Maxfield, King Guillermo on fence about Pegasus World Cup

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Although the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational here Jan. 23 lost one of its main attractions with the announcement earlier this week that Tiz the Law has been retired, the race continues to shape up nicely, with many of the handicap division’s major players eyeing the event.

While the official invitations won’t go out until Sunday afternoon, the list of invitees is expected to include the Bob Baffert pair of Charlatan and defending champion Mucho Gusto, runaway Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Knicks Go, Code of Honor, True Timber, Sleepy Eyes Todd, Mr Freeze, Tax, and Jesus’ Team.

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Among those also being considered for the Pegasus are Maxfield and King Guillermo.

“We’re still making calls and putting together our list, but at the moment the race looks to be coming up with a very strong and extremely competitive field,” Mike Lakow, Gulfstream’s vice president of racing, said Friday.

Maxfield won the Tenacious Stakes at Fair Grounds on Dec. 19 in his first start in seven months and would be an intriguing addition to the lineup. Trainer Brendan Walsh said he’s still undecided whether to run the 4-year-old just five weeks after that race, which improved Maxfield’s record to 4 for 4.

Walsh said he’s going to New Orleans this weekend to see Maxfield.

“He could possibly resume working this weekend,” he said. “The timing is a little tight to the Pegasus, and he’s still a lightly raced horse, but it would be nice if we got an invitation to give us the option.”

King Guillermo’s connections also are up in the air regarding a start in Pegasus. Another lightly raced 4-year-old, King Guillermo has not worked since finishing a tiring fourth in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Dec. 5 at Aqueduct, his first start since his second-place finish behind Nadal in a division of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby.

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Trainer Juan Carlos Avila said he planned to breeze King Guillermo a half-mile on Saturday.

“But I’ll want to see a couple of more works after that before making a final decision about Pegasus,” Avila said. “He only had 66 days to prepare for the Cigar Mile after getting sick prior to the Kentucky Derby, and it was just too fast to have him ready for his best race after having been away eight months before that. He’ll be much better prepared for Pegasus.”

Invitations also will be announced Sunday for the $1 million Pegasus Turf. Among those expected to be on that list are North Dakota, Social Paranoia, Largent, Cross Border, Sharp Samurai, and perhaps Count Again and Next Shares, both of whom are entered Saturday at Santa Anita in the Grade 2 San Gabriel, and recent Tropical Park Derby hero Colonel Liam.

◗ Trainer Bill Mott and jockey Junior Alvarado were the stars of the show here Thursday, ringing out the old year by combining for three winners on the card. The hat trick began with Miss Tapirado ($12.40) in the fifth event, first-time starter Sir Ollie ($13.40) in the sixth, and New York Girl ($6.20) in her U.S. debut in the co-featured eighth race.

Alvarado, riding regularly here this winter for the first time since 2009, won four in a row Thursday, adding Unicorn Sally($12) for trainer John Kimmel to go with his three-bagger for the Mott barn.