Pegasus | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Too Black Too Fast’: Art Celebrating African American Jockeys Will Be On Display At Pegasus

As part of the 2022 Pegasus World Cup, Baccarat presents “Too Black Too Fast,” a curated art exhibition that celebrates the history and contribution of African American jockeys in Thoroughbred horse racing through visual art and portraiture. Leading up to the 2022 Pegasus World Cup and in advance of Black History Month, “Too Black Too Fast” debuted on Saturday, Jan. 22, and will run until mid-February 2022 at the Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami, Fla. The exhibit will be available for public viewing every Thursday to Sunday from noon until 6:00 P.M. Admission is free.

In addition, pieces from the exhibit will also be on display at Gulfstream Park during the Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 29.

With multimedia pieces from sculptor George Nock and visual artist Michael J. McBride, the exhibit tells the story of Black jockeys, who played an integral role in the history of Thoroughbred horse racing. More than 200 years before Jackie Robinson took to the baseball field, Black jockeys dominated the “Sport of Kings.” As enslaved men, they were the ones who knew the horses best, so they were the original trainers and jockeys. Though slavery had been abolished by the time the Kentucky Derby first ran, 13 of the 15 jockeys in the inaugural race in 1875 were African American, and African Americans won 15 of the first 28 runnings (of the Kentucky Derby).

“In advance of the Pegasus World Cup and Black History Month, we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Baccarat, the Historic Ward Rooming House in Overtown and “Too Black Too Fast” to commemorate, celebrate and share the important and often untold story of Black jockeys and their role in Thoroughbred horse racing,” said Jimmy Vargas, CEO, 1/ST EXPERIENCE.

“As a proud sponsor of the Pegasus World Cup, Baccarat is honored to partner with the Historic Ward Rooming House to present “Too Black Too Fast”. The exhibit is just one retrospective of the many untold stories of black excellence in America. The hardship and the courage of these black jockeys is unmeasurable. Even today, these jockeys hold records and set the standard for all jockeys in the industry, yet we don't hear of their accomplishments. Baccarat is grateful to have the opportunity to help tell their story, as these athletes played an integral part in our history,” said Jim Shreve, Baccarat President and CEO of North America.

“American Sport has transformed the world in many ways, so it's an honor to present an art exhibition that tells the story of the legacy of early American jockeys. It's an honor to showcase amazing stories of unsung heroes, America's first professional athletes. McBride's, and Nock's art is not just insightful aesthetically, but the research they performed to create these images must have been a labor of love,” said Chris Norwood of Hampton Art Lovers at the Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery.

“I am very honored to have my work featured as part of the Pegasus World Cup. Having an opportunity to present African American achievements in Thoroughbred horse racing is very important to me. This is an opportunity for the world to see via artistic visuals of the accomplishments of these individuals,” said “Too Black Too Fast” artist Michael McBride.

“The ability to use art as canvas for telling great unknown stories of Americans of color for the last fifteen years has been the most rewarding experience of my life. I hope South Florida truly enjoys what we plan to present in celebrating the 2022 Pegasus World Cup,” said “Too Black Too Fast” Executive Producer, Derell Stinson.

The “Too Black Too Fast” exhibit is currently touring with 40 paintings and 25 bronze sculptures. The Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery is located at 249 NW 9th St. in Overtown.

For more information visit www.pegasusworldcup.com or follow Pegasus World Cup on socials @PegasusWorldCup.

The post ‘Too Black Too Fast’: Art Celebrating African American Jockeys Will Be On Display At Pegasus appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Shifty She Faces Toughest Challenge Yet In Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf

Fully recovered from a career-threatening injury that cost her all of 2020, Shifty She, with her distinctive name and background, is ready for a stern test Saturday in the inaugural running of the TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Presented by PEPSI (G3) at Gulfstream Park.

Peter Brant's Grade 1 winner Regal Glory, trained by Chad Brown, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the 1 1/16 miles turf test that drew a field of 11 stakes runners. Regal Glory will start from Post No. 4 with jockey Jose Ortiz. The lineup includes Robert amd Lawana Low's Sweet Melania, who edged Shifty She in the Suwannee River (G3) on Dec. 18, and Team Valor's Irish-bred Wakanaka, who will make her U.S. debut.

The $500,000 Filly and Mare Turf is the newest addition to Gulfstream Park's program of seven graded stakes topped by the sixth running of the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) present by 1/ST Bet.

Shifty She, a Florida-bred daughter of Gone Astray, had won three of four starts as a 3-year-old in 2019 before going to the sidelines with a tendon injury.

“In this game you have to be very patient and I'm a very patient guy,” said Chris Pallas, who is the mare's co-breeder and co-owner.

Pallas credits the vets at Ocala Equine with the treatment that enabled her to resume her career.

“We got her back and she is just a pleasure to be around,” he said. “She's just a very smooth horse. When you watch her, she glides over the grass. She's very graceful and she loves what she's doing. That's really her mindset. She's all about the business and she loves to run.”

Since her return in April with new trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., the speedy daughter of Gone Astray has a record of 3-1-1 from seven starts, topped by a victory in the Noble Damsel (G3) on Oct. 23 at Belmont Park.

Chris Pallas and his brother-in-law George Klein bred the mare and Pallas is a co-owner in Pedigree Partners. Pallas and Klein were given the unraced broodmare Perilous Hope and they followed their plan to have the Phipps family mare Pure Profit on both sides of Shifty She's pedigree. Pure Profit's daughter, Educated Risk, is the third dam of Perilous Hope and her Hall of Fame daughter, Inside Information, is the third dam of the Florida-based sire Gone Astray.

“We had won a silent auction to a season with Gone Astray so we kind of did this for practically nothing. Here we are today,” Pallas said. “This is an expensive sport and if you can match up your pedigrees you can do this fairly inexpensively and you can get pretty lucky.”

Pallas, a longtime Fort Lauderdale resident, said there was a similar breeding approach with the graded-stakes winning sprinter Mambo Meister he co-owned from 2007 to 2012.

Shifty She – Pallas fashioned the name from her breeding – showed stakes ability while tiring and finishing fourth in her comeback race in April in an optional claimer and has been in stakes company since. At her best when on or near the lead, she led from gate to wire in the Noble Damsel.

“I was numb for three days after that. It was amazing. She had two really sharp works here and when you're an owner and you can come and watch the workouts, you learn a lot more about your horse than at a race. I knew she was ready to run. Everybody that handled her from here to Belmont was fantastic. Just being there that day, it was an overcast day, it was cool. She ran them off their feet. She just did her thing.”

Brant purchased Regal Glory for $925,000 in January of 2021 in the disbursement of the late Paul Pompa's racing stable. The daughter of Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Animal Kingdom has been trained by Brown throughout her career. Last year, she won the Plenty of Grace at Aqueduct and De La Rose at Saratoga around a fourth in the Just a Game (G1) then finished second by a half-length to stablemate Blowout in the First Lady (G1) at Keeneland. In front from the start, she picked up the coveted Grade 1 victory in the Matriarch on Nov. 28 at Del Mar.

Sweet Melania, a 5-year-old daughter of American Pharoah, was in the money four times during a seven-race winless streak going into the Suwanee River. She stayed within striking distance of pacesetting Shifty She, engaged her in the stretch and earned her third graded stakes victory by a half-length. Sweet Melania, the 5-1 second choice on the morning line, will start from the rail.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher liked what he saw Saturday when the mare worked a half-mile in :48.98 at Palm Beach Downs.

“I thought her last race was one of her best. I think she's actually coming into this one even better,” Pletcher said. “This will be a more demanding race, but she's training like she's made a move forward since the last one. Hopefully she can step up.”

Charles Fipke's homebred Lady Speightspeare won the first four starts of her career, all at Woodbine in suburban Toronto, before finishing third as the 6-5 favorite after a troubled trip in the Tropical Park Oaks on Dec. 26. The daughter of Speightstown out of the Theatrical mare Lady Shakespeare, will have a new rider with Junior Alvarado. She drew Post No. 3 and is 8-1 on the morning line.

Fortune Racing's Bipartisanship won the Tropical Park Oaks at 19-1 for trainer Graham Motion and has two wins and a third in four starts since being imported from Ireland last year. She drew the outside post and is 20-1.

Stuart Janney's homebred 5-year-old In a Hurry finished third in the Suwannee River behind Sweet Melania and Shifty She. Her regular rider Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano has the mount on the daughter of Blame, who will start from Post No. 10.

Trainer Michael McCarthy will saddle Nicest, the Irish-bred daughter of American Pharoah. She was third in the Juddmonte Irish Oaks (G1) and Ribblesdale Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot before being imported last year. In her most recent start, she was second in the off-the-turf American Oaks (G1) on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita.

Godolphin's Alms was seventh in the Suwannee River after missing by a neck in her previous start at Fair Grounds. Gift List will be making her first start for trainer Brian Lynch since finishing third as the favorite in the Wonder Again (G3) on June 3 at Belmont Park. Summer in Saratoga, trained by Joe Sharp, closed out the 2021 season with three wins in four starts. In her most recent race, she won the Blushing KD by a neck at Fair Grounds on Dec. 26.

The post Shifty She Faces Toughest Challenge Yet In Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Pegasus: Knicks Go Arrives At Gulfstream ‘Happy, Fresh And Full Of Himself’

Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go was 'full of himself' on his first morning at Gulfstream Park Tuesday since shipping from New Orleans for a title defense in Saturday's $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) presented by 1 S/T.

The Brad Cox-trained 6-year-old, widely expected to be named Horse of the Year next month, will make the final start of his career in the Pegasus World Cup, which he won last year by a dominating 2 ¾ lengths, before starting a second career as a stallion.

“He shipped in here, arrived last night about 11:30. He settled in fine last night. His temp was good. He looked good this morning walking a little bit. His energy level was really good and we decided to train him,” Cox said. “We just jogged him about a mile and a half. He went really, really good. He seemed happy, fresh and full of himself.”

Following his victory in last year's Pegasus, Knicks Go went on to establish himself as the premier older horse in North America, finishing off his 2021 campaign with a four-race winning streak, including victories in the Whitney (G1) at Saratoga and the Nov. 6 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar.

“We're trying to do what we did last year with shipping from New Orleans here. We didn't have a plane this year, but that's all good. That's not going to be an excuse. He's capable of getting on a van and taking his show on the road. He did that from Ellis to Saratoga for the Whitney the week of. It's a similar situation,” Cox said. “He certainly seems like he hasn't regressed one step from the Breeders' Cup. We're in good shape.”

In this year's Pegasus World Cup, Knicks Go, whose victories last year were accomplished with dazzling speed from gate to wire, is expected to receive a serious challenge for pacesetting duties from CHC Inc. and WinStar Farms LLC's Life Is Good, the front-running winner of the Nov. 6 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Del Mar.

Knicks Go will once again be ridden by Joel Rosario, who has been aboard the Maryland-bred son of Paynter in all 10 starts since he was transferred to Cox.

The post Pegasus: Knicks Go Arrives At Gulfstream ‘Happy, Fresh And Full Of Himself’ appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

1/ST, Ed Brown Society Team Up for Internship Program

1/ST and the Ed Brown Society have teamed up to offer a paid internship program for African American students. Founded by Living the Dream Racing & Stables and led by Greg Harbut and Ray Daniels, the Ed Brown Society celebrates the rich history of African Americans in the equine industry and creates opportunities for young people of color to gain industry exposure, training and experience through internships and scholarships.

The multi-year commitment of $150,000 made by 1/ST will cover all costs associated with the paid internship program which will enable the Ed Brown Society to identify, recruit and place qualified minority students from both historically black colleges and universities and predominantly white institutions. Chosen interns will be compensated and will have all housing and travel expenses covered as part of the program. The Ed Brown Society will provide ongoing direction to the interns as they progress toward permanent professional placements.

The first two interns will begin their placement this spring at 1/ST RACING's Gulfstream Park. This collaborative internship program will offer African American students the opportunity to learn more about the Thoroughbred horse racing industry as they work alongside members of the experienced 1/ST team.

The program's first interns will be announced as part of the 2022 Pegasus World Cup Kick-Off Celebration taking place on Thursday at the Historic Ward Room House and Red Rooster in the Overtown neighborhood of Miami.

In addition to the internship program, 1/ST will collaborate with the Ed Brown Society to host “Ed Brown Race Days” across 1/ST RACING venues in California, Florida and Maryland to further support and promote diversity and inclusivity in the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing.

The post 1/ST, Ed Brown Society Team Up for Internship Program appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post