Never Surprised runs his way into Pegasus World Cup Turf

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – It’s always a good thing when a trainer sends the defending champ to run in a $1 million race, as trainer Todd Pletcher will with Colonel Liam in the Pegasus World Cup Turf here on Jan. 29. But it never hurts to have a little backup just in case, as Pletcher now has with Never Surprised, who also is being pointed for the Pegasus Turf following a one-sided victory in Sunday’s Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream Park.

Colonel Liam used a 3 1/4-length triumph in last year’s Tropical Park Derby as a stepping-stone to his neck victory over stablemate Largent in the 2021 Pegasus Turf. Never Surprised was even more impressive, capturing the 1 1/16-mile Tropical Park Derby under Luis Saez in wire-to-wire fashion by 6 1/4 lengths, the same margin by which he won the Gio Ponti at Aqueduct one month earlier.

“He’s always been ultra-consistent and I thought this was another very impressive performance,” said Pletcher. “He’s one of those free-running speed types capable of not only going pretty fast but also to keep on going.

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“He seemed to be traveling very well during the early stages of the race on Sunday, and when Luis asked him to sneak away on the turn he had plenty of horse to do it with. He definitely stamped his ticket to the Pegasus if he continues to train accordingly.”

Never Surprised will give Pletcher a potent one-two punch in the Pegasus Turf, with his style perfectly complementing the late-running Colonel Liam. Colonel Liam will have to defend his title returning from a near eight-month layoff, having been idle since his eighth-place finish in the Grade 1 Manhattan on June 5.

Colonel Liam dead-heated for win last May in the Grade 1 Turf Classic at Churchill Downs and won the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial at Fair Grounds in March.

“Colonial Liam is doing great, but it’s a lot to ask coming off the layoff,” said Pletcher.

Colonel Liam worked five furlongs in company with Largent in 1:02.01 at Palm Beach Downs on Friday, with the pair galloping out seven-eighths in 1:30.95, per Daily Racing Form clocker David Norton.

Never Surprised’s victory came 48 hours after the Pletcher-trained Abaan used a similar modus operandi in a 4 1/2-length decision in the two-mile Allen Jerkens. The win was the third in the last four starts for the long-winded son of Will Take Charge. Abaan will now aim for the Grade 3 McKnight on the Pegasus undercard.

“He displayed he had plenty of stamina in his training and in his races the further we stretched him out, although whether he’d take to two miles is one of those things you never know for sure,” said Pletcher. “He got the trip we were hoping for, made an easy lead and just kept galloping along from there.”

Pletcher also reported that Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Life Is Good couldn’t be doing any better as he trains up to the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational and the eagerly awaited confrontation with Knicks Go on Jan. 29.

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“He’s a lot of horse, for sure,” Pletcher said when talking about how strong Life Is Good has looked galloping out in his local works since arriving at Palm Beach Downs in early December.

Life Is Good breezed five-eighths in 1:03.30 at Palm Beach Downs on Friday, galloping out full of run and easing up after a mile in 1:44.71, per Norton. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. was aboard both Colonial Liam and Life Is Good on Friday.