Neither of Godolphin's two Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup aspirants based at the Fair Grounds, Maxfield nor Mystic Guide, will make the Jan. 23 race at Gulfstream Park, reports the Daily Racing Form. Both colts came down with minor respiratory illnesses and missed enough training to take them out of Pegasus consideration.
The undefeated Grade 1-winner Maxfield, who returned off a seven-month layoff to win the Dec. 19 Tenacious Stakes at the Fair Grounds, returned to regular training on Monday. Trainer Brendan Walsh expects the 4-year-old to be ready for racing in early to mid-February.
“Some horse came down with something when the temperature dropped here,” Walsh told DRF. “The only remedy is to back off on them. He showed some early signs, so we backed off. It's curtailed any aspirations of going for a race like the Pegasus. The good news is he's fine.”
Mystic Guide, trained by Mike Stidham, finished second last out in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup behind Happy Saver. Stidham said the colt is still coughing, but is back to tack walking in the shed row and will likely be pointed to a stakes race at the Fair Grounds or at Oaklawn in the coming months.
Read more at the Daily Racing Form.
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