Pegasus a likely next race for Unified

ELMONT, N.Y. – Unified, the undefeated 3-year-old who won the Grade 2 Peter Pan Stakes on May 14, could make his next start in the Grade 3, $150,000 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park on June 19, trainer Jimmy Jerkens said Monday.

The Pegasus is run at 1 1/16 miles and is a good way to ease the speedy Unified into races run around two turns. The $100,000 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs at 1 1/16 miles on June 18 and the $500,000 Ohio Derby at Thistledown at 1 1/8 miles on June 25 are also run around two turns.

“I’d like to get some two-turn experience into him,” Jerkens said. “I’m probably leaning more toward the Pegasus, I guess.”

The Pegasus is Monmouth’s prep for the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell on July 31.

Unified successfully made the jump from seven furlongs to a one-turn 1 1/8 miles in the Peter Pan. In that race, he stalked the speedy Singleton, took over at the top of the stretch, and held Governor Malibu at bay.

Immediately after the Peter Pan, Jerkens said he was not excited about the prospect of running Unified in the Belmont Stakes at 1 1/2 miles. After watching the Preakness, his enthusiasm didn’t increase any.

“There are a couple of horses coming out of that race that look like they’ll be really tough,” Jerkens said. “The first two horses ran awfully good, I thought.”

Jerkens noted that Nyquist, the Derby winner, also ran well in finishing third considering how fast he had to go early on.