2022 Pegasus World Cup | Horse Racing Free Tips

TAA, Centennial Farms Team Up To Recognize Grooms At Pegasus World Cup

For the fourth consecutive year, Centennial Farms sponsored the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) Best Turned Out Horse Awards during the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Card Jan. 29, 2022 at Gulfstream Park. A cash prize and TAA gift bag were given to the winning groom of the Best Turned Out for the twelve races on the card.

Representatives from the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and Centennial Farms selected the horse in each race that was deemed to be the best presented, and that horse's groom received a gift bag and cash prize. The TAA and Centennial Farms promoted the winners on their social media platforms, the winning groom was mentioned on the live simulcast feed, and a congratulatory ad was placed in both the Thoroughbred Daily News and BloodHorse Daily on Monday, Jan 31, 2022.

“There is nothing more gratifying than to award the unsung heroes who take care of our beloved Thoroughbred athletes,” TAA Inspection Coordinator Suzie Picou-Oldham said. “The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance was thrilled to once again partner with 1/ST and Centennial Farms to celebrate our hardworking men and women of the backside.”

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is a charity partner for the Pegasus World Cup.

Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Best Turned Out award recipients:

RACE 1

#9 STRIKE APPEAL

Groom: Odin Londono Jr

Trainer: Odin Londono

RACE 2

#2 MAD MOCHA

Groom: Michael Lewars

Trainer: Stuart Simon

RACE 3

#5 EARTH STRIKE (IRE)

Groom: Onildo Quevedo

Trainer: Mark Casse

RACE 4

#6 BOURBON HEIST

Groom: Robin Alvarez

Trainer: Ian Wilkes

Race 5 – LA PREVOYANTE S. (G3)

#6 BEAUTIFUL LOVER

Groom: William Aniceto

Trainer: Christophe Clement

RACE 6

#3 FANCY LIQUOR

Groom: Emilio Silva

Trainer: Mike Maker

RACE 7 – W. L. McKnight S.

# 3 FARMINGTON ROAD

Groom- Carlos Navas

Trainer: George Arnold

RACE 8 – Inside Information S.

#3 DANCE D'ORO

Groom: Jose Gonzales

Trainer: Ralph Nicks

RACE 9 – Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational S. presented by PEPSI (G3)

# 8 SUMMER IN SARATOGA

Groom: Carlos Orantes

Trainer: Joe Sharp

RACE 10 – Fred W. Hooper S. presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa

# 1 FEARLESS

Groom: Jesus Gomez

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

RACE 11 – Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. presented by Baccarat

# 1 SPACE TR5AVELLER (GB)

Groom- Elmer Martinez

Trainer: Brendan Walsh

RACE 12 – Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. presented by 1/ST BET

# 9 COMMANDEER

Groom- Javier Armenta

Trainer: James Toner

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Pegasus World Cup News Minute Presented By DRF Bets: Who Do You Like?

There are nine horses entered in Saturday's $3-million, Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational – the final event on a spectacular 12-race program at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

In reality, it really comes down to two horses: defending Pegasus champion Knicks Go, the presumptive Horse of the Year in 2021, and Life Is Good, a once-beaten son of Into Mischief who exits a powerful performance in the G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar in November on the same day that Knicks Go won the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic.

A poll of Paulick Report readers found a 52-30 margin in favor Knicks Go over Life Is Good to win the Pegasus, with 18% of readers thinking an upset could be in the offing with one of the other seven runners – especially if a pace duel between the two sets things up for a closer.

Paulick Report publisher Ray Paulick spells out who likes in the Pegasus and why, in today's Pegasus World Cup News Minute presented by DRF Bets.

The Pegasus World Cup will be televised by NBC Sports from 4:40-6 p.m. ET and on NBCSports.com and the streaming Peacock Network. TVG will also have expanded coverage of all 12 Pegasus World Cup Day races that kicks off with an 11:30 a.m. first post.

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Sir Winston Looks To Repeat History In Pegasus World Cup

Tracy Farmer's Sir Winston is on course for a start in Saturday's $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park 2 1/2 years after achieving his career highlight with a 14-1 upset victory in the 2019 Belmont Stakes.

Among the son of Awesome Again's victims in the third leg of the 2019 Triple Crown was War of Will, his more celebrated stablemate in the barn of Hall of Famer Mark Casse who was coming off a victory in the Preakness Stakes (G1) three weeks prior.

“I told people before the Belmont, 'I think you're missing somebody.' I said, 'It wouldn't shock me if he won.' He was doing really well,” Casse said. “I kind of feel the same way now. I think he's really back to himself and doing really well.”

Since prevailing in the Belmont, Sir Winston, who is scheduled to take on likely 2021 Horse of the Year and defending champion Knicks Go and Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Life Is Good in a star-studded Pegasus World Cup field, has experienced some rough moments. None proved more costly than a futile trip to Dubai, where the 2020 Dubai World Cup was cancelled less than a week before the race due to the burgeoning COVID-19 pandemic.

“We took him to Dubai. We were a few days from running and they cancelled the Dubai World Cup. We brought him back and it really knocked him on his rear,” Casse said. “He just didn't come back the same horse. We ran him a few times and he didn't run great. We just sent him home to Tracy's farm and gave him a long time off. He's come back and has gotten better and better.”

Sir Winston was out of action for just shy of a year but returned to the races a happier and healthier horse for a four-race campaign at Woodbine. The Kentucky homebred won an Aug. 19 allowance impressively, before finishing a close second in both the Grade 3 Durham Cup and the G2 Autumn. He capped off his very successful season with a victory in the 1 1/2-mile G3 Valedictory Dec. 5.

“He got a little unlucky in a couple spots. For him to win at a mile and sixteenth, he needs to have a pretty good pace. He needs things to go his way,” Casse said. “He could have easily won a couple more last year.”

Sir Winston, who has produced a solid series of five workouts at Palm Meadows Training Center in preparation of the Pegasus World Cup, has impressed Casse with his enthusiasm during his comeback.

“It's funny but I think he enjoys his job now more than before,” Casse said. “He's very professional. He always has been, but he trains better, acts better. This is going to be a heck of a race. Hopefully, we can get a piece of the pie.”

Sir Winston, who has always run his best races at distances longer than 1 1/16 miles, figures to race off the early pace in the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus, well behind Knicks Go and Life Is Good, the front-running winner of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

“It looks like there will be some serious pace. Obviously, he needs a lot of things to go his way,” Casse said. “He's feeling really well, and we believe he deserves a chance.”

Sir Winston broke his maiden Sept. 12, 2018 in his third career start following off-the-board finishes in a Churchill Downs dirt sprint and a two-turn turf race at Woodbine, scoring in a dead-heat in a mile-and-70-yard maiden special weight race over Woodbine's all-weather surface. He concluded his juvenile campaign with a victory in the Display Stakes at Woodbine, encouraging Casse to try him on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Following out-of-the-money finishes in the G3 Withers at Aqueduct, G2 Tampa Bay Derby and G2 Blue Grass at Keeneland, Sir Winston didn't merit a start in the 2019 Kentucky Derby, but he did earn a start in the Belmont Stakes with a second-place finish in the G3 Peter Pan at Belmont.

Although War of Will faltered in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont to finish ninth, Sir Winston stepped up to put Casse in the winner's circle, closing from off the pace to win by a length over favored Tacitus.

Casse is hopeful that Sir Winston will be able to pull off his second big upset 2 1/2 years later in the Pegasus World Cup.

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‘We Hope He Goes Out A Winner’: Knicks Go’s Pegasus World Cup Start Will Be Bittersweet For Brad Cox

Having built one of the largest stables in America, trainer Brad Cox doesn't have much time to reflect on his escalating accomplishments. But he acknowledges thinking a lot about Breeders' Cup Classic Grade 1 winner Knicks Go's final career start coming in Gulfstream Park's $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) on Jan. 29.

In his first start since taking the 2020 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), Knicks Go won the 2021 Pegasus to kick off a season that saw him go 5-for-7. The only defeats came in one-turn races: New York's Metropolitan Mile (G1) and the Saudi Cup.

“It's kind of weird, knowing this is going to be his last run,” Cox said. “We're enjoying still having him in the barn. Hopefully we're going to have prepared to the best of our ability when we lead him over there Pegasus Day. It's going to be very exciting. It's going to be bittersweet, but excited to give him one more run. Obviously, we hope he goes out a winner and we'll definitely be sorry to see him go.”

Until the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar, the 2021 Pegasus was the most lucrative stakes that Cox had ever won. Knicks Go won't be his first champion, but he almost assuredly will be the trainer's first Horse of the Year.

Cox said that in the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus he just wants “to see more of the same from him that we've seen the last two years.”

Knicks Go had his second workout since the Breeders' Cup on Sunday at the Fair Grounds, working a half-mile in 49 4/5 seconds.

“It's icing on the cake for sure,” Cox said of the Pegasus, “because he's delivered in a big way over the last few years – actually his whole career, what he accomplished at 2 as well. It will be neat to get one more run in him at the age of 6. He certainly doesn't look like a horse needing any time off or anything. He was let down a little bit for around five days at Taylor Made just for inspection for breeders to come over and look at him. But he was ready to get back and go to work, and hopefully it is icing the cake with the Pegasus.”

The “Go” part of the horse's name has proven fortuitous. Knicks Go indeed is a horse who stays on the engine.

“He's on the go, no doubt about it,” said Cox, who assumed training Knicks Go for his 4-year-old season. “He's just a really cool horse, he really is.”

While Knicks Go — a son of Haskell (G1) winner and Belmont Stakes (G1) runner-up Paynter — might not have the most fashionable pedigree, Cox believes that is countered by being a “throw-back” horse. He notes that Knicks Go won Grade 1 races at 2, 4 and 5, while winning two Breeders' Cup races and finishing second in the Juvenile — and could add another G1 at age 6.

“And he's got really what was everybody is looking for: speed,” he said. “I hope he gets an opportunity to get some top mares. Because he's got heart, determination, and speed, and hopefully he's set up for a big stallion career.”

“I thought [Gulfstream] going a mile and an eighth, would benefit his style,” Cox said of the Pegasus. “He runs the turns really well; we've seen that over the last year-plus. He does like that (two-turn) configuration of the mile and an eighth there at Gulfstream. Hopefully he'll get a good set up and be effective like he was last year. We know him a little better now than we did last year, and he's been super consistent.

“He kind of puts them away through the far turn, is where he gets his separation. People have to go all in. They go into chase mode, and they can't get to him while he's still cruising. Speed, that's his weapon. Horses are going into chase mode probably three-quarters of a way through the race, and he's still on cruise control.”

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