021 season in five starts.

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Trinni Luck Breezes Ahead Of Staten Island, Bella Sofia Gets A Break

Ryan Racing's homebred Trinni Luck breezed five-eighths in company in a bullet :59.60 Saturday over the dirt training track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., in preparation for the seven-furlong NYSSS Staten Island for fillies and mares next Sunday at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Trainer Rudy Rodriguez said the work was designed to help the 4-year-old Trinniberg filly with the cutback in distance after making her last two starts at 1 1/16-miles at Belmont, including an open allowance win in September and an off-the-board effort in the Empire Distaff on October 30.

“She did it the right way,” Rodriguez said. “We put company on her and tried to sharpen her up a little bit. She cooled out good.”

Bred in New York by her owner, the talented bay boasts a record of 7-4-1-0 with purse earnings of $185,350.

Rodriguez said J. W. Singer's Magic Circle is training well into next Saturday's $250,000 G2 Demoiselle, a nine-furlong test for juvenile fillies which offers 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points.

The Kantharos filly, who finished a close second to Gerrymander last out in the one-mile Tempted on November 5 at Belmont, breezed five-eighths in 1:02.02 November 23 over the Belmont dirt training track.

“She's doing very good. We'll work her again next week,” Rodriguez said. “She's coming into the race good and we just have to hope she likes the two turns.”

Magic Circle was a maiden winner at first asking sprinting seven furlongs in September at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., ahead of a tiring fourth in the one-mile G1 Frizette on October 3 at Belmont.

Rodriguez said Magic Circle should appreciate the stretch out in distance.

“I'm hoping we can sit behind the speed and make a run. She's a very kind filly and you can do what you want with her,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said that Michael Imperio, Vincent Scuderi, Sofia Soares, Gabrielle Farm, Mazel Stable Partners, Matthew Mercurio, Medallion Racing, Parkland Thoroughbreds, and Barry Fowler's Bella Sofia is off for a freshening ahead of a 4-year-old campaign.

The Awesome Patriot sophomore filly, who was unraced as a juvenile, went 4-for-6 in a tremendous campaign that included wins in the G1 Longines Test in August at the Spa and the G2 Gallant Bloom Handicap in September.

She completed her season with a fourth-place finish in the G1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint after traveling wide from the outermost post 5 under regular pilot Luis Saez.

“We didn't run our best race in California. I knew we were in trouble from the draw, but we were pleased with her year,” Rodriguez said. “We'll give her a little break and bring her back next year. We sent her to the farm and we'll give her two or three months and get ready for Belmont. Hopefully, she'll come back even better.”

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Ginobili Breezes Ahead Of Cigar Mile At Aqueduct

Graded-stakes winner Ginobili breezed five-eighths in :59.60 Friday at San Luis Rey Training Center in Bonsall, Calif., in preparation for next Saturday's Grade 1 Cigar Mile presented by NYRA Bets.

Trained and co-owned by Richard Baltas with Slam Dunk Racing, Richard McClanahan, and Michael Nentwig, Ginobili is named for Manu Ginobili, a retired basketball player who starred for the San Antonio Spurs.

“It was an excellent work,” Baltas said on Friday evening. “He galloped out in 1:12 and 1 and out in 1:26 and did it in a gallop. I was really happy with the way he worked. He was more relaxed than usual.”

The 4-year-old Munnings bay, a $35,000 purchase at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, graduated at second asking sprinting six furlongs in August 2019 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., ahead of a fourth-place finish in the G1 Del Mar Futurity.

That effort was followed by a difficult run of form with Ginobili hitting the board just once in his next four starts to conclude his sophomore season in October 2020.

Ginobili was given a lengthy layoff and returned in May to finish off-the-board in a turf sprint and fourth in a main-track sprint in June at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. But the addition of blinkers and a stretch out in distance in July saw Ginobili end a nine-race losing streak with a two-turn score in a one-mile optional claimer at Del Mar that garnered a career-best 104 Beyer.

Ginobili followed that effort by besting multiple graded stakes winner C Z Rocket in the seven-furlong G2 Pat O'Brien in August at Del Mar, a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. Ginobili performed admirably in the Dirt Mile, completing the exacta behind Life Is Good.

Baltas said that Ginobili, who was gelded in June 2020, benefitted from a number of changes.

“I turned him out and we did a minor surgery [ankle chip] on him and gave him some time and brought him back as much sounder horse as a 4-year-old,” Baltas said. “The blinkers were a big deal and the stretch out – it's been a combination of things. We're excited that he's done what he's done this year and we're hoping that will continue.”

Baltas said Ginobili was slated to ship to New York on Saturday.

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