HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – The wings of this year’s Pegasus got severely clipped on Thursday. Only 24 hours after a field of 12 was entered on Wednesday for the Pegasus World Cup, the top two choices on the morning line, Omaha Beach and Spun to Run, both were withdrawn, leaving a field of 10 that is now headed by West Coast invaders Higher Power and Mucho Gusto. That’s assuming nothing else happens by post time Saturday. The events on Thursday were both jarring and dizzying, but none was more impactful than the scratch of the star-crossed Omaha Beach, who was withdrawn from the Kentucky Derby last May owing to an entrapped epiglottis. This time, according to trainer Richard Mandella, Omaha Beach was withdrawn owing to concern that he was starting to develop a fracture in his right hind ankle, a diagnosis that was made by noted veterinarian Dr. Larry Bramlage after viewing X-rays of the limb. Omaha Beach had a routine gallop on Thursday morning under exercise rider Taylor Cambra, and it would have been hard to find any fault with it. But Mandella said he noticed something amiss while Omaha Beach cooled out later, and X-rays were ordered. “It’s questionable what’s there, but it looks like it might be the beginning of a cannon-bone fracture. We can’t take a chance,” Mandella said. :: Pegasus World Cup: top contenders, entries, results, news, odds, picks, past performances, and more. The Pegasus was scheduled to be the final career start for Omaha Beach before entering stud next month at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky. He raced 10 times, winning three Grade 1 races, most recently the Malibu Stakes on Dec. 28 at Santa Anita. Earlier Thursday, Spun to Run – who defeated Omaha Beach last November in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile – was scratched owing to skin disease. “It happened within the last two weeks. He broke out in hives. It was on his stomach, back, all over his legs. He means so much to me I’m almost crying,” said his trainer, Juan Carlos Guerrero. Omaha Beach was originally drawn in post 5, Spun to Run in post 9, so the horses originally in posts 6 through 8 – Higher Power, War Story, and Mr Freeze – will move in one spot in the starting gate, while those in posts 10 through 12 – Mucho Gusto, Tenfold, and the speedy Bodexpress – will move in two slots. The Pegasus is a 1 1/8-mile dirt race with an abbreviated run to the first turn. Mucho Gusto and Higher Power were the original third and fourth choices on the morning line of Gulfstream Park’s Jay Stone, so they now vault to the top two choices on the revised line. Both are shipping in from Santa Anita, where they have impressed in their recent works, particularly Higher Power, who is trained by John Sadler. Without the convoluted, expensive entry process with which the Pegasus was launched, the Pegasus is now a $3 million race, still the second-richest dirt race in the country, behind only the Breeders’ Cup Classic. It always has been run at 1 1/8 miles. The new wrinkle this year is that both it and the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf – which was inaugurated last year – are being run for the first time under rules that, among others, prohibit the use of the anti-bleeding medication Lasix. The 10 horses in the race following the scratches of Omaha Beach and Spun to Run have made 163 combined starts. Just four of those starts have been without Lasix, and the only horse to win without Lasix was Tax, when he beat maiden-claimers in his second start in October 2018. There are other variables for handicappers to ponder. Five of the 10 horses – including Higher Power and Mucho Gusto – never have raced at Gulfstream. Of the five who have, just two – Diamond Oops and War Story – have won over the track. The Pegasus Dirt concludes a 12-race card that begins at 11:30 a.m. Eastern and includes eight other stakes, five graded. Both the Pegasus and Pegasus Turf are Grade 1 races. Higher Power, the Pacific Classic winner, was third in his last start, the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Both those races were at 1 1/4 miles. “I think he’s effective anywhere from a mile and an eighth to a mile and a quarter,” Sadler said. “My concern would be if Gulfstream is speed-favoring.” Higher Power on occasion has broken poorly. With the short run to the first turn Saturday, an early misstep could be costly. “When he runs a big race, he doesn’t need to close from far back. The key is to get away. That’s the big thing,” said Sadler, who said Higher Power “is training super, as good as ever if not better.” Mucho Gusto has not raced since finishing fourth in the Oklahoma Derby nearly four months ago. His best effort last year was a second to Maximum Security in the Haskell. Mr Freeze, third in the Clark last time, figures to be prominent from the start. Diamond Oops is 5 for 6 at Gulfstream, all in sprints. He was eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile following a poor start. Seeking the Soul was second in this race last year, but has turned in four subpar efforts since winning the Stephen Foster last June at his favorite track, Churchill Downs. War Story comes off a win here in the Harlan’s Holiday.