Al Shaqab Racing's Mshawish (Medaglia d'Oro), recent winner of the El Prado S. at Gulfstream Park Dec. 13, will likely make his next start in the Jan. 10 GII Fort Lauderdale S. over that same turf course.
“He came out of [the El Prado] good and breezed back on Dec. 28,” commented Al Shaqab USA Racing Advisor Bradley Weisbord. “He's going to breeze again over the weekend, and if he comes out of it well we will point for the Fort Lauderdale.”
Weisbord said that Al Shaqab Racing's ultimate goal is to win a Grade I in America with Mshawish, making the Feb. 7 GI Gulfstream Park Turf H. a logical longer-term target for the Todd Pletcher trainee. The 5-year-old was a Group 2 winner in Dubai last year.
“We believe the Fort Lauderdale would be the best path the way he's training,” Weisbord added. “He's a horse that thrives on running, that thrives on breezing.”
Mshawish's victory last month was his first in four tries since arriving in America this past May. The Al Shaqab team feels that they have now pinpointed the horse's ideal running style and are ready to move forward.
“We're very high on him, and his last race appeared to be his best by all accounts,” noted Weisbord. “We don't feel that the extra distance from 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 furlongs is going to bother him. We don't really think he's a horse that the distance matters–it's more of a pace scenario with him. He's a horse that needs pace to get cover. If he doesn't get cover, he'll bolt, so as long as he gets enough pace, he'll fire.”
To read more about Mshawish and his winning effort in the El Prado, click here.
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