Pegasus offers final shot at Derby points

The road to the 2020 Kentucky Derby officially began with the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sept. 14, 2019, the first race awarding qualifying points toward a spot in the 20-horse starting gate. Almost exactly 11 months later, prep season finishes up with the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park. The race is three weeks out from the Kentucky Derby, postponed to Sept. 5 by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Pegasus awards Derby points to the top four finishers on a 20-8-4-2 scale. The horse who stands in the best position to benefit is Grade 3-placed Pneumatic, most recently fourth in the Belmont Stakes. Pneumatic, a late nominee to the Triple Crown series for owner-breeder Winchell Thoroughbreds and trainer Steve Asmussen, sits 22nd on the points list with 25 points. However, several above him are not certain to start in the Derby, and there is a real possibility that fewer than 20 horses may enter this year.

The only other horses in the Pegasus field with Derby points are As Seen On Tv and Jesus’ Team with 10 apiece, and Big City Bob with two. Of those three, only Jesus’ Team remains under Derby consideration, according to a leaderboard update distributed this week by Churchill Downs.

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Pneumatic, a son of young classic sire Uncle Mo, won the first two starts of his career earlier this year at Oaklawn Park. He then earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 94 while third in his stakes debut, the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs, beaten less than two lengths by victorious Maxfield, with Ny Traffic in second. Pneumatic beaten 7 3/4 lengths by divisional leader Tiz the Law in the June 20 Belmont Stakes, while also checking in behind Dr Post and Max Player.

Ricardo Santana Jr. was aboard Pneumatic for his three most recent starts, but must be replaced for the Pegasus, owing to travel restrictions on jockeys due to the pandemic. Joe Bravo, seeking his third consecutive Pegasus win and fifth overall, picks up the mount. He won the race with Tomorrows Cat (1998), Donegal Moon (2016), Supreme Aura (2018), and King for a Day (2019).

Through Wednesday, Bravo was tied for second in the Monmouth win standings behind Paco Lopez. Lopez picks up the mount on Jesus’ Dream for trainer Jose D’Angelo and Grupo 7C Racing Stable. In three starts since moving to D’Angelo’s barn from Jose Garoffalo, Jesus’ Team has won a claiming race; finished second by three-quarters of a length to Derby hopeful Sole Volante in an optional-claiming race at Gulfstream; and finished fourth in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on July 18 at Monmouth. He was beaten 7 3/4 lengths in the Haskell by Authentic, also following home Ny Traffic and Dr Post.

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As Seen on Tv won a Florida-bred stakes as a juvenile, then acquitted himself well against open company, earning a field-best 98 Beyer when second by a head in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream, and then finishing third in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth there. He was most recently eighth in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28. After a freshening, he has been working steadily at Monmouth for Kelly Breen, who is the meet’s leading trainer through Wednesday.

Big City Bob won the Sapling Stakes going a mile at Monmouth last year, then finished third to Tiz the Law in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes. In his only start this year, he was fifth in the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel.

Arkaan is making his stakes debut and his first start around two turns. He has won both his starts, which came at Parx Racing and Delaware, by a combined 9 1/2 lengths. He earned a 90 Beyer last time out.