Honour Devil makes U.S. debut for McLaughlin

Honour Devil makes U.S. debut for McLaughlin 

Honour Devil has never finished worse than third in seven career starts (Dubai Racing Club/Andrew Watkins) Millionaire HONOUR DEVIL (Arg) (Honour and Glory), who captured the 2008 U.A.E. Derby (UAE-G2) and U.A.E. Two Thousand Guineas (UAE-G3), will face a graded stakes-quality field as he makes his U.S. debut in Wednesday’s $65,000 Mr. Right S. at Belmont Park. Now trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, the Dubai Carnival star will clash with seven rivals in the 1 1/16-mile affair, including COAL PLAY (Mineshaft), RISING MOON (Runaway Groom) and MINT LANE (Maria’s Mon). Following a five-length maiden romp on the dirt at Palermo, Honour Devil was purchased by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum and exported from Argentina. The bay joined Mike de Kock in Dubai, where he won three of four starts during his 2008 campaign. His lone loss was a near-miss second to stablemate Royal Vintage (Rich Man’s Gold) in the Al Bastakiya, and in the process, he fell a head short of sweeping the U.A.E. Triple Crown.

Honour Devil ran only twice at the 2009 Dubai Carnival, finishing a distant
third in a conditions race prior to a much-improved runner-up effort in the Burj
Nahaar (UAE-G3). The five-year-old has not run since that March 5 contest, but
he has been posting works in New York since early June, and enters Wednesday’s
race off a pair of bullet moves over the track. Honour Devil gets Rajiv Maragh,
first-time Lasix, and a rail draw for his North American bow.

The Nick Zito-trained Coal Play will try to rebound after a remote
fourth-place finish as the 4-5 favorite in the Philip H. Iselin S. (G3) at
Monmouth. In his two previous starts, the four-year-old had romped by 7 1/4
lengths in an allowance/optional claimer at Belmont and had rolled to a
three-length score in the Salvator Mile H. (G3) at Monmouth. Cornelio Velasquez,
who had ridden Coal Play early in his career, will reunite with him as he breaks
from post 8.

Rising Moon has compiled a solid 6-2-1-3 mark at Belmont, including thirds in
the last two runnings of the Suburban H., as a Grade 1 in 2008 and a Grade 2
this year. Last time out, the Richard Dutrow charge faded to eighth after
chasing wild fractions in the grassy Sword Dancer Invitational S. (G1) at
Saratoga, but promises to improve greatly back on the dirt. Ramon Dominguez
picks up the mount on the gray, who sped three furlongs in :35 4/5 over
Aqueduct’s muddy main track on Monday.

Mint Lane, a good-looking winner of the 2008 Dwyer S. (G2) over TIZBIG (Tiznow)
at this track and trip, has raced just twice in the interim. Sidelined for 13
months after a disappointing sixth in the Jim Dandy S. (G2) last summer, the
Jimmy Jerkens colt broke poorly in his return at the Spa and wound up a distant
last. Mint Lane is eligible to show much more in his second start back, and John
Velazquez sticks with him.

TIMBER RESERVE (Forest Camp), the 2007 Pennsylvania Derby (G2) hero, made his
seasonal reappearance in that same allowance/optional claimer at Saratoga and
fared little better in seventh. He too will try to make amends here for John
Kimmel.

Rounding out the field are Grade 3 veteran HUNTING (Coronado’s Quest), who is
making his belated 2009 debut for Shug McGaughey, and multiple Grade 3-placed
FAMOUS PATRIOT (Repent), who scored his lone stakes win at Belmont one year ago.