Boisterous is The Favorite For Man O' War

Shug McGaughey’s steady campaigner, Boisterous, will take another shot at a Grade I title this Saturday when he takes on seven others in the $600,000 Man O’ War, for three-year-olds and up, going 1 3/8 miles on the Belmont turf. The race is the feature event for closing weekend at Belmont to conclude the 2013 spring/summer meet. For trainer McGaughey, it will be a chance to win his second straight Man O’ War after capturing the 2012 race with Point of Entry.

Looking to add to graded-stakes titles

For Boisterous, a six-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Distorted Humor, this will be his second crack at the Man O’ War, after finishing third in the 2011 race. Since his last  Grade I attempt, the Arlington Million where he finished a well-beaten ninth, Boisterous has racked up five straight firsts or seconds in lower-graded events, and most recently won the Grade II Monmouth Stakes, the tenth win in 24 starts for his career.  For the Man O’ War, Boisterous has been installed as the morning line favorite at 9-5 and will break from post six under jockey John Velazquez.

Optimizer, Twilight Eclipse expected to challenge

The early second choice in the field is the Wayne Lukas-trained Optimizer, listed at 2-1. A two-time Breeders’ Cup World Championships participant, who also ran in the 2012 Belmont Stakes, the well-traveled son of English Channel most recently finished second in the Grade I Woodford Reserve Manhattan Handicap, beaten 1 ½ lengths by Point of Entry. He’ll be ridden by Joel Rosario. Other contenders in the field include Twilight Eclipse (9-2), who earlier this year set the world record time for 1 ½ miles on turf while winning the Grade II Pan American Stakes at Gulfstream Park.