Shug McGaughey

West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing's Integration (Quality Road), a fast-closing upset winner of the GIII Virginia Derby at second asking Sept. 9, will put his perfect record on the line in Saturday's GII Hill Prince S. at Aqueduct. The $700,000 FTSAUG yearling graduate earned a 96 Beyer Speed Figure while defeating GI Saratoga Derby Invitational winner Program Trading (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) in the Colonial Downs centerpiece. "I thought he ran really good [last time]," trainer Shug McGaughey said. "I didn't know what to expect. It's not my...

It was 12 years ago this week that a young bloodstock agent found a mare for one of his first clients, deep in the November Sale at Keeneland. Mesa Fresca (Sky Mesa) had won a Belmont maiden in a light career, and Larkin Armstrong knew her family inside out. In fact, her own bloodlines ran almost parallel to his own, his father being a cousin of her dam's breeder Emory Hamilton. Raised the way he was, Armstrong could not fail to recognize this mare as King Ranch royalty, and was...

8th-KEE, $100K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 4:44 p.m. ET. Hammering down for $1.5 million at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, juvenile STOP THE PRESS (Uncle Mo) makes his debut for the ownership group led by West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing. After a sharp work for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey at the Belmont Park training track (Oct. 20, 4f, :48.34, 1/55), the bay colt comes to Keeneland primed for his debut. Out of Secret Sigh (Tapit), Stop the Press is a half-brother to Summer Wind Equine's horse-in-training Pippi...

The least experienced of the nine 3-year-olds signed on for Saturday's GIII New Kent County Virginia Derby, with only a maiden victory--albeit a smashing one--to his success, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing's Integration (c, 3, Quality Road--Harmonize, by Scat Daddy) grabbed heavily favored Program Trading (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) with less than a furlong to go and came away to an impressive victory in new course-record time. Well-backed at 67-10 despite his overall lack of seasoning, the $700,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga purchase took up a position in the latter...

Off as the 6-5 chalk in Saturday's $1-million Listed Gun Runner S. at Kentucky Downs, Joe Allen and CHC's TALK OF THE NATION (c, 3, Quality Road--She's Not Here, by Street Cry {Ire}) took command in upper stretch and staved off a stinging late rally from Wadsworth to lead home a 1-2 finish for their in-form stallion. Away in good order, Talk of the Nation took up a stalking position from second early on as Smokey Mandate (Strong Mandate) made the running down the hill and towards the side of...

4th-Colonial Downs, $60,000, Msw, 8-12, 3yo/up, 1 1/16mT, 1:42.17, fm, 6 1/2 lengths. INTEGRATION (c, 3, Quality Road--Harmonize {GISW, $827,860}, by Scat Daddy) earned even-money favoritism in his first start since bringing $700,000 as a yearling at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton New York Select Yearling Sale. 30-1 longshot Elon (Great Notion) was eager to go on with it and surged ahead to open up nearly five lengths on the field through a half in :47.58. Integration, though caught a bid wide throughout, easily took over into the far turn as the...

4th-CNL, $60K, Msw, 3yo/up, 1 1/16mT, 3:00 p.m. A $700,000 Ylg FTSAUG purchase, INTEGRATION (Quality Road) debuts for Shug McGaughey. Out of 2016 GI Del Mar Oaks heroine Harmonize (Scat Daddy), who was campaigned and bred by Larkin Armstrong, this 3-year-old colt hails from a deep, extended female family which includes MGSWs like Al Khali (Medaglia d'Oro), Cappuchino (Capote) and Hungry Island (More Than Ready), plus GI Diana S. heroine and MGSW Somali Lemonade (Lemon Drop Kid) and MGISW Verrazano (More Than Ready). TJCIS PPs 5th-SAR, $136K, Msw, 2yo, 7f,...

After a deluge of rainfall this past week in the Saratoga Springs area, last Friday's $500,000 GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. for 3-year-old colts at a mile over the grass was postponed seven days, as an interesting mix of American and European invaders reconvene on the Inner Turf. With conditions which could be soft to yielding, trainer Chad Brown saddles three entries with GISP Appraise (Ire) Kodiac {GB}), Mischievous Angel (Into Mischief) and Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), while also present is the winner...

Hoping that the GIII Dinner Party S. might be a sampling of things to come later on the Preakness Day card, Never Explain came from off the pace to collect his first black-type victory for trainer Shug McGaughey. Handily away from gate six, the dark bay settled off the pace in fourth as GI Pegasus World Cup Turf winner Atone (Into Mischief), sent off at 5-2, strode to the front with MGSW 'TDN Rising Star' Emmanuel and Rising Empire (Empire Maker) in hot pursuit rounding the first turn. With the...

Continuing on the heels of a stacked card Friday, Pimlico offers a robust eight-stakes offering Saturday, led by the $1.5 million GI Preakness S. With GI Kentucky Derby winning Mage (Good Magic) looming as the one to beat, the race suffered a notable blow Friday with the defection of Godolphin's 'TDN Rising Star' First Mission (Street Sense), shaving the field back to seven. Having not only showed a recency in form but also the ability to win at the highest level, none of the chestnut's rivals can really make the...

At this year's GI Preakness S., Shug McGaughey is aiming to win his own version of the Triple Crown. The Hall of Fame trainer won the third leg of the series in 1989, when Easy Goer famously defeated Sunday Silence in the GI Belmont S., and then Orb (Malibu Moon) earned the Kentucky horseman a GI Kentucky Derby score in 2013. This Saturday, McGaughey could claim his final Triple Crown jewel with a promising contender in Perform (Good Magic). On Thursday morning shortly after eight, as Perform walked the Preakness...

Perform (Good Magic) tuned up for Saturday's GI Preakness S. with a half-mile drill in :48.09 (2/42) over the main track at Belmont Park Sunday. Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, Perform worked just after the renovation break under partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-60s, completing his exercise to the outside of his maiden workmate Weyhill Road (Quality Road). McGaughey said the work was just what he hoped to see ahead of the colt's graded stakes debut. "I was very pleased with the way he worked and...