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Aiming for ‘Glory’ in the Pegasus F/M Turf

Since its inaugural running in 2017, the Pegasus World Cup Invitational has become one of the marquee events during Gulfstream's Championship Meeting. Its 'Turf' equivalent, which was added in 2019, was won by that season's Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar, and three years later, a division for the fairer set is added to the card, the GIII TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational S.

Formerly the Marshua's River S., the 8 1/2-furlong test for older fillies and mares features a pair of Grade I winners–morning line favorite Peter Brant's Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) and Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown), a homebred for Charles Fipke.

The former, a half-sister to MGSW Night Prowler (Giant's Causeway), is an eight-time stakes winner, including the most recent Del Mar's GI Matriarch S. Nov. 28. Last season, she also annexed the Plenty of Grace S. and De La Rose S., in addition to finishing runner-up in the GI First Lady S. The daughter of MGSW Mary's Follies was plucked out of the Paul Pompa Jr. dispersal at Keeneland last January by Brant for $925,000.

Lady Speightspeare showed her class early on, taking her career debut while becoming a 'TDN Rising Star' at Woodbine in August before taking the one-mile GI Natalma S. at that venue to cap off her 2-year-old campaign. Back on top in her sophomore reappearance while facing her elders in a Woodbine optional claimer last September, she was scratched after acting up in the gate before Keeneland's GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Oct. 16 and was scratched by her trainer Roger Attfield prior to the Oct. 29 GIII Rubicon Valley View S. Trying a synthetic surface for the first time in the seven-panel GII Bessarabian S. against older rivals at Woodbine Nov. 13, the chestnut rolled home by four lengths before finishing third behind the re-opposing Bipartisanship (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) in her final race of the season in Gulfstream's Tropical Park Oaks Dec. 26. Junior Alvarado rides the 4-year-old for the first time.

Trainer Todd Pletcher, offering very strong candidates in the other two Pegasus races, is represented in this inaugural running by Robert and Lawana Lowe's Sweet Melania (American Pharoah). The consistent filly has hit the board in 12 of 15 lifetime starts, including a recent win over the local turf course in the one-mile GIII Suwanee River S. Dec. 18. On that occasion, she defeated several horses marking their returns here, including runner-up Shifty She (Gone Astray).

“She's had six weeks since [the Suwanee River] and she's eating well, putting on a little more weight,” said Pletcher. “She's also been training very enthusiastically. All the signs you'd like to see. Her coat is better than it was. She just seems to be blossoming right now. This will be a tougher ask, but she's doing great.”

Making her U.S. debut Saturday, Gary Barber and Team Valor's Wakanaka (Ire) (Power {GB}), winner of six of eight starts in Italy while under the care of trainer Diego Dettori. In her final race in Italy, the bay won the G3 Regina Elena Italian 1000 Guineas at Capannelle in Rome last April. Purchased by the current partnership 10 months ago, she suffered from bone bruising after her arrival in the U.S., postponing her Stateside debut.

“Everybody wants to win the 1000 Guineas equivalent. There it's a Group 3, but it's a Classic,” said Team Valor's Barry Irwin. “That's the big focal point for all the fillies.”

He continued, “She was a good 2-year-old. She would have been the second-best 2-year-old filly in Italy. She had six starts: four wins, two seconds. She got beat by the filly [Aria Importante] that wound up being the champion.”

Trained by Bill Mott, the filly will break from post 2 under Umberto Rispoli.

“She's a very likable filly,” said Irwin. “She's got a lot of pizazz about her. And she's got instant turn of foot, which is the one thing that we liked. That's why we buy so many horses over there. You tell them to go and it's like now.”

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Quality on TAP on Pegasus Day

One can always count on Todd Pletcher to make a show of force on the big days. This Saturday's Pegasus World Cup Invitational card is no different, with the Hall of Fame trainer offering strong representation in all three of Gulfstream's Pegasus events.

“It's a really marquee day for the Championship Meet at Gulfstream,” Pletcher said. “The Pegasus has attracted some of the best horses in training since it's been in existence. It's early enough in the season for horses that want to go to stud like Gun Runner did and Knicks Go is doing, and its useful in kicking off the upcoming season. It's a significant event that has etched out its spot on the calendar.”

Looking for his first GI Pegasus World Cup victory, Pletcher offers the uber-talented 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief), who has done very little wrong in his career, winning five of six career starts, with his only loss coming at the hands of Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) in the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial at Saratoga last summer.

Following his narrow defeat, the WinStar Farm and CHC LLC runner has proven unstoppable, rolling over older rivals in both the GII Kelso H. followed by the GI Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar last November.

“The Breeders' Cup was kind of a relief for me because I was expecting him to win,” conceded Pletcher. “Any time you are in that type of situation, you can be a little anxious. But, we knew he'd go fast. There were a few other fast horses in there, so he had to go pretty quickly into the first turn to clear, so when they're throwing up those kinds of fractions, you're just hoping he hasn't gone too fast. But, he's such a gifted horse that he's capable of doing that. Like everyone else, we were very impressed, and we were happy it went according to plan.”

When asked if he thought the strapping 4-year-old could handle the extra yardage while trying nine furlongs for the first time in his career, Pletcher didn't mince words.

“I don't know that we have seen his best distance,” he stated. “He is like a lot of really good horses that do a lot of things very well. He's shown how fast he is. And in the [BC Dirt Mile] he has shown that he has that high-cruising speed and the ability to carry it over a distance. So, in his training, I have not seen any limitations to what he may be able to do. He still has to prove that at [Gulfstream], but when you watch him train, he never stops. It gives us optimism that he'll handle the extra ground.”

According to Pletcher, a win on Saturday could pave the way to an international sojourn.

“If this goes well, the plan is to take a look at the [10-furlong G1] Dubai World Cup [Mar. 26].”

Arguably known best for his powerful arsenal of dirt horses, Pletcher shows he is equally adept at handling a top turf runner, and gets to prove it yet again with the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational's defending champion and morning-line favorite Colonel Liam (Liam's Map). Campaigned by Robert and Lawana Low, the grey won four stakes in 2021, including the GI Turf Classic–albeit in a dead heat–at Churchill Downs last spring. He went to the sidelines after an eighth-place finish in the 10-furlong GI Manhattan S. June 5.

“Last year, we had just a little bit more time and we were able to run him in the Tropical Park Derby,” said Pletcher, explaining the lead up to last year's race. “He won that and it set him up nicely for this race. This year, the way the calendar came up, we just didn't have time for a prep. But, he's a willing work horse and we've done plenty with him.”

In this year's Turf, Pletcher is also represented by Repole Stable's Never Surprised (Constitution), who has never finished worse than second in seven career starts. The 7-2 second choice on the morning line, the bay enters this year's Turf off a pair of impressive victories–in the Nov. 26 Gio Ponti S. at the Big A and most recently in the Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream one month later. He drew post 12 in the nine-furlong event.

“He's a free-running horse with natural speed,” said Pletcher. “It's not an ideal post for him, given his style. But, if he'll settle like he did the last time, I think he's a horse that could be dangerous.”

Also likely to garner healthy respect at the windows for the inaugural running of the PWC Filly and Mare Turf, the Low's Sweet Melania (American Pharoah) has already proven she was more than capable of handling several of these rivals when winning Gulfstream's GIII Suwanee River S. Dec. 18. Left in her wake that day were Shifty She (Gone Astray, 2nd), In a Hurry (Blame, 3rd) and Alms (City Zip, 7th).

“I was really pleased with her last race, I thought that was one of her better races,” he said. “She's been very consistent throughout her career, but I thought that was an especially good performance from her. I actually think she's coming into this a little better than she was for that race.”

On the Pegasus undercard, Pletcher also offers a one-two punch in the GIII Fred W. Hooper S. with Fearless (Ghostzapper) and Liam (Liam's Map). Fearless, who has won four of five starts at Gulfstream, is coming off a four-length score in the GIII Harlan's Holiday S. after finishing second in a Nov. 21 overnight handicap at Gulfstream while coming off a six-month layoff. Liam returned off over a year on the bench to win in a Gulfstream optional claimer at a mile Dec. 15.

“He's a horse that I think kind of benefitted from the race off the layoff and then made a move forward in the Harlan's Holiday,” Pletcher said of Fearless, who was initially being considered for the PWC. “He seems to really like Gulfstream. He always runs well over that track. He's held form since then and has been training sharply.”

In other stakes action, Pletcher is also represented by Always Shopping (Awesome Again) in the GIII La Prevoyante S.; Abaan (Will Take Charge) in the GIII W. L. McKnight S. and A G Indy (Take Charge Indy) in the GII Inside Information S.

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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.

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Pegasus Draw: ‘Knicks’ Gets Rail, ‘Good’ in Post 4

HALLANDALE, FL–During Tuesday's Pegasus World Cup Invitational post-position draw in the Sport of Kings Theatre at Gulfstream Park Tuesday, the stage was set for what is shaping up to be another intriguing renewal of Pegasus World Cup Invitational, including the PWC Turf and the newest addition to the World Cup series, the Filly and Mare Turf Invitational, which replaces the GIII Marshua's River S. Heading Saturday's Pegasus card is the nine-furlong main-track test for older horses, led by defending champion Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go (Paynter) and WinStar Farm and CHC LLC's Life Is Good (Into Mischief).

The winner of last fall's GI Breeders' Cup Classic drew the rail, while GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile scorer drew the more palatable position in the gate and will exit post 4.

“We're not really going to deviate from what we've done in the past,” said trainer Brad Cox of Knicks Go. “[Life Is Good] is a very fast, brilliant horse. We're not going to let him have his own way, and I think he's probably not going to let us have our own way. We're going to break running, hopefully, get to the lead. We're going to be very aggressive to get him there.”

Regular rider Joel Rosario is set to ride the 6-5 morning line favorite in his final race before retiring to Taylor Made Stallions.

He added, “It's the same approach we took in the Breeders' Cup. We'll see how it goes. He's proven at a mile and an eighth and he does like the surface there. He likes the configuration of the racetrack there at Gulfstream–he proved that last year. We're just going to come out of there running and see what happens.”

Pletcher confirmed soon after the draw that he was pleased with Life Is Good's position in the gate. Reunited with Irad Ortiz Jr., the bay was installed the second choice on the morning line at 7-5.

“You've got two super talented horses with similar running styles, so it makes for a very exciting race,” said Pletcher. “It's going to be very exciting to see how the pace unfolds. Speed is our horse's weapon and we're not looking to take it away from him, and I'm sure the Knicks Go team knows what works for their horse. We'll just see how it plays out.”

Also in the field is 2019 GI Belmont S. winner Sir Winston (Awesome Again), victorious in the GIII Valedictory S. at Woodbine Dec. 3. The Tracy Farmer-owned 6-year-old drew post 6 and will be accompanied by Edwin Gonzalez. He is 12-1 on the morning line.

“He needs a lot of things to go his way,” said trainer Mark Casse. “He's feeling really well, and we believe he deserves a chance.”

It's All About the Turf..

As is the case in the day's big race, the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational also features a returning Pegasus champion. Hoping to defend his Turf title is Robert and Lawana Low's Colonel Liam (Liam's Map), who will be breaking from post 6 after being installed the 3-1 early choice. The dual Grade I winner hasn't been seen since finishing eighth in the GI Manhattan S. last June. Prior to that effort, the grey won the GI Turf Classic at Churchill Downs in May.

“I think over the years we've done pretty well in layoff situations, so I think it was important that we got the works into him that we did and we were fortunate enough that everything went according to the way we mapped it out,” explained Pletcher. “So, I feel good about that. You never know if they're going to be quite as sharp off a layoff, but he's certainly trained well enough and has run well fresh before. Hopefully, we can get the same type of effort. He's given us every indication that he's come up to it as good as ever.”

The 5-year-old will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.

Pletcher is also represented by Repole Stable's Never Surprised (Constitution), who drew less favorably than his barn mate in post 12. Scheduled to be ridden by Luis Saez, he is the 7-2 second choice on the morning line.

“That's not really an ideal post for him,” Pletcher admitted.

The 4-year-old won his last two stakes starts over a mile and a sixteenth, including the most recent in the Tropical Park Derby Dec. 26.

Aiming for another PWC Turf title, trainer Mike Maker returns heavily armed this year with a quartet of Turf contenders: Atone (Into Mischief) (post 2), Flavius (War Front) (post 3), Field Pass (Lemon Drop Kid) (post 9) and Cross Border (English Channel) (post 11). Maker won the 2020 Pegasus Turf with Zulu Alpha before finishing third last year with Cross Border.

New to the series this year, the GI Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational offers up a competitive group, including a pair of top-shelf winners–GI Natalma S. heroine Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown), who exits post 3 (8-1) and early 2-1 favorite Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), who will break from the 4 hole. Trained by Chad Brown on behalf of Peter Brant, the latter broke through at the highest level in her latest start in the GI Matriarch S. at Del Mar Nov. 28.

Also in the fray is Sweet Melania (American Pharoah), victorious in Gulfstream's GIII Suwanee River S. in her latest start. From the same connections as Pegasus World Cup contender Life Is Good, the chestnut, who is 5-1 on the morning line, drew the rail and will be accompanied by Luis Saez.

Representing long-time Fort Lauderdale resident Chris Pallas is Shifty She (Gone Astray), who was second most recently in the Suwanee River. The Florida-bred won three of four starts as a 3-year-old in 2019 before going to the sidelines with a tendon injury. Since her return in April with new trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., she won three of seven starts, including Belmont's GIII Noble Damsel S. Oct. 23. Listed at 6-1 on the morning line, she breaks from post 9.

“I was numb for three days after [the Noble Damsel],” said Pallas. “It was amazing. She had two really sharp works [at Gulfstream] 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..She ran them off their feet. She just did her thing.”

Trainer Michael McCarthy will saddle Nicest (Ire) (American Pharoah), who exits post 7 under Tyler Gaffalione. Listed as 6-1 on the morning line, she was third behind the ill-fated Snowfall in the G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks and G2 Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot before arriving stateside. In her most recent start, she was second in the off-the-turf GI American Oaks at Santa Anita Dec. 26.

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