McGaughey Duo Leads the Charge in the Red Smith Stakes

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey leads a pair into the Nov. 2 $250,000 Red Smith Stakes (G2T), part of closing day of the Belmont at the Big A fall meet. 

Cugino  enters with a win in the Red Bank Stakes, one of two wins this year. His only non-winning start out of three came in the Fourstardave Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga Race Course. 

The 1 3/8-mile turf test will certainly challenge Cugino's mettle. In 12 career starts, he has only gone more than 1 1/8 miles once. 

"I'm looking forward to getting him stretched out," McGaughey said. "I think he'll be fine over there. He's won there. I thought he ran good at Monmouth, but he wants to run farther than that. That's why I'm looking forward to getting him stretched out."

Cugino's stablemate Limited Liability  is the only millionaire in the field of six. His last time out, he was third, 7 lengths back, in the 2 1/16-mile Bowling Green Gold Cup Invitational Stakes. 

McGaughey thinks the distance Sunday plays well to his pupil's desires.

"This is a good spot to run him," McGaughey said. "It doesn't really matter to him, as long as it's this far, if he goes a little farther, that's OK, too."

The six contestants have a combined 38 graded stakes starts between them and just one win. That win came in the most recent graded stakes any of them have run. 

Desvio  rallied from ninth to win the Sycamore Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland with 34-1 odds.

Completing the field are Common Defense ; Dancin in Da'nile ; and Fleetfoot , who is making his second North American start.