Gunnevera works five furlongs for Pegasus

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up Gunnevera continued his preparations for the $9 million Pegasus World Cup by working five furlongs in 1:01.80 over his home base at Gulfstream Park West on Saturday.

Gunnevera worked in darkness at 6 a.m. with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. in the saddle. The work was the fourth in as many weeks for Gunnevera, who will bring earnings of more than $4.1 million into the Pegasus World Cup. Ortiz, who rode Gunnevera for the first time in the Classic, has been aboard for all four of those works.

“We usually send him out at sunrise, around 6:30, but Irad had some commitments at Palm Beach Downs and Palm Meadows this morning with Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown, so we moved the work up a little earlier,” trainer Antonio Sano said. “Irad does a great job getting him to relax in the morning, and he seems to be getting stronger with every work. I had him galloping out in 1:14 today.”

Sano said Gunnevera will continue on a regular Saturday work schedule, weather permitting, until the Pegasus and will likely stretch out to six furlongs next time.

Two other horses pointing to the Pegasus World Cup worked Saturday. At Palm Beach Downs, Audible went an easy four furlongs in 49.80 seconds in his first breeze since his disappointing second-place finish over a wet track two weeks ago in the Grade 3 Harlan’s Holiday, while at Fair Grounds Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile runner-up Seeking the Soul covered six furlongs in 1:11.

Aerolithe to run in Pegasus Turf

Aerolithe, a Grade 1-winning filly based in Japan, will travel to the United States to compete in the inaugural $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf, track officials confirmed Saturday. The Grade 1 Pegasus Turf will share top billing Jan. 26 with the Pegasus World Cup.

Aerolithe, winner of the Group 1 NHK Mile Cup as a 3-year-old, has finished first or second in 9 of 13 career starts. Now 4, Aerolithe is trained by Takanori Kikuzawa and is scheduled to arrive locally on Jan. 16.

Mucho Macho Man nominations

The first important 3-year-old stakes of the new year, the one-mile Mucho Macho Man, is scheduled for Saturday with 22 sophomores nominated. The list is headed by Code of Honor, idle since his second-place finish in the Grade 1 Champagne on Oct. 6. Code of Honor was scratched the morning of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile due to a minor fever.

Other prominent names on the Mucho Macho Man roster include Garter and Tie, winner of the Smooth Air Stakes in his last start; Well Defined, and Final Jeopardy.

Well Defined, who cruised to an easy 7 1/2-length victory over Garter and Tie in the In Reality division of the Florida Sire series here earlier this season, is coming off a disappointing 12th-place effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

The $100,000 Mucho Macho Man is one of five stakes on Saturday’s program, which also features the $100,000 Kitten’s Joy and Ginger Brew, both at 7 1/2 furlongs on the turf, along with the $75,000 Limehouse and its filly counterpart, the Glitter Woman, for 3-year-olds.