Spun to Run avoids limelight in run-up to Pegasus World Cup
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – While Omaha Beach has been getting most of the attention in the weeks leading up to the $3 million Pegasus World Cup, the horse who handed him his only setback over the last year has been preparing in relative anonymity for the rematch on Jan. 25.
Spun to Run on Monday turned in his third work since shipping to South Florida from his regular base at Parx Racing, breezing an easy five furlongs in 1:03.20 at Palm Meadows, according to Daily Racing Form clocker Donald Harris. The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner, Spun to Run posted splits of 25.60 seconds and 38.60 along the way under regular exercise rider Jose Correa.
“He worked beautiful, nice and easy,” trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero said a short while later. “He can go real fast at times in the morning. He went too fast his first work down here. Today, he was perfect. I brought his regular exercise rider down for this work because I wanted his opinion. He knows this horse better than anybody. And he was very happy. He said he was very relaxed, was striding out beautifully, and galloped out nicely.”
Spun to Run was administered Lasix prior to his work on Monday after breezing without the anti-bleeding medication the previous two weeks. There will be no raceday medication permitted for horses competing in either the Pegasus or the $1 million Pegasus Turf Invitational.
“I worked him with Lasix today just to make sure everything was perfect,” Guerrero explained. “But so far he’s scoped clean every time. You always worry about running a horse without Lasix who has been racing with it their entire career, and there’s a big difference between a workout and a race. We want to make sure he goes in 110 percent clean and, so far, everything has been good.”
Guerrero has no problem keeping his star out of the limelight in the weeks leading up to the race.
“Sometimes the less attention the better,” he said. “We don’t mind being behind the scenes and letting Omaha Beach get all the publicity. We beat him before in California, and I’m very confident and don’t see why we can’t beat him again.”
Spun to Run led throughout to beat Omaha Beach by a comfortable 2 3/4 lengths in the Dirt Mile. He concluded his 3-year-old campaign finishing second behind Maximum Security in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile.
Sunday morning, Omaha Beach attracted a large crowd and an array of television cameras to witness his first local work, an easy five furlongs in 1:00.42. Omaha Beach completed his final quarter in 24.65 into a very strong headwind before galloping out six furlonmgs in 1:14.35. Jockey Julien Leparoux was aboard, deputizing for his regular rider, Mike Smith.
“He went nice,” said Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella. “He missed a few days last week, missed a work, but no big deal. We’ll get another next week and we’ll be ready to go.”
Omaha Beach and Spun to Run are the two marquee names in this year’s 1 1/8-mile Pegasus. On Sunday, the racing office added three new names to the invitation list, graded stakes winners Tenfold and Midcourt along with the Grade 1-placed Bodexpress. Four others were removed from the list – Maximum Security, Gift Box, Roadster, and Bravazo. Three horses who had originally been on the reserve list of invitees have been moved into the body of the race: War Story, Diamond Oops, and True Timber.
Others expected to compete in the fourth running of the Pegasus include Higher Power, Mr Freeze, Seeking the Soul, and Tax. Both Mucho Gusto and Magic Wand are also under consideration. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said there is only about a 10 percent chance that Math Wizard, also among the original invitees, would run.
- additional reporting by Marty McGee