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Global Campaign Remains Under Pegasus World Cup Consideration After Breeders’ Cup Classic Third

Grade 1 winner Global Campaign was aboard a van to WinStar Farm Sunday morning with Improbable and Tom's d'Etat, each with plans to enter stud at the Versailles, Ky., farm in 2021. Unlike the others, though, Global Campaign's first steps off the trailer might end up being for a layover instead of a final destination.

Elliott Walden, WinStar's president, CEO, and racing manager, said the 4-year-old Curlin colt will be assessed during his time at the farm, and he could return to the barn of trainer Stanley Hough in seven to 10 days to prepare for a final start in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes on Jan. 23. Though the final decision will be made following the assessment period, Walden said he was “leaning that way” toward sending him back into training.

Global Campaign finished third in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland on Saturday, capping off a 2020 campaign that has included wins in the G1 Woodward Handicap and G3 Monmouth Stakes. WinStar bred the colt, and owns him in partnership with Sagamore Racing.

Walden said Global Campaign's connections entered the Classic with different long-term plans depending on his performance in the race. He also said the early shape of the potential Pegasus field might play well into the upward trajectory of Global Campaign's development.

“If he'd won the Classic, he'd probably been retired, if he'd ran poorly, he'd be retired, but if he ran a good race without winning, we would consider the possibility [of the Pegasus], and that's exactly what happened,” he said. “With Improbable retiring, and I don't know what Authentic's going to do, but he showed himself [in the Classic]. That was a deep, deep Classic field, one of the deepest we've had in a long time. Global Campaign really ran well. Stan Hough told me he was going to run well, told me he was going to outrun his odds.”

Should Global Campaign be given the green light to try for the Pegasus, Walden said he would join Hough's barn wherever he's needed, most likely going to Palm Meadows Training Center in south Florida.

Global Campaign has won six of 10 career starts for earnings of $1,321,080, also including last year's G2 Peter Pan Stakes.

“He's had a big year,” Walden said. “He's won three out of five, with a win in the Woodward and he won going seven-eighths (an optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park on April 25). When he ran the first start of the year in that seven-eighths allowance race, and he ran extremely fast, that's when we said we wanted to stand him, no matter what happens. We made a deal with Kevin [Plank, owner of Sagamore Racing] to do that. We'd owned a piece of him, but we bought up to make that happen.”

Global Campaign's 2021 stud fee is still to be determined.

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Key Takeaways from the 2020 Breeders’ Cup

Tom Pedulla presents five key takeaways from the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which featured 14 races worth $31 million in purses and awards.

Good With People Wins Golden State Juvenile At Del Mar

Jockey Ricardo (“Ricky”) Gonzalez and trainer Peter Miller did the déjà vu all over again thing Saturday at Del Mar, this time winning the $150,000 Golden State Juvenile with J. Kirk and Judy Robison's Good With People. On Friday, they won the $150,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies with September Secret.

Good With People, a colt by the Curlin sire Curlin to Mischief, made the lead in Saturday's seven-panel sprint soon after the break, then easily made every pole his. He was a geared-down three-quarter length winner, covering the distance in 1:26.10. The homebred picked up a winner's share of $85,500 for his connections.

Finishing second in the Cal-bred tilt was Winner, Winner and Winner's Positivity and third was West Point Thoroughbred's Ascot Storm.

Good With People paid $6.20, $3.60 and $2.80 across the board. Positivity returned $4.60 and $3.20, while Ascot Storm paid $3.00 to show.

Good With People now has won three of five starts, including an earlier stakes score at Del Mar on September 4 in the I'm Smokin Stakes.

Three jockeys won two races on the eight-race Saturday program that was offered at Del Mar around the nine Breeders' Cup races televised during the day from Keeneland in Lexington, KY. Abel Cedillo, the 2019 fall riding champ, had a pair to move his meet-leading total to eight after four days of racing. Drayden Van Dyke, the 2018 fall riding kingpin, won his first two races of the meet, and Tyler Baze's pair of victories moved him into a second-place tie with Mike Smith with four wins.

Racing resumes at Del Mar Sunday with an eight-race program and a 12:30 p.m. first post.

RICARDO (“RICKY”) GONZALEZ (Good With People, winner) – “I like this, winning stakes. (He had won the Golden State Juvenile Fillies Friday, his first stakes win at Del Mar). This time Peter (trainer Miller, also the trainer of GS Juvenile Fillies winner September Secret) told me: 'Go to the front and don't look back.' I did it and it worked out great.”

PETER MILLER (Good With People, winner) – Trainer Miller was in Kentucky saddling Breeders' Cup runners and could not be reached by phone.

FRACTIONS: :22.56 :46.24 1:12.30 1:26.10

The stakes win was the first in the GS Juvenile for rider Gonzalez, but his second of the meet and second at Del Mar.

The stakes win was the first in the GS Juvenile for trainer Miller, but his second of the meet. He now has 37 stakes wins at Del Mar.

The winning owners are J. Kirk and Judy Robison of El Paso, TX.

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Casse, Rafael Hernandez Team Up For Graded Stakes Double At Woodbine

Woodbine's meet-leading trainer Mark Casse teamed up with jockey Rafael Hernandez to sweep Saturday's graded stakes action at the Toronto, Ontario, oval.

Three-year-old filly Heavenly Curlin continued her winning momentum when facing stakes company for the first time in the co-featured $125,000 Maple Leaf Stakes (Grade 3).

With Hernandez picking up the mount, Heavenly Curlin trounced her older rivals with ease, launching her attack from the backfield on the final turn and drawing away by 5 3/4 lengths. Her winning time was 2:03.24 over 1 1/4 miles on the Tapeta.

Auntie Katherine and Juliana traded turns on the lead through fractions of :23.93, :48.79 and 1:13.04 before Heavenly Curlin moved into contention as they raced past the mile mark in 1:37.91. She took command as the fillies and mares headed into the homestretch en route to her third straight victory.

After posting a pair of wins over 1 1/16 miles on the Tapeta, Heavenly Curlin was sent postward as the 5-2 second choice and returned $7.60 to win. Art of Almost, the 2-1 favorite, settled for second-place honors after closing from mid-pack while Peace Seeker rode the rail to finish 1 1/4 lengths back in third after tracking the pacesetters.

Multiple graded stakes winner Elizabeth Way was fourth with Juliana, Gun Society, the winner's stablemate Tappitty Tappitty, A Broken Breeze, Silent Tango and Auntie Katherine completing the order of finish.

“There was too much speed in the race, so the main thing was getting her relaxed,” said Hernandez of the winning trip. “We just sat behind the 10 [Art of Almost] and when we turned for home, I just put her in the clear. She was doing her thing and just rolling down the lane.”

Owned by Gary Barber and John Oxley, the lightly-raced Kentucky-bred daughter of Curlin is now three-for-five in her career and boasts a perfect three-race Woodbine record.

Team Casse struck again two races later in the $175,000 Autumn, as Skywire went from last to first in the Grade 2 main track stakes event for horses three years old and up over 1 1/16 miles.

After a first quarter in :24.21, Skywire was trailing the field – reduced to five starters following the scratch of the Casse-trained Dream Maker.

It was another stablemate, the favored Salute With Honor, who controlled the pace after crossing to command before the first turn. Fresh off his Grade 3 Durham Cup triumph last month, Salute With Honor continued to lead through a half-mile in :48.10 before Armistice Day headed him past the 1:11.85 three-quarters mark.

However, Skywire had improved to third down the backside and rallied three-wide on the final turn as Armistice Day took the lead. They battled briefly down the lane before Skywire surged by to score in 1:42.70 by 1 3/4 lengths. Armistice Day stayed for second while Timeskip, who was denied racing room between rivals down the lane, finished third after moving inside. Vanzzy was fourth while Salute With Honor faded to fifth.

Skywire, winner of the Grade 2 Eclipse over the same course and distance this summer, paid $6.70 as the 2-1 second pick. He entered the Autumn after putting forth a strong rally to finish one-length behind Salute With Honor in the Durham Cup.

“Last time, we were stuck inside and by the time he was clear and started running, it was too late, but today I made sure he had a clear path the whole way and you see the results,” said Hernandez, who knew turning for home it was his race to win. “Every time he switches leads, he gives you another gear. When he switched leads, I thought, that's it. If they're going to beat me, they have to come running because my horse was running.”

Bred in Ontario by the late Bill Graham, the 4-year-old son of Afleet Alex now has five wins to go along with three seconds from 14 starts lifetime.

Gary Barber celebrated a Saturday stakes double at Woodbine as co-owner of the Autumn champ with Lou Tucci.

With a training triple on the 12-race card, Casse moved within three wins of joining the 3,000-win club.

Live Thoroughbred racing resumes at Woodbine Racetrack on Sunday, with post time set for 1:25 p.m. Please note new post times are in effect for the remainder of the meet with live racing four days a week on Thursdays (2:25 p.m.), Fridays (4:45 p.m.), Saturdays (1:25 p.m.) and Sundays (1:25 p.m.).

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