Photo: NYRA
Hymn Book, who
rallied from last to finish second behind Mucho Macho Man in the Grade 2
Suburban Handicap last time out, turned in his final serious work for the Grade
1 Whitney this morning, going an easy half-mile in 50.22 after the first
renovation break on the Oklahoma
training track.
“It was fine,” reported Hall of Fame trainer Shug
McGaughey. “He went fine, I’ve got no complaints. It’s a go.”
A 6-year-old gelded son of Arch, Hymn Book will be making his second
career appearance at the Spa, having finished sixth in the Grade 2 Bernard
Baruch Handicap on the turf in 2011.
McGaughey added that with Point of
Entry targeting the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Invitational on August 18
and Boisterous being pointed to
the Grade 1 Arlington Million on the same day in Chicago,
he would look for an allowance spot for Air
Support with the next objective the Grade 2 Bowling Green Handicap
at Belmont Park.
“I’m going to work him
tomorrow and make up my mind,” he said of Air Support, most recently
second to Turbo Compressor in the Grade 1 United Nations Handicap. “We’ll
see what happens. There’s an allowance race I’m thinking about. The
places he’s run have been tough races. I’d like to try to get him
to a spot where it looks like he could win a race. He hasn’t won in a year
[Grade 2 Virginia Derby].”