Shug McGaughey had 4-year-olds Integration and Battle of Normandy poised to put an exclamation point on 2024 and they both delivered Saturday, sweeping their Graded stakes assignments.
Integration aced the Grade 2 Red Smith Stakes at Aqueduct, flying through the stretch to wrap up his fourth career stakes triumph and surpass seven figures with a career bankroll of $1,141,800.
Flavien Prat guided Integration, who also captured the 2023 Hill Prince Stakes (G2) on the grass at Aqueduct in November 2023.
Flavien said, “It’s funny – turning for home, he was coming but more in a grinding way. When we got to the eighth pole he found another gear, so it was nice.”
About an hour later, Battle of Normandy poured it on coming out of the turn in decisive fashion in the Grade 3 River City Stakes at Churchill Downs with jockey Luan Machado.
Battle of Normandy scored his fourth straight win: he had run through all his allowance conditions with victories in June, July and September in New York.
The son of City of Light pushed his career earnings to $643,195 for West Point and Woodford Racing, the co-owners of both colts.
West Point also had a new winner earlier on the Saturday card at Churchill when Maui Strong rumbled home on the turf for a maiden triumph in his third career start.
Dale Romans trains the 2-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy, and he was guided by Vincent Cheminaud.
