Hymn Book and Point of Entry readies for Gold Cup and Joe Hirsch respectively
Owned and bred by Stuart S. Janney III, the 6-year-old gelding, Hymn Book, failed to impress after his impressive victory in the Grade 1 Donn Handicap at the start of the season, and since then the Claude R. McGaughey III trained gelding has been winless
in four starts.
The gelded son of Arch is expected to make a fist of things in the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup on 29 September, 2012, at Belmont Park, as he faces the likes of Flat Out, Fort Larned, Ron The Greek, and Ruler on Ice with more expected to start
in the 1 ¼ mile marathon.
Shug McGaughey has been pro-active with his runners Hymn Book and Point of Entry when it comes to drilling them, and on Sunday, when some horsemen postponed workouts ahead of next Saturday’s stakes races at Belmont Park, McGaughey took both his runners to
the field.
Under exercise rider Jennifer Patterson and in company with the maiden, Gloat, Hymn Book breezed four furlongs in 46.87 seconds.
Jennifer Patterson was taking it easy with Hymn Book, and in all honesty she wasn’t required to go frantic with Hymn Book, as he zipped his first quarter in 23 seconds flat, second quarter in 23.87 seconds, and then galloped out five furlongs in 59.99 seconds.
Out of Known Fact mare Vespers, Hymn Book is exiting a fourth place finish to, Fort Larned in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga, and last time out at Belmont Park, Hymn Book, finished as a runner-up to, Mucho Macho Man, in the Grade 2 Suburban Handicap.
“I wanted to give him a little break between his races. He likes it here. Obviously he loves it when there’s a little bit of water in the track, which he got this morning,” McGaughey said. “I think this [cooler] weather is suiting him too. I know it’s a
big task, but we’ll see what he can do.”
Preparing for the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational, the dual grade 1 winner, Point of Entry breezed half-mile in 50.22 seconds about 45 minutes after Hymn Book breezed.
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