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Sightseeing gets up in Peter Pan Phipps Stable's homebred SIGHTSEEING (Pulpit) needed every bit of the nine furlongs of the $200,000 Peter Pan S. (G2) at Belmont Park on Sunday to earn his first graded score. Trained by Shug McGaughey and ridden by Edgar Prado, the sophomore colt got the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48 4/5 and rewarded backers with payoffs of $3.20, $2.60 and $2.10 as the 1-2 choice. Although the Peter Pan is a traditional stepping stone to the June 9 Belmont S. (G1), the winner isn't certain to compete in the 12-furlong classic, with McGaughey taking a wait-and-see approach. Soaring By (Deputy Minister) and Hal's My Hope (Halo's Image) led the field in tandem for the opening half-mile, alternating the top spot while reaching four panels in :47 4/5. As the field approached the final turn, a stalking Prom Shoes (Include) took command, getting six furlongs in 1:12 1/5, and the colt opened up daylight in the stretch only to be nabbed by Sightseeing by a nose on the line. "Watching this race on TV, (Sightseeing) was just galloping along behind those horses," McGaughey said. "Turning for home, I said, 'Hey, he never even asked him.' Then, when he asked him, he still really didn't know what to do. He needed to get two or three jumps before he got leveled off and going. When he steps it up, he isn't going to have those two or three jumps. He'll learn. This will be good for him." Prado offered a similar assessment. "He was galloping and was nice and beautiful in the bridle," Prado said. "I felt that when I turned him loose, he was going to explode. It took him more strides than I thought. He finally got into gear. I wasn't sure until they put my number up." Prom Shoes paid $9.20 and $5.20 while completing the $29.60 exacta at nearly 15-1. Fearless Vision (Vision and Verse) made a threatening move into the lane but could not get to the top pair, finishing a neck shy of second. Show was worth $2.80, and the 7-2 second choice capped the $71 trifecta in his stakes debut. It was another 6 1/4 lengths back to Hal's My Hope, who was followed by Sir Whimsey (Jump Start) and Soaring By. Vitruvius (E Dubai) was withdrawn because of a recurrence of a skin disease, according to trainer James Jerkens, who added that the colt is currently being treated with antibiotics. Sightseeing improved his lifetime line to 9-2-4-1, $348,730. The colt finished a strong second in the Wood Memorial S. (G1) last out and also placed in the Nashua S. (G3). The winner was bred in Kentucky and produced from the multiple Grade 1-placed Resort (Pleasant Colony), herself a half-sister to Grade 2 star Living Vicariously (Time for a Change) and Grade 3 hero With Distinction (Storm Cat). Resort has since produced a trio of unraced Seeking the Gold youngsters: a two-year-old filly named Tourism, a yearling filly named Cashier and an unnamed 2007 colt. McGaughey indicated that the Belmont is "possible." "We'll wait and see how he comes out of this," the horseman said. "Back at the Wood Memorial, just knowing the horse and where he was at mentally, I was thinking about the Jim Dandy (S. [G2] at Saratoga on July 29). We'll see what happens. We're here, and I am sure the Phipps would love to run in the Belmont if they thought they had a legitimate chance."
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