Shug McGaughey waited until the last
minute before deciding Wednesday not to enter Stuart Janney III’s Hymn Book in the Grade 1, $750,000
Whitney Handicap. On Thursday morning, the trainer said the 5-year-old gelded
son of Arch would run in the Grade 2, $200,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap, a 1
1/8-mile grass race for 3-year-olds and up on August 26.
Hymn Book is coming off a
second-place finish behind Flat Out in the Grade 2 Suburban on July 2 at
Belmont
Park . That horse was made
the lukewarm 4-1 favorite for the Whitney.
“I think he might be a little
better on the grass,” McGaughey said of Hymn Book. “We ran him in the Suburban
and we caught that horse Flat Out who ran a 113 Beyer (Speed Figure). The
Whitney has a big field; Secretariat wasn’t in there, but we decided to find
something a little better for him.”
McGaughey’s ultimate goal for
Hymn Book is the Grade 1, $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational on October
2 at Belmont
Park .
“He likes that main track down at
Belmont ,”
McGaughey said.