McGaughey to watch Orb's next work at Fair Hill; Data Link OK

McGaughey to watch Orb's next work at Fair Hill; Data Link

OK

On Tuesday, Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey will travel to the Fair Hill

Training Center near Elkton, Maryland, to oversee Kentucky Derby

winner Orb's second work since his third-place finish in the June 8 Belmont

Stakes.

In his return to the worktab on Wednesday, Orb sped three furlongs on the

fast main track in :36.

"He's doing well down there," McGaughey said of the colt's summer getaway

spot. "My plan is to run him in the Travers (at Saratoga on August 24) but if he

gets ahead of me a little bit I'm not counting out the Jim Dandy (on July 27)."

A homebred campaigned by Stuart S. Janney III and the Phipps Stable, Orb

reeled off a five-race winning streak, including the Fountain of Youth and

Florida Derby, and culminating in the May 4 Run for the Roses.

The Malibu Moon colt was heavily favored to keep his Triple Crown hopes alive

in the May 18 Preakness, but the 3-5 shot was a a flat fourth at Pimlico. Orb

was expected to do better over his home base in the Belmont, and went off as the

2-1 choice in the 1 1/2-mile final jewel of the Triple Crown. Although he made a

run, he had to settle for third, beaten a total of five lengths by Palace

Malice.

McGaughey also commented on Data Link, who checked in fourth as the 3-5

favorite in Thursday's Poker at Belmont Park. The classy turf miler exited the

race in seemingly good order and offered no excuse for his performance.

"He seemed to come back fine," he said. "An atypical bad race for him; worst

race he's ever run. He acted like he was confused the whole race.

"We'll just have to see as we go along. He gave no signs he was going to run

that way. He's a lot better than he ran."

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