Coastal Defense, Independence Hall join Pegasus World Cup lineup

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Coastal Defense and Independence Hall have been added to the final list of 12 horses invited and expected to start in next Saturday’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup.

The list was released Sunday by the Gulfstream Park racing department. Entries for the rich Pegasus World Cup program, which also includes the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf, will be drawn Wednesday.

With Charlatan and King Guillermo now out of consideration for the race, Coastal Defense and Independence Hall moved up off the also-eligible list for the 1 1/8-miles World Cup. Coastal Defense is coming off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Clark, while Independence Hall closed out his 2020 campaign with a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Malibu. Both horses had their final major preps for the race on Saturday, with Coastal Defense working four furlongs in 47.02 at Gulfstream Park, while Independence Hall ran a bullet six furlongs in 1:12.60 over his home base at Santa Anita.

Knicks Go, riding a three-race winning streak and coming off his impressive victory in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, is expected to be favored in a Pegasus field that will also include Code of Honor, Harpers First Ride, Jesus’ Team, Kiss Today Goodbye, Math Wizard, Mr Freeze, Sleepy Eyes Todd, Tax, and True Timber.

Sleepy Eyes Todd and Math Wizard turned in their final tune-ups for the race at Gulfstream Park on Sunday morning, the former going four furlongs from the three-eighths pole in 51.04, and Math Wizard breezing an easy three-eighths in company in 36.97.

The final revised list for the Pegasus Turf was also released Sunday with the lone change coming from the barn of trainer Mike Maker, who replaced Field Pass with Aquaphobia for the Grade 1 event to be run at 1 3/16 miles.

Aquaphobia is one of two horses Maker, who won 2020 Pegasus Turf with Zulu Alpha, will run along with Cross Border. The pair breezed five furlongs in company in 1:00.91 over the main track here Sunday.

Other trainers with multiple entries in the Pegasus Turf include Todd Pletcher, who will start Colonel Liam, Largent and Social Paranoia, and Shug McGaughey, who sends out Breaking The Rules and North Dakota. The remainder of the field will include Anothertwistafate, Next Shares, Pixelate, Say the Word and Storm the Court.