Girvin to Have New Pilot in Albarado in Haskell

Multiple graded stakes winner Girvin will have a new set of hands guiding him when he starts in the July 30 betfair.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) as jockey Robby Albarado is set to be in the irons, trainer Joe Sharp confirmed July 25.

Girvin was ridden by Hall of Famer Mike Smith in both the May 6 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1), where they finished 13th; and his recent runner-up finish in the June 24 Ohio Derby (G3). With Smith committed to several top mounts going forward—most notably champion Arrogate—Sharp said during a national teleconference Tuesday that he wanted to line up a rider now who could stick with Girvin in the months ahead.

"We all talked about it and Robby is obviously a rider that goes everywhere we go," Sharp said. "We want someone that can kind of stick with the horse moving forward and that was kind of a huge thing for us.

"Mike's got a lot of big horses out there and we discussed it and I think it's just about to be able to maintain consistency moving forward for Girvin's sake."

Albarado was aboard Girvin when the son of Tale of Ekati   covered five furlongs in 1:01.22 over the training track at Saratoga July 23.

"Robby got along with him and rode against him when he was in New Orleans so he has some confidence in him just from watching him," Sharp said. 

Brad Grady's Girvin is heading into the Haskell off a brutal defeat in the Ohio Derby where he did much of the dirty work on the front end and then got nipped at the wire by Irap. Stinging as the loss was, Sharp could have hardly asked for a more determined outing from the dark bay colt in his first outing since getting jostled about in the Kentucky Derby.

That effort on the first Saturday of May is the only time Girvin has finished worse than second in six career starts and his preparation for the 10-furlong test was hampered by a quarter crack he was battling in the weeks leading up to the classic.

"As far as the Derby goes, I think he about almost went down at the three-eighths pole and Mike Smith came back and told me 'I'm not saying we would have won but we wouldn't have been worse than third if that didn't happen,'" Sharp said. "I think the reason he was so much further back in the Derby was the sloppy racetrack, and I can't imagine that would be ideal on a quarter crack. But he came out of it very well so that indicated to me that he was up to par for the Derby.

"He's been in a full shoe for about a month now on both front feet so he's basically shod like a regular horse and the quarter crack has grown out to about an inch away from the coronet band. So it's basically gone now. Right now, his feet are as normal as a horse's feet could be and sitting on all four cylinders."

Girvin was one of the leading contenders on the Derby trail this year having won the Feb. 25 Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots and the April 1 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2). He is expected to face the likes of grade 1 winner Practical Joke along with graded winners McCraken and Irish War Cry in the 1 1/8-mile Haskell at Monmouth Park.