The defending champion and predicted Horse of the Year 2021 Knicks Go , Breeders Cup Winner’s Big Ass Fans (G1) Life is good and undefeated Runhappy Malibu Stakes (G1) winner Flight route highlight the list of 19 horses invited to compete at the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) on January 29 at Gulfstream Park.
A total of seven classified shares worth $5.2 million in wallets will be made available on Pegasus Day, led by the return of the Pegasus World Cup and the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1T) and the launch of the $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G3T).
All three races are open to children aged 4 and up. The Pegasus World Cup and Pegasus Turf are both contested at 1 1/8 mile while the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf, formerly known as Marsha’s River Stakes, will run at 1/16 mile.
The Korea Racing Authority’s Knicks Go ended 2021 with a four-race winning streak, all ranked, including the Whitney (G1) and the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). Dirt Mile 2020 winner, he started last year with a spectacular 2/3 length win in the Pegasus World Cup and is looking to become its first repeat champion.
Also among those invited to the Pegasus World Cup from coach Brad Cox’s inventory were Concert tour and Mandaloun . Gary and Mary West Homebred Concert Tour earned San Vicente (G2) and Rebel (G2) slots in 2021 but haven’t raced since finishing ninth in the Preakness Stakes (G1), all coach-oriented before that was Bob Baffert. The Juddmonte hybrid Mandaloun finished second behind Medina Spirit in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) and is also about to be sacked following his performance in TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1).
WinStar Farm and China Horse Club’s Life Is Good dominated the 5 3/4 length win at Dirt Mile on November 6 at Del Mar, his fifth win from six career starts and first place after winning the Kelso Handicap (G2), San Felipe Stakes (G2) and Sham Stakes (G3) bets last year. He’s been a regular cool shower since mid-December in South Florida for Coach Todd Pletcher on the Walk of Fame.
“Life Is Good, we’ve been showing Pegasus since Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. He’s had a short WinStar refresh and he’s come with that as our goal,” Pletcher said. “Everything went according to plan. He never ran in Gulfstream, but he’s the kind of horse whose style should suit Gulfstream.”
Life is Good Will Be Clear in Dirt Mile Breeders ‘Cup 2021
Other Pletcher-trained horses on the Pegasus World Cup invite list are Dr Post , Not fear , and Happy Saver . Doctor of St. Elias Stable’s Post is a two-time 3rd place winner 2-0 at Gulfstream, including 2020 Unlimited Bets; Repole Stable’s Fearless won Gulfstream’s Holiday Stakes (G3) on December 18; and Wertheimer and Frere, Happy Saver crossbreed, won the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at the age of 3 in 2020, then finished second to defend their title as well as in a match at the Clark Stakes do Norton Healthcare (G1) on November 26 .
The $150,000 Fred W. Hooper (G3) for kids 4 years and older who rides a mile on the main road as part of a lower pass is also an alternative.
“Not sure we could have anyone else for it. We’re waiting to see how Dr Post and Happy Saver and Fearless train. We also had a mile race that day as an option for the pups. that horse,” Pletcher said. “We’re also looking at maybe Happy Saver going to Saudi Arabia, so we’re just, as always, looking at how people train and how they get to these things.”
The 2021 Malibu Stakes Inner Field Route at Santa Anita Park
The undefeated Malibu winner Flightline, coached by John Sadler, has only raced three times but has won those races with a total length of 37 1/2 while being driven to the finish line in each. Sadler has not announced any plans for Flightline’s next race. Flightline is owned by Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing.
Complete Pegasus World Cup Invitations as Winner of American Pharoah Stakes (G1) 2019 Eight Rings , multi-category bet winner Express train , 2021 winner Pat O’Brien (G2) Ginobili , millionaire and winner of 2021 Lecomte Staking (G3) Midnight Bourbon , Winner at Belmont Stakes (G1) 2019 Sir Winston and the winner of the Arkansas Derby (G1) of 2021 Super stocks .
concert tour, Certified and Fearless are among the invitees on the list who are also eligible, along with Chess , Effective , Stilleto boy , and Title is ready .
Colonel Liam among those invited from Turf
Defending Champion Colonel Liam and the students who won the first prize Cat . Channel , Let’s go , Just let me follow , and Two Emmys was among 18 horses invited to the Pegasus World Cup.
Colonel Liam after winning the Pegasus World Cup 2021 on the grass at Gulfstream Park
Robert and Lawana Low’s Colonel Liam won the Tropical Park Derby in the 2020-21 Meetup Championship as a prelude to his Pegasus Turf victory by a neck in front of the stablemate Bigger . Colonel Liam went on to win the Muniz Memorial Classic Stakes (G2T) and Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) and finished eighth in the Manhattan Casino Area Stakes (G1T) tournament in June. last year in his most recent start.
“We thought our best approach for him to try and defend his Turf title was just to train to achieve it. He’s had a break and he’s a one. the horse that we thought would run well,” Pletcher said. “He’s trained enough to hope that we can get him ready to run a good race after the sacking.”
Bigger and Never surprised also on the invite list of Pegasus Turf. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Twin Creeks Racing Stables’ Largent won the 2020 Fort Lauderdale Stakes (G2T) championship in preparation for the Pegasus Turf and did not rank until fourth in the Tropical Turf Stakes (G3T) tournament. ) on January 8 at Gulfstream. No wonder Repole Stable, placed in three graded stakes, became a three-time winner with its win in the Gulfstream Tropical Park Derby on December 26.
“Never surprised, we’re happy with his race all the way. It’s similar to what Colonel Liam did last year, from the Tropical Derby to the Pegasus,” Pletcher said.
Coach Mike Maker won the Pegasus Turf 2020 with Zulu Alpha and his four horses are on the invite list: Redemption , Cross the border , Field Pass , and Flavius . Three Diamonds Farm owns Atone, runner-up at Fort Lauderdale Dec. 18, and multiple Cross Border-class equity winners, third in the 2021 Pegasus Turf and Field Pass. Maker recently added Flavius, an equity winner in the US and Europe.
Also Invited to Pegasus Turf is Level 1 Millionaire Chanel Cat Winner, Fort Lauderdale Winner Doswell , Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes (G1T) winner of 2021 Hit the Road, two-time 2nd place winner March to the Arch , 2021 Bruce D. Stakes (G1T) wins POint Me By, Irish group 2 winner Astronaut fourth place at Fort Lauderdale, winner Mr. D. Staking (G1T) in 2021 Two Emmys, and Sacred life , class/group 3 winner in the US and France coached by Chad Brown, who won the 2019 Pegasus Turf with Brick and mortar on the way to Horse of the Year.
Atone and Space Traveler who are included in the list are also eligible by Bob and Jackie , English Bee , Flavius, and Law professor .
15 invited to Filly & Mare Turf
Students won first prize Escape , Lady Spectrum , Unusual Mucho , and King of Glory Top 15 horses are invited to Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf. Absent in 2019 and Lady Speightspeare in 2020 captured Natalma Stakes (G1T) at Honeysuckle; Mucho Unusual won a 2020 Rodeo Drive Share (G1T) and Regal Glory won a Matriarch Share (G1T) on November 28 in Del Mar to cap her 2021 campaign.
Sweet Melania , who earned the third-ranked win of his career in a Suwannee River Stakes (G3T) match on December 18 at Gulfstream. She also shares the makeover for Pletcher, who joins Richard Baltas (Ginobili, Bob and Jackie, Bodhicitta ) as the only coach to have guests in all three races.
“We plan to put sweet Melania in there. She ran well in the last start and this is a good time for her to come back. She really came out of that race in sharp form. , so that’s what we’re thinking there,” Pletcher said. “Finger pass, (20) more days, we have some chances. We hope everything goes well.”
Round Up Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Invitees a Two-Time Level 3 Winner Charity , Golden Ribbon Handicap (G2T) Bodhicitta Winner 2020, 2021 Edgewood bets presented by Newport Racing & Gaming (G2T) winners Gift List , American Oaks (G1T) runner-up in 2021 The most beautiful , multi-category bet winner Princess Grace , 2021 Winner Noble Damsel Stakes (G3T) Shifty her , 2021 Rood and Riddle Dowager Stakes (G3T) Winner Summer in Saratoga , and In a hurry who came in third after Sweet Melania in the Suwannee River.
Eligible lists also include Runaway, Bipartisan , and Burgoo Alley .
