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Jesus’ Team To Enter Dubai World Cup As ‘Fresh Horse’

Grupo 7C Racing Stable's Jesus' Team returned to the track at Palm Meadows Training Center Friday morning, kicking off preparation for a planned start in the $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1) March 27.

Jesus' Team enjoyed a week of frolicking in a round pen at Gulfstream Park's satellite training center in Palm Beach County following his second-place finish in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 23 at Gulfstream.

“He just jogged this morning,” trainer Jose D'Angelo said. “We're making a training schedule for Dubai.”

Jesus' Team's connections were looking to the $20 million Saudi Cup Feb. 20 as a possible target following the 4-year-old son of Tapiture's runner-up finish behind Knicks Go that pushed his career earnings over $1 million.

“Dubai will be Jesus' next race,” D'Angelo said. “We want a fresh horse for the Dubai World Cup.”

Jesus' Team won a $25,000 claiming race at Gulfstream May 8 after being transferred to D'Angelo's stable before going on the finish third in the Preakness Stakes (G1), second in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) and rallying to finish second in the Pegasus World Cup.

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Dubai World Cup Next for Jesus’ Team

There may not have been a more improved horse in 2020 than Jesus' Team (Tapiture), who began the year in maiden claimers and finished it off with a second-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and a win in the Claiming Crown series. He kicked off 2021 with another second-place finish, in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational.

But the best may be yet to come.

Trainer Jose D'Angelo has decided to pass on the $20-million Saudi Cup and will, instead, point the 4-year-old for the G1 Dubai World Cup on March 27. Should Knicks Go (Paynter) and Charlatan (Speightstown) both run in Saudi Arabia that could mean they won't tackle the Dubai World Cup. If so, Jesus' Team could be among the top threats in the race.

“With the Dubai World Cup, I have more time to get him into better form,” D'Angelo said. “I think that I have a real chance to win the Dubai World Cup because it is a two-turn race and the Saudi Cup is one turn. The Dubai World Cup is one furlong farther. I think Jesus' Team will like that.”

Jesus' Team is owned by Grupo 7C Racing, a stable compromised of seven brothers based in Venezuela. He began his career for trainer Jose Garoffalo before being transferred to D'Angelo's barn prior to a $25,000 claimer at Gulfstream on May 8. He won by 6 3/4 lengths that day and then came back to finish second in an allowance.

“When he first worked out for me, I saw something in him,” D'Angelo said. “In his first race for me, he showed me something. He was amazing in that race. In his workouts after that he looked incredible. I talked to the owner and I said that it's only my first year in the USA, but I see something in this horse and I think we can run in the big races.”

Jesus' Team made his stakes debut in the GI Haskell S., where he was fourth and followed that up with third-place finishes in the GII Jim Dandy S. and the GI Preakness S.

Jesus' Team developed into exactly the type of horse D'Angelo hoped to have in his barn when he left Venezuela in 2019 to try to make it in the US.

He is the son of the prominent Venezuelan trainer Francisco D'Angelo and dropped out of college after two years to go out on his own. D'Angelo made his debut as a trainer when just 22. In 2014, he saddled Dreaming of Gold (Ven) (Documentary) to win the Classico Simon Bolivar, one of the most prestigious races in Venezuela. In 2018, D'Angelo was the leading trainer in his native country. Still in his twenties at the time, he had a bright future in Venezuela, but decided to move to Florida. He currently has 17 horses based at Palm Meadows.

“It was always my dream to run in the biggest races in the USA,” he said. “I made the decision to follow my dreams.”

D'Angelo has gotten off to a solid start, saddling his first US winner on June 8, 2019. He's won 37 of 203 starts for a winning percentage of 18%.

“I am happy and proud of what I have done,” he said. “But I think this year will be an amazing year for our barn.”

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Pegasus World Cup Day Stars Exit Races In Good Order

Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go came out of his brilliant victory in Saturday's $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., in good order, reported trainer Brad Cox Sunday afternoon.

“The horse looked really good last night. This morning, he flew back to New Orleans. He just arrived at the Fair Grounds and all is well,” Cox stated in a text message.

Knicks Go, the 6-5 favorite ridden by Joel Rosario, took early command of the 1 1/8-mile race for older horses and crossed the finish line 2 ¾ lengths ahead of Jesus' Team. The son of Paynter ran the distance in 1:47.89 while earning an automatic berth in the $20 million Saudi Cup Feb. 20.

Knicks Go, a Grade 1 winner at 2, had gone winless in 2019 before being transferred to Cox's stable in 2020. The Maryland-bred 5-year-old won all three of his races last year, including the Nov. 7 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).

Grupo 7C Racing Stable's Jesus' Team spent Sunday morning frolicking in the round pen outside trainer Jose D'Angelo's barn at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

“Jesus came out of the race very good,” D'Angelo said. “When I brought him back to Palm Meadows [Saturday] night, he was ready to go again. He was not tired.”

Jesus' Team, who had finished second in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), made a wide sweep into the stretch under Irad Ortiz Jr. and closed steadily to finish second behind the Cox trainee again, edging Independence Hall for second money. The former $25,000 claimer became a millionaire Saturday with the $580,000 purse for his third Grade 1 stakes placing.

Although D'Angelo has driven Jesus' Team wherever he has traveled this year, the 30-year-old trainer won't be able to hit the road with the son of Tapiture for his next start. The owners of Jesus' Team are awaiting invitations for the $20 million Saudi Cup Feb. 20 and the $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1) March 27.

“The owners will make the decision where he will race next,” D'Angelo said.

Robert and Lawana Low's Colonel Liam, the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) winner; Repole Stable's Always Shopping, who captured the La Prevoyante (G3), and the other Todd Pletcher-trained runners who competed on the Pegasus World Cup Day card were 'excellent' Sunday morning.

“Everybody seemed to be sound this morning and in good shape,” Pletcher said.

Colonel Liam, who was coming off a victory in the Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream, rallied from off the pace to capture his Grade 1 debut by neck over Pletcher-trained Largent in the 1 3/16-mile Pegasus Turf. Pletcher's other Pegasus Turf starter, Social Paranoia finished fourth, a half-length behind third-place finisher Cross Border. Pletcher said there were no firm plans for his Pegasus Turf starters' next starts.

“The race I have in mind for Colonel Liam is the Woodford Reserve on Derby Day, so the question is kind of what we do between now and then,” Pletcher said. “The other two we've got some options with, so we'll give it a week and kind of survey the landscape and see what the right moves are.”

In addition to saddling Colonel Liam and Always Shopping for graded-stakes victories, Pletcher also visited the winner's circle with Microsecond following a sharp optional claiming allowance win.

“It was a great day. We were a couple of noses short of having a really terrific day but anytime you have all the horses show up and for the most part run their races, that's all you can hope for,” Pletcher said. “We were fortunate to win three of them, so it was a successful day.”

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Knicks Go Runs ‘Em Ragged In Pegasus World Cup

With many of his would-be divisional challengers already off to the breeding shed, Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go (Paynter) asserted himself as a major 2021 force while scoring his fourth straight victory in Saturday's $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. at Gulfstream. Last seen besting Jesus' Team (Tapiture) by 3 1/2 lengths in the GI Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland Nov. 7, the 6-5 chalk zipped right to the lead as expected and clicked off opening splits of :22.90 and :46.16. Still in cruise control as he got six furlongs in 1:09.91, the grey continued into the lane straight and strong, cantering home 2 3/4 lengths to the good in 1:47.89 in what was his first start beyond 8 1/2 panels. Jesus's Team nailed longshot Independence Hall (Constitution) for second.

“He is one of the top handicap horses in the country now. He's a top horse. This is what you get up for every day, seven days a week, long days for moments like this,” said trainer Brad Cox, who has saddled Knicks Go to four wins from as many tries since taking over his training. “I'm very proud of the horse and my team and thank the Korea Racing Authority for the opportunity with this horse.”

Of the trip, Cox said, “I felt comfortable. Joel [Rosario] had a hold on him. He had a little pressure on the outside, but he was fresh from the Breeders' Cup, so I was confident he would stay on.”

He added, “It's a very prestigious race. I know it hasn't been around that long, but when you look at past winners, it's a very prestigious list of horses that have won it–world champions, actually, with Gun Runner and Arrogate. They weren't just national horses. They competed and won on the world stage, so it's a big race.”

Rosario also rode GIII Fred W. Hooper S. winner Performer (Speightstown) to victory earlier on the card, and has now piloted Knicks Go to three straight.

“He's a very special horse,” Rosario said. “He just goes faster and faster…He was really enjoying what he was doing out there, so I was never worried about somebody getting close to me.”

A debut winner in July of his juvenile season for previous conditioner Ben Colebrook, Knicks Go stretched out effectively later that term to run away with Keeneland's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at odds of 70-1. He was second at 40-1 in that year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, but a lackluster sophomore campaign saw him go winless from eight tries, the best of which was a second in the Ellis Park Derby. He was 10th when trying grass in the GIII Commonwealth Turf Cup S. in November of 2019 and was a member of the Cox barn for his next outing, a 7 1/2-length Oaklawn optional claimer drubbing last February. Knicks Go was sidelined with a knee chip following that effort and underwent surgery. He returned to Lexington to dominate there by double digits Oct. 4, and ran to 8-5 favoritism when scoring one of four Breeders' Cup victories for Cox on the first weekend in November.

Pedigree Notes:

Knicks Go stands alone as the only Grade I winner to date for WinStar sire Paynter, but as a GISW at two, a Breeders' Cup winner at four, a Pegasus winner at five, and owner of a few track records thrown in for good measure, he is the star every stallion manager wants to represent a sire. Paynter, even better known for his defeat of laminitis than his Grade I-winning career, has four graded winners among his 16 black-type winners.

The breeding of Knicks Go has been well-documented, with his dam's last two matings being significantly upgraded: Kosmo's Buddy has a yearling filly by Justify and was bred to Ghostzapper for 2021. Ghostzapper, like Paynter, is a son of Awesome Again. Knicks Go, the fifth Maryland-bred generation of his family, is one of 10 stakes winners out of daughters of the Danzig sire Outflanker.

“I am very proud of Jesus, he's a great horse. Today, he didn't have the luck to win, because Knicks Go ran again along in front. I am very soon that Jesus will be on the top in big races. I feel proud of him.” –Trainer Jose D'Angelo of Pegasus runner-up Jesus' Team

“It was a huge race. I thought he got a fantastic trip. It looked like he was loaded all the way up the backside. Around the turn, obviously coming off a bad race, I was wondering and hoping he had a little bit left, and he was game. To get beat what, a head, for second, he ran huge. He ran hard today. I thought Flavien [Prat] gave him a great ride. The horse has had a tough couple of days here schooling and stuff, he's challenging at times, but it was all worth it today.” –Trainer Mike McCarthy on third finisher Independence Hall

Saturday, Gulfstream
PEGASUS WORLD CUP INVITATIONAL S.-GI, $2,942,000, Gulfstream, 1-23, 4yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:47.89, ft.
1–KNICKS GO, 123, h, 5, by Paynter
1st Dam: Kosmo's Buddy (MSW, $298,095), by Outflanker
                2nd Dam: Vaulted, by Allen's Prospect
                3rd Dam: Aube d'Or, by Medaille d'Or
($40,000 Wlg '16 KEENOV; $87,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-Korea
Racing Authority; B-Angie Moore (MD); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Joel
Rosario. $1,740,000. Lifetime Record: 18-6-3-1, $3,088,995.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick
   Rating: F.
2–Jesus' Team, 123, c, 4, Tapiture–Golden Memories, by Suave.
($30,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Grupo 7C Racing Stable; B-Pamela

Gartin (KY); T-Jose Francisco D'Angelo. $580,000.

3–Independence Hall, 123, c, 4, Constitution–Kalahari Cat, by
Cape Town. ($100,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP; $200,000 RNA 2yo '19
FTFMAR). O-WinStar Farm LLC, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners,
Twin Creeks Racing Stables, LLC and RKV Racing, LLC;
B-Woodford Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Michael W. McCarthy.
$290,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, NK, 6 1/4. Odds: 1.30, 11.80, 27.70.
Also Ran: Sleepy Eyes Todd, Code of Honor, Coastal Defense, Kiss Today Goodbye, Last Judgment, Math Wizard, Tax, Mr Freeze, Harpers First Ride. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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