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Brazilian-Bred Ivar Named Morning-Line Favorite For Pegasus Turf

With the recent retirement of two-time winner Colonel Liam (Liam's Map), MG1SW Ivar (Brz) (Agnes Gold {Jpn}) was named the narrow 5-2 morning-line favorite for the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf. A winner of three of 12 starts in the U.S.–topped by the 2020 GI Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland–he has run in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile each of the last three years, running third in 2021 and fourth in 2020 and 2022.

“I think his [last] race was very good,” said trainer Paulo Lobo. “He lost to a very top horse [Modern Games]. Javier Castellano was riding him for the first time. He rode a very good race, and since then we've pointed for the Pegasus Turf and we've never missed a day and never had a bad day. Everything that we planned is happening, no problems.”

Hall of Famer Castellano will be back aboard Ivar from Post 10.

Also among the dozen contenders are 4-1 second choice MGSW City Man (Mucho Macho Man) and GISW Decorated Invader (Declaration of War), both trained by Christophe Clement, who respectively ran 1-2 in Gulfstream's GII Fort Lauderdale S. Dec. 31.

Third choice at 6-1 is Charles Fipke's homebred GISW Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown), who will face males for the first time. The 5-year-old owns seven wins from 13 career starts, six of them in graded-stakes including Woodbine's GI Natalma S. Third last time out in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, she retains the services of Luis Saez from post six.

Rounding out the field are MGSP Atone (Into Mischief), MGSW Master Piece (Chi) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), MGSW Who's the Star (Tonalist), GSW One More Bid (California Chrome), MGSP Good Governance (Kingman {GB}), and another pair of stablemates, Graham Motion-trained GISW Speaking Scout (Mr. Speaker) and MGSP Hurricane Dream (Fr) (Hurricane Cat), making his first start in North America.

On the also-eligible list, in order of preference, are GSW King Cause (Creative Cause) and Dark Shift (Dark Angel {Ire}), winner of the Royal Hunt Cup last summer at Royal Ascot.

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Pegasus World Cup Hopefuls Tune Up

Bruce Lunsford's Art Collector (Bernardini) tuned up for the Jan. 28 GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational with a five-furlong drill in 1:01.60 (1/5) at Payson Park Sunday.

“He went very well this morning,” said trainer Bill Mott. “I was happy with him. He galloped out well and cooled out. It's looking like he's coming into the race well.”

Art Collector, winner of the 2021 GI Woodward S. and two-time winner of the GII Charles Town Classic, has been off since finishing fifth in the Oct. 1 GII Lukas Classic. He was originally being considered for the Dec. 3 GI Cigar Mile at Aqueduct and the Dec. 31 GIII Harlan's Holiday S. at Gulfstream, the local prep for the Pegasus.

“We were thinking of the Cigar Mile, but we lost some time with him due to a foot abscess,” Mott said. “Then we considered the Harlan's Holiday, but we felt we just needed more time.”

Jet Set Racing Stable's Super Corinto (Arg) (Super Saver) breezed a half-mile in :49.03 (4/58) at Gulfstream Park Sunday morning in preparation for a start in the Pegasus World Cup.

The work was the fifth in a series of works since the 5-year-old captured a Dec. 8 optional-claiming allowance at Gulfstream. He was a Group 1 winner in Chile before being sent to trainer Amador Sanchez, for whom he finished second behind Chilean Group 1 winner O'Connor (Chi) (Boboman) in his U.S. debut Nov. 12.

Both South American imports, who took turns beating each other in Group 1 races before heading to the U.S., are among the 12 horses invited to the Pegasus World Cup.

Ivar (Brz) (Agnes Gold {Jpn}) turned in his penultimate work for the Jan. 28 GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational with a five-furlong work in 1:02.00 (2/15) at the Thoroughbred Training Center Saturday.

“Ivar is ready,” said trainer Paulo Lobo. “His work [Saturday] was very good, in company nice and easy, like he likes to do. His final work will be next Saturday here, and then we're going to ship him either that Monday or Tuesday.”

Third in the 2021 GI Breeders' Cup Mile, Ivar was second in last year's GI Woodbine Mile and GI Coolmore Turf Mile before ending the year with a fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland in his most recent start.

“I think his race was very good,” Lobo said of the 2022 Breeders' Cup Mile won by European standout Modern Games. “He lost to a very top horse. Javier Castellano was riding him for the first time. He rode a very good race, and since then we've pointed for the Pegasus Turf and we've never missed a day and never had a bad day. Everything that we planned is happening, no problems.”

Lobo said Justify My Love (Brz) (Agnes Gold {Jpn}), like Ivar owned by Bonne Chance Farm LLC and breeder Stud RDI LLC, will compete in the GI Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Invitational on the Jan. 28 undercard.

Justify My Love was a Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed in Argentina before being sent to Lobo last year. Off a nine-month layoff, she was sixth in her first two starts before capturing a Churchill Downs' turf allowance race Nov. 19 in her most recent start.

“She's a very nice filly,” Lobo said. “It took a little while for her to adjust here, but she had a very nice win at Churchill Downs. She's in top form now, physically and mentally. I think she'll run well over there. The race is very tough, but I think she's going to enjoy a mile and an eighth. She's training super, this filly. Super.”

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Into Mischief Fillies Put on a Show in Sugar Swirl

Center Aisle (Into Mischief) and 'TDN Rising Star' Frank's Rockette (Into Mischief) ran hard every step of the way in Saturday's six-furlong GIII Sugar Swirl S. at Gulfstream, and, after throwing down in the stretch, it was the former coming away with a hard-fought, one-length victory for a career high.

Perched four-wide beneath Luis Saez as four of them lined up–including favored MGSW & MGISP Frank's Rockette who was racing under fire in between runners–through an opening quarter in a sharp :21.72, Center Aisle poked a head in front approaching the quarter pole.

The classy duo emerged clear from the field of eight as they straightened for home, and, after putting on a nice show down the lane, the 2-1 second-choice Center Aisle edged clear late from her ultra-game rival in a race that didn't deserve a loser.

Center Aisle, a sharp debut winner at Gulfstream for Chad Brown last March, completed the trifecta behind Frank's Rockette in last term's GIII Victory Ride S. at Belmont as well as the GII Prioress S. at Saratoga. Transferred to Paulo Lobo for her 4-year-old campaign, the bay scored in front-running fashion in her first two tries this season–a sloppy Keeneland allowance Oct. 15 over a next-out winner and an optional claimer at Churchill Downs last time Nov. 20, respectively.

Lobo said that the plan is to send Center Aisle back to Kentucky for a freshening before returning to South Florida for the seven-furlong GII Inside Information S. at Gulfstream Jan. 29.

“She was coming into this race ready from two very nice races,” Lobo said. “She's a very special mare. I think she has a bright future. I felt good because the body language of Saez, she looked very comfortable outside and when they came home, my feeling was very good.”

Saez added, “The other filly was running pretty fast. But I had a lot of horse, and we came to the top of the stretch, she gave me another kick. At that point, we knew we had horse to fight, and she did it. She did it pretty impressively.”

Pedigree Notes:

Center Aisle, a $1.5-million FTFMAR purchase by Larry Best's OXO Equine and the highest-priced filly out of that sale after breezing a quarter in a powerful :20 3/5, becomes the 105th stakes winner/46th graded stakes winner for her all-conquering sire Into Mischief. She becomes the 65th stakes winner/29th graded winner for her late broodmare sire Empire Maker.

The Into Mischief/Empire Maker cross is also responsible for GI TVG.com Haskell S. winner via disqualification and GI Kentucky Derby runner-up Mandaloun.

Juddmonte homebred Specification, a maiden of two career starts, produced a colt by Goldencents this year and was bred back to Vino Rosso.

The winner's dam is a half-sister to dual GI Pacific Classic winner Skimming (Nureyev). She is out of five-time graded stakes victress Skimble (Lyphard).

Specification was a $37,000 Keeneland November purchase by Todd and Shawn Hansen in 2017 when followed into the ring by then-weanling Center Aisle.

Saturday, Gulfstream
SUGAR SWIRL S.-GIII, $100,000, Gulfstream, 12-18, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:09.54, ft.
1–CENTER AISLE, 120, f, 4, by Into Mischief
                1st Dam: Specification, by Empire Maker
                2nd Dam: Skimble, by Lyphard
                3rd Dam: Nimble Folly, by Cyane
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($165,000
Wlg '17 KEENOV; $450,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP; $1,500,000 2yo
'19 FTFMAR). O-OXO Equine LLC; B-Breffni Farm (KY);
T-Paulo H. Lobo; J-Luis Saez. $60,140. Lifetime Record:
8-4-0-3, $263,190. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Frank's Rockette, 122, f, 4, Into Mischief–Rocket
Twentyone, by Indian Charlie. 'TDN Rising Star' O-Frank
Fletcher Racing Operations, Inc.; B-Frank Fletcher (KY);
T-William I. Mott. $19,400.
3–Bronx Beauty, 120, m, 6, Liaison–Forever Sunshine, by
Rockport Harbor. ($250,000 6yo '21 KEENOV). O-Breeze
Easy, LLC; B-Blackstone Farm LLC (PA); T-Anthony R.
Margotta, Jr. $9,700.
Margins: 1, 5, 2. Odds: 2.10, 1.10, 6.40.
Also Ran: Music City Star, Loriloupies, Sosua, Quinoa Tifah, Compensate. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Center Aisle Much The Best In Sugar Swirl, Earns First Stakes Victory

Center Aisle stalked a quick pace over six furlongs at Gulfstream Park and dueled with Frank's Rockette down the stretch to take the Grade 3 Sugar Swirl by a length. After two in-the-money finishes in other graded stakes races, the daughter of Into Mischief breaks through to win her first graded stakes.

Loriloupies was quickest out of the gate at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track, setting early fractions of :21.72 for the quarter mile and :44.18 for a half mile. She was part of a four-across quartet of Frank's Rockette, Center Aisle, and Quinoa Tifah down the backstretch and into the race's only turn. As they straightened for home, Center Aisle and Frank's Rockette began to separate themselves from the field, dueling down the Gulfstream straight.

The two fillies were head to head throughout the stretch run, but Center Aisle was able to pull away from Frank's Rockette to win by a length. Bronx Beauty was third.

The final time was 1:09.54. Find this race's chart here.

Center Aisle paid $6.20, $2.80, and $2.60. Frank's Rockette paid $2.60 and $2.20. Bronx Beauty paid $2.80.

Bred in Kentucky by Breffni Farm, Center Aisle is by Into Mischief out of the Empire Maker mare Specification. She is owned by OXO Equine LLC and trained by Paulo Lobo. The filly was consigned by Tom McCrocklin and purchased by her owners for $1.5 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale. With her win in the G3 Sugar Swirl, the 4-year-old filly has three wins in three starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of four wins in eight starts and career earnings of

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