HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Although he won’t run again until the $9 million Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 26, Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up Gunnevera will be back on the work tab once again starting this Saturday his trainer, Antonio Sano, said over the weekend. “He’s just so sharp right now I have to do something with him, even though his next race will be the Pegasus and not for another eight weeks or so,” said Sano. Sano said Gunnevera would breeze an easy half-mile over his home base at Gulfstream Park West on Saturday and gradually pick up the pace on a weekly basis leading up to the Pegasus World Cup. Gunnevera was bumped at the start and rallied from well back to finish second, 1 1/2 lengths behind Accelerate, in the Classic with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard for the first time. He had also finished second in his previous start, the Grade 1 Woodward at Saratoga. Gunnevera finished a distant third behind Gun Runner in the 2017 Pegasus World Cup to launch a campaign that included just one victory but earnings of more than $2.4 million in just five starts. “He came out of the Breeders’ Cup great and we’re very much looking forward to bring him back in the Pegasus,” said Sano. Jockey colony deepening Jockeys Chris Landeros and Tyler Gaffalione were the riding stars over the weekend, both posting hat tricks on the opening two days of the Championship session. Landeros won three races on Saturday, including a pair of Claiming Crown events, while Gaffalione’s three-bagger came Sunday aboard Lemonist, Nikki’s Cause, and Dash of Dazzle. But the waters will get deeper quickly in the local jockey pool with the Ortiz brothers, Irad Jr. and Jose, returning Wednesday and Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez named aboard his first mounts of the session on Thursday. The Ortiz brothers are the overwhelming favorites in the battle for the Eclipse Award as the top rider in the country in 2018, an honor Jose won for the first time last year. Irad is listed on three horses Wednesday, Jose has five mounts. Velazquez, who registered his 6,000th career win last week at Aqueduct, is scheduled to ride For Kicks for trainer Michael Matz and Hydra for Todd Pletcher in the fifth and seventh races, respectively, here Thursday. :: Want to get the latest news with your past performances? Try DRF’s new digital PPs Big business on Claiming Crown The 2018-19 Championship meet got off to a rousing start from a business standpoint on Saturday, with the $13.61 million wagered on the 11-race program setting a record for the Claiming Crown, smashing the old mark of $11.93 million, set last year. Saturday marked the 20th edition of the Claiming Crown, which moved to Gulfstream Park for the first time in 2012. “We’re extremely pleased with opening day,” said Gulfstream Park general manager Bill Badgett. “We received a lot of compliments about the improvement of our facility, as well as the newly renovated turf course, and we’re looking forward to the rest of our Championship meet.” Plenty of speed in feature The first full five-day race week of the four month Championship meet begins Wednesday with a 10-race program that includes a pair of allowance races. topped by the eighth event, a $41,000 entry-level dash for fillies and mares The speedy Heavens Pulpit, coming off a second-place finish in the Sunshine Millions Distaff Preview at Gulfstream Park West on Nov. 10, figures to be favored to carry her speed from start to finish in the headliner. Trained by Juan Arias, Heavens Pulpit won a similar dash restricted to statebreds in her previous start. She will be facing open company for the first time since launching her career with a third-place effort under a $50,000 claiming tag over the turf here in March. Kentucky invader Arcelor, who won a pair of races and was also stakes-placed here last winter for trainer Brendan Walsh, could prove the one to beat. The stretch-running daughter of Telling rallied to be second, beaten a nose, in a $10,000 starter allowance race at Keeneland on Oct. 7 and figures to benefit from a field loaded with speed.