Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey will go for a third straight win in Sunday's $400,000 Man o' War Stakes versus six rivals at Belmont Park.
McGaughey won the 2012 renewal with Point of Entry and came back last year to win with Boisterous. Sunday he will send out Imagining in the 1 3/8-mile event. The chestnut horse, 5-1 in the morning line, will break from post 2 with Joel Rosario in the saddle.
Owned by Phipps Stable, Imagining has just one start this year coming into the Man o' War. The 6-year-old chestnut horse was second to Lochtel in the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap on Feb. 9.
"We ran him one time in Florida and he ran a great race down there. We wanted to get him up here for the long races and get him started," McGaughey said.
In 2013, Imagining won the Idle Rich, Bowl Game and Red Smith Handicap. He has won seven of 15 lifetime starts for $573,114.
The 5-2 program favorite is Amira's Prince, second in the Mervin Munoz Jr. Handicap at Fair Grounds last time out. The 5-year-old will be ridden by John Velazquez for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
Amira's Prince was undefeated in three starts last year, but has a second and an third in his two races of 2014. Along with his runner-up result in the Fair Grounds' stakes he opened the season with a third in the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap.
A veteran of 13 career starts, Amira's Prince has five wins and $519,907.
Here is the field for the Man o'War in post position order: Grandeur, Julien Leparoux, 4-1; Imagining, Joel Rosario, 5-1; Vertiformer, Joe Bravo, 8-1; Frac Daddy, Alan Garcia, 15-1; Amira's Prince, John Velazquez, 5-2; Real Solution, Javier Castellano, 3-1 and Lucayan, Jose Lezcano, 6-1.
The Man o'War has an approximate post time of 5:43 p.m. ET.
[SportsNetwork.com]
