Sleepy Eyes Todd takes his traveling show to the Pegasus World Cup
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Anyone without an interest in another horse in the race, parimutuel or otherwise, would find it difficult not to root for Sleepy Eyes Todd in Saturday’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational.
Sleepy Eyes Todd, a $9,000 weanling purchase, has barnstormed the country over the past 14 months, running at nine different racetracks while winning five times at distances ranging from seven furlongs to 1 1/8 miles. He has won races at smaller tracks such as Fonner Park and Charles Town as well as at Keeneland on Breeders’ Cup Day. In his last race, he won the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 19, and he has remained here this past month to prepare for the biggest race of his life.
Sleepy Eyes Todd has been ridden by nine different jockeys over those last nine starts and is trained by the little known Miguel Silva, who bought his first horse with his income tax refund in 2009 and has handled Sleepy Eyes Todd in his own unique style. Silva has breezed Sleepy Eyes Todd just seven times over the past year, including four furlongs in a pedestrian 51.09 here Sunday.
“He’s sound, he’s happy, he’s just an amazing horse,” said Silva, 45, whose father, Miguel, was a legendary trainer in Mexico. “And he just keeps getting better all the time. My father taught me if you’re going to run a mile and one-eighth, like he will be doing Saturday, it doesn’t make sense to work him five furlongs. He actually went a full two miles here on Sunday. He galloped a strong mile and one-half first, then we let him run a little faster for the final half-mile. And he went beautiful. Finished very strong when we asked him.”
Sleepy Eyes Todd first gained national recognition by finishing second behind Owendale at odds of 40-1 in the Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park in September 2019. Sleepy Eyes Todd finished in front of Mucho Gusto in the Oklahoma Derby, and Mucho Gusto came out of the race to win the 2020 Pegasus World Cup.
His biggest win came last summer in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic, which he won by 7 1/2 lengths.
Sleepy Eyes Todd goes into the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus off two wins going seven furlongs. He rallied from 12th and last after the opening half-mile to win the Lafayette at Keeneland on Breeders’ Cup Day, and won the Mr. Prospector by a half-length over Grade 1 winner Firenze Fire.
The last time Sleepy Eyes Todd ran 1 1/8 miles came in the Grade 1 Awesome Again at Santa Anita in September. Sleepy Eyes Todd stalked the early pace in the Awesome Again and faded to finish fifth and last. Improbable and Maximum Security ran one-two in that race.
“The reason I ran him seven furlongs the last two times was to teach him to relax and come from behind horses,” Silva explained. “I think one of the reasons he ran poorly in the Awesome Again, aside from the fact he was facing some of the best horses in the world, was that he was too close to the pace.”
Tyler Gaffalione rode Sleepy Eyes Todd to victory here in the Mr. Prospector, although it will be Jose Ortiz who’ll be aboard for the first time in the Pegasus World Cup.
“We tried to get Tyler back again, but he’s riding Code of Honor instead,” said Silva. “That’s kind of been the story all along with this horse. Every time he runs, the jockey who rode him the race before has not been available. It’s tough, because sometimes having a new rider who doesn’t know the horse can be a disadvantage. But I have complete confidence in Jose, He’s one of the best, and I don’t expect to see my horse near the lead, even though we’re going a mile and one-eighth again, unless something crazy happens.”
Silva has had his trainer’s license for 10 years, racing primarily at Turf Paradise for the first seven years. He’s currently spread out among Remington Park, Sam Houston, and the Fair Grounds, with 60 horses under his care.
Silva said it would be a dream come true if he could win such a prestigious race as the Pegasus World Cup on Saturday.
“This is the kind of race trainers, jockeys, even grooms are in this business for,” said Silva. “It’s a race that will change your life if you win – a payoff for all the sacrifices we make, with work, family, all the things we’ve left behind, to do this kind of stuff. And it would be even more special to win this race with a horse like Sleepy Eyes Todd, who has done everything and meant so much to me these last two years.”
As of Monday, the 12 starters in the Pegasus World Cup are expected to be Coastal Defense, Code of Honor, Harpers First Ride, Independence Hall, Jesus’ Team, Kiss Today Goodbye, Knicks Go, Math Wizard, Mr Freeze, Sleepy Eyes Todd, Tax, and True Timber.