Pegasus World Cup | Horse Racing Free Tips

Pegasus World Cup Invitations Point To Knicks Go, Life Is Good Showdown

Defending champion and projected 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go, Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Life Is Good, and undefeated Malibu (G1) winner Flightline highlight a list of 19 horses invited to compete in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Saturday, Jan. 29, at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

A total of seven graded stakes worth $5.2 million in purses will be offered on Pegasus Day, led by the return of the Pegasus World Cup (G1) and $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) and the debut of the $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G3).

All three races are for 4-year-olds and up. The Pegasus World Cup and Pegasus Turf are both contested at 1 1/8 miles while the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf, previously run as the Marshua's River, will be run at 1 1/16 miles.

Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go ended 2021 on a four-race win streak, all in graded-stakes, including the Whitney (G1) and Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). Winner of the 2020 Dirt Mile, he began last year with an emphatic 2 ¾-length triumph in the Pegasus World Cup and is seeking to become its first repeat champion.

Also among invitees to the Pegasus World Cup from the barn of trainer Brad Cox are Concert Tour and Mandaloun. Gary and Mary West homebred Concert Tour won the San Vicente (G2) and Rebel (G2) in 2021 but has not raced since finishing ninth in the Preakness (G1), all for previous trainer Bob Baffert. Juddmonte homebred Mandaloun ran second to Medina Spirit in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and is also coming off a layoff following his triumph in the Haskell (G1).

WinStar Farm's and CHC Inc.'s and Life Is Good was dominant in a front-running 5 ¾-length victory in the Dirt Mile Nov. 6 at Del Mar, his fifth win from six career starts and first Grade 1 after triumphs in the Kelso (G2), San Felipe (G2) and Sham (G3) last year. He has been breezing regularly since mid-December in South Florida for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

“Life Is Good we've been pointing for the Pegasus since the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. He got a short freshening at WinStar and he's come in with that as our goal,” Pletcher said. “Everything has gone according to plan. He's never run at Gulfstream, but he's the kind of horse where his style should suit Gulfstream well.”

Other Pletcher-trained horses on the Pegasus World Cup invite list are Dr Post, Fearless and Happy Saver. St. Elias Stable's Dr Post is a two-time Grade 3 winner that is 2-0 at Gulfstream including the 2020 Unbridled; Repole Stable's Fearless exits a victory in Gulfstream's Harlan's Holiday (G3) Dec. 18; and Wertheimer and Frere homebred Happy Saver won the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) as a 3-year-old in 2020 then ran second in defense of his title as well as the Nov. 24 Clark (G1).

The $150,000 Fred W. Hooper (G3) for 4-year-olds and up going one mile on the main track as part of the undercard is also an alternative.

“Not sure who else we could potentially have for it. We're kind of waiting to see how Dr Post and Happy Saver and Fearless train. We also have the mile race that day on the dirt as an option for those horses,” Pletcher said. “We're also considering maybe Happy Saver going to Saudi, so we're just kind of, as always, seeing how everyone's training and how they're coming up to these.”

Undefeated Malibu (G1) winner Flightline, trainer by John Sadler, has raced only three times but has won those races by a combined 37 ½ lengths while being hand ridden to the finish line in each. Sadler has not announced any plans for Flightline's next race.

Completing the Pegasus World Cup invitations are 2019 American Pharoah (G1) winner Eight Rings; multiple graded-stakes winner Express Train; 2021 Pat O'Brien (G2) winner Ginobili; millionaire 2021 Lecomte (G3) winner Midnight Bourbon; 2019 Belmont (G1) winner Sir Winston and 2021 Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Super Stock.

Concert Tour, Endorsed and Fearless are among the invitees on the also-eligible list, along with Chess Chief, Officiating, Stilleto Boy and Title Ready.

$3 MILLION PEGASUS WORLD CUP (G1) INVITATIONS

Dr Post
Eight Rings
Express Train
Flightline
Ginobili
Happy Saver
Knicks Go
Life Is Good
Mandaloun
Midnight Bourbon
Sir Winston
Super Stock

AE – Chess Chief
AE – Concert Tour
AE – Endorsed
AE – Fearless
AE – Officiating
AE – Stilleto Boy
AE – Title Ready

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Gulfstream Releases Invitations For Pegasus World Cup Turf, New Filly & Mare Turf

Defending champion Colonel Liam and fellow Grade 1 winners Channel Cat, Hit the Road, Point Me By and Two Emmys are among 18 horses invited to the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) Saturday, Jan. 29 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

A total of seven graded stakes worth $5.2 million in purses will be offered on Pegasus Day, led by the return of the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) and Pegasus World Cup Turf and the debut of the $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G3).

All three races are for 4-year-olds and up. The Pegasus World Cup and Pegasus Turf are both contested at 1 1/8 miles while the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf, previously known as the Marshua's River, will be run at 1 1/16 miles.

Robert and Lawana Low's Colonel Liam won the Tropical Park Derby during the 2020-'21 Championship Meet as a prelude to his Pegasus Turf victory by a neck over stablemate Largent. Colonel Liam went on to win the Muniz Memorial (G2) and Turf Classic (G1) and was eighth in last June's Manhattan (G1) in his most recent start.

“We've kind of had in mind that our best approach for him to try and defend his Turf title is just to train up to it. He had some time off and he's a horse that we think will run well fresh,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He's put enough into his training that hopefully we can have him ready to run a good race off the layoff.”

Largent and Never Surprised are also on the list of Pegasus Turf invitees. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Twin Creeks Racing Stables' Largent won the 2020 Fort Lauderdale (G2) as a prep for the Pegasus Turf and went unraced until finishing fourth in the Jan. 8 Tropical Turf (G3) at Gulfstream. Repole Stable's Never Surprised, placed in three graded-stakes, became a three-time stakes winner with his triumph in Gulfstream's Tropical Park Derby Dec. 26.

“Never Surprised, we were happy with his race over the course. It's kind of similar to what Colonel Liam did last year, going from the Tropical Derby to the Pegasus,” Pletcher said.

Trainer Mike Maker won the 2020 Pegasus Turf with Zulu Alpha, and four of his horses are among the invitee list – Atone, Cross Border, Field Pass and Flavius. Three Diamonds Farm owns Atone, runner-up in the Dec. 18 Fort Lauderdale, and multiple graded-stakes winners Cross Border, third in the 2020 Pegasus Turf, and Field Pass. Maker recently added Flavius, a stakes winner in the U.S. and Europe.

Also invited to the Pegasus Turf are Grade 1-winning millionaire Channel Cat; Fort Lauderdale winner Doswell; 2021 Frank Kilroe Mile (G1) winner Hit the Road; two-time Grade 2 winner March to the Arch; 2021 Bruce D. (G1) winner Point Me By; Irish Group 2 winner Space Traveller, fourth in the Fort Lauderdale; 2021 Mr. D. (G1) winner Two Emmys; and Sacred Life, a Grade 3 winner in the U.S. and France trained by Chad Brown, who won the 2019 Pegasus Turf with Bricks and Mortar en route to Horse of the Year honors.

Atone and Space Traveller are joined on the also-eligible list by Bob and Jackie, English Bee, Flavius and Law Professor.

Four G1 Winners Among Invites for Inaugural Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G3)
Grade 1 winners Abscond, Lady Speightspeare, Mucho Unusual and Regal Glory top 15 horses invited to the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf. Abscond in 2019 and Lady Speightspeare in 2020 captured the Natalma at Woodbine; Mucho Unusual won the 2020 Rodeo Drive and Regal Glory won the Matriarch Nov. 28 at Santa Anita to cap her 2021 campaign.

Also on the invite list is Robert and Lawana Low's Sweet Melania, who earned her third career graded-stakes triumph in the Dec. 18 Suwannee River (G3) at Gulfstream. She also shares the shedrow for Pletcher, who joins Richard Baltas (Ginobili, Bob and Jackie, Bodhicitta) as the only trainers with invitees in all three races.

“We plan to run Sweet Melania in there. She ran good in her last start and it's good timing for her to come back. She's really come out of that race in sharp form, so that's what we're thinking there,” Pletcher said. “Fingers crossed, [20] days out, we've got some chances. We'll hope everything goes smoothly.”

Rounding out the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf invitees are two-time Grade 3 winner Alms; 2020 Yellow Ribbon (G2) winner Bodhicitta; 2021 Edgewood (G2) winner Gift List; 2021 American Oaks (G1) runner-up Nicest; multiple graded-stakes winner Princess Grace; 2021 Noble Damsel (G3) winner Shifty She; 2021 Dowager (G3) winner Summer in Saratoga; and In a Hurry, third to Sweet Melania in the Suwannee River.

The also-eligible list includes Abscond, Bipartisanship and Burgoo Alley.

$1 MILLION PEGASUS WORLD CUP TURF (G1) INVITATIONS

Chanel Cat
Colonel Liam
Cross Border
Doswell
Field Pass
Hit the Road
Largent
March to the Arch
Never Surprised
Point Me By
Sacred Life (FR)
Two Emmys

AE – Atone
AE – Bob and Jackie
AE – English Bee
AE – Flavius
AE – Law Professor
AE – Space Traveller (GB)

$500,000 PEGASUS FILLY & MARE TURF (G3) INVITATIONS

Alms
Bodhicitta (GB)
Gift List (GB)
In a Hurry
Lady Speightspeare
Macho Unusual
Nicest (IRE)
Princess Grace
Regal Glory
Shifty She
Summer in Saratoga
Sweet Melania

AE – Abscond
AE – Bipartisanship (GB)
AE – Burgoo Alley (IRE)

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Rosario Set to Join Oaklawn Jockey Colony Friday

The favorite to land an Eclipse Award as the country's outstanding jockey of 2021 will begin his 2022 push at Oaklawn.

Joel Rosario is named on seven horses Friday, which will mark his first day as a regular in Hot Springs and first action since suffering a hairline fracture of a rib when he was unseated shortly after the finish of a Dec. 2 race at Aqueduct.

Rosario ($32,944,478) was eyeing a single-season North American record for purse earnings before the injury. Now healthy, Rosario's return to the saddle will fall on his 37th birthday.

“He takes care of himself like no one, probably, you've ever met,” Rosario's agent, Ron Anderson, said Saturday afternoon. “He's exceptionally fit … his lady friend is a nutritionist. She's taught him how to take care of his weight, what to eat, what not to eat. He's ready to go at all times. It will be six weeks since he fell and he had a hairline fracture. It's time to get started again.”

All seven horses Rosario is named on Friday are for Hall of Famer and perennial Oaklawn training champion Steve Asmussen. Rosario and Asmussen teamed to win the $2-million GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Nov. 5 at Del Mar with unbeaten Echo Zulu (Gun Runner). Rosario won the $6-million GI Breeders' Cup Classic the following day aboard Knicks Go for trainer Brad Cox.

Cox (12 victories) and Asmussen (11) entered Sunday leading the 2021-2022 Oaklawn trainer standings. Coupled with Oaklawn's purse structure, the highest in the country this winter, Anderson said Oaklawn is a perfect fit for Rosario, who has enjoyed immense success in Hot Springs, particularly in 2020. Rosario wintered last year at Santa Anita, but Anderson has Hall of Famer John Velazquez there in 2022. Velazquez's major client is Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

“We have success for two guys that are 1-2 and 2-1 there,” Anderson said, referring to Oaklawn. “The winter in California's not quite the same as it used to be. Just looking for a change. So, Brad we've won for; Steve, we've won for. We've won a Breeders' Cup for both of them. It's three days a week and the purses are fantastic. It's a good place to go for a change. I have Johnny, too, and Johnny's in California, per Bob's request. Sometimes, it's just the flow of the way things feel. Johnny won the last two Kentucky Derbys for Bob. Bob would like him to come out there. Joel won the Breeders' Cups for Brad and Steve. They're kind of the kingpins at Oaklawn. The purses are big. Joel doesn't mind it there. He likes it.”

Rosario rode six days during the final weeks of Oaklawn's 2020 meeting and won 15 races, including the $150,000 Oaklawn Mile S. aboard Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike) for trainer Al Stall, $100,000 Rainbow S. aboard Man in the Can (Can the Man) for trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs, $165,000 Arkansas Breeders' Championship S. aboard Man in the Can and the second division of the $500,000 GI Arkansas Derby aboard Nadal (Blame) for Baffert.

Coupled with a double in March, including the $1-million GII Rebel S. aboard Nadal, Rosario finished with a spectacular 17-10-7 record from just 45 mounts and amassed $2,030,576 in purse earnings. Rosario ranked second in stakes victories at the meet (five), fourth in purse earnings and 11th in victories–just one shy of cracking the top 10–with an eye-popping 38% strike rate. Rosario added three more stakes victories at the 2021 Oaklawn meeting, including the Rebel for Baffert aboard Concert Tour (Street Sense).

Anderson said Rosario is booked to ride Concert Tour in the $150,000 Fifth Season S. for older horses Jan. 15 at Oaklawn, a 1-mile race that would mark the colt's first start for Cox. Rosario and Cox are scheduled to team up again Jan. 29 at Gulfstream Park when Knicks Go makes his final career start in the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S..

“World-class rider,” Cox said Saturday afternoon. “I mean, it's no secret about that. He's a very good all-around rider and very happy that he's going to be there during the meet. Looking forward to him teaming up with Knicks Go again in the Pegasus and go from there.”

Anderson said Rosario is scheduled to ride regularly at Oaklawn until at least early April. Rosario has 28 career Oaklawn victories, including 12 stakes, with his mounts earning $4,979,104. In addition to Nadal, Rosario won the $200,000 GII Azeri S. and $600,000 GI Apple Blossom H. in 2014 aboard eventual champion Close Hatches (First Defence) for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Rosario rode his first winner in the United States in 2006. He has more than 3,000 career victories, including 15 in Breeders' Cup races and three in Triple Crown events, and his mounts have earned more than $250 million.

In addition to purse earnings, Rosario led the country in stakes victories (69) and graded stakes victories (49) in 2021, according to Equibase. Rosario is seeking his first Eclipse Award.

“Look, like I tell people, he's a world-class rider,” Anderson said. “He could go anywhere in the world and be competitive. Lucky enough we come in there and we ride for Steve right away. Got some calls with Brad, got some calls with Moquett and some other people. We'll get back with it here.”

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Pletcher: Life Is Good ‘Continues To Train Very Impressively’ For Pegasus

CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm's Life Is Good, dominant winner of the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) in his most recent start, continues to train forwardly toward his 4-year-old debut in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 29 at Gulfstream Park.

The return of the Pegasus World Cup and $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) and debut of the $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G3) headline a Pegasus Day program featuring seven graded-stakes worth $5.2 million in purses. All three Pegasus races are for older horses.

Life Is Good was among two dozen horses breezing for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher Saturday morning at Palm Beach Downs. The Into Mischief colt was clocked 1:00.41 for five furlongs, fifth-fastest of 11 horses.

“He's a phenomenal workhorse. He's a very talented, gifted animal that when you watch him breeze you kind of look at your stopwatch and it doesn't look like what you'd expect to see when he's doing it. He's doing it so easily,” Pletcher said. “He continues to train very impressively. We're three weeks out and we're happy with where we are.”

Fellow Pegasus World Cup candidate Fearless worked a half-mile in 50.04 seconds Saturday. Repole Stable's Fearless exits a four-length victory in the Harlan's Holiday (G3) Dec. 18 at Gulfstream, where he also won the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) last February.

Among the stakes on the Pegasus undercard is the $150,000 Fred W. Hooper (G3) for 4-year-olds and up going one mile on the main track.

“Fearless continues to train really well. Happy with him,” Pletcher said. “We haven't decided. I talked to Mike Repole and right now we're leaning toward the mile race that day on the undercard.”

Pegasus Turf candidates Colonel Liam and Never Surprised were also on Saturday's work tab. Robert and Lawana Low's Colonel Liam, the defending champion, went five furlongs in 1:00.46 while Never Surprised, winner of the Dec. 26 Tropical Turf at Gulfstream, had a half-mile move in 51.01 seconds.

The Lows also own Sweet Melania, who earned her third career graded-stakes triumph in the Dec. 18 Suwannee River (G3) Dec. 18 at Gulfstream and is being pointed to the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf. The American Pharoah mare worked four furlongs in 50.32 seconds.

“Colonel Liam, very good breeze with him again this morning. We're on a tight schedule, but everything has gone right so far and I think we're approaching the race the way you'd hope. Never Surprised bounced out of the Tropical Derby very well, just a maintenance breeze this morning. Happy with him,” Pletcher said. “Sweet Melania, she was good this morning, too. So far, everything's gone according to plan.”

Pletcher said Donegal Racing's Mo Donegal, last out winner of the Dec. 4 Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct, will make his sophomore debut in the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3) Feb. 5, Gulfstream's next stop for 3-year-olds on the road to the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 2.

Mo Donegal worked five furlongs in 1:00.46 Saturday at Palm Meadows, his third breeze since arriving in South Florida.

“Very good work, happy with him,” Pletcher said. “He's right on schedule for the Holy Bull.”

Pletcher also provided an update on WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's Emmanuel, a 3-year-old More Than Ready colt that debuted with a front-running 6 ¾-length triumph in a one-mile maiden special weight Dec. 11 at Gulfstream. He was scratched from a one-mile, 40-yard optional claiming allowance Friday at Tampa Bay Downs.

“He spiked a 102.5 temperature the morning after we entered,” Pletcher said. “It's kind of frustrating. We were kind of hoping to get some two-turn experience at Tampa. He's fine, he's going back to the track tomorrow. Now we've just got to regroup and find out we're going to come back.”

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