Top contenders have final Pegasus works
HALLANDALE, Fla. – City of Light, Audible, and Gunnevera – the top challengers to Accelerate in the Pegasus World Cup – were out for serious breezes Saturday morning, when virtually all of the top contenders for the $9 million extravaganza had their final pre-race works.
City of Light went in 47.20 seconds at Gulfstream, site of the third running of the Pegasus here Saturday, Jan. 26. Meanwhile, Audible went in 48.40 at the Palm Beach Downs training center, and Gunnevera went six furlongs in 1:13.20 at Gulfstream Park West.
City of Light, the likely second choice in the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus, had Javier Castellano aboard when looking particularly sharp in the last breeze of his brilliant career.
“I was very pleased with what I saw,” trainer Michael McCarthy said afterward. “He was very relaxed coming to the pole and looked solid coming through the lane and on the gallop-out. We should be all set.”
Accelerate also worked Saturday at Santa Anita, going five furlongs in 58.80 seconds, handily. He will be among the large shipment of horses arriving here Tuesday on a charter flight originating in Southern California and stopping over in New Orleans.
Also Saturday, Patternrecognition, winner of the Cigar Mile, worked a half-mile when going in 49.40 seconds at the Palm Meadows training center, and Seeking the Soul went five furlongs in 59.80 seconds prior to a steady rain falling at Fair Grounds in New Orleans.
As of Saturday afternoon, 11 were confirmed for the Pegasus, with track officials saying they were still in the process of lining up the 12th and final starter. Entries for both the Pegasus and the $7 million Pegasus Turf will be drawn Tuesday at the track at around 11:30 a.m. Eastern.
In alphabetical order, these are the Pegasus starters with confirmed jockeys:
Accelerate, Joel Rosario; Audible, Flavien Prat; Bravazo, Luis Saez; City of Light, Castellano; Gunnevera, Irad Ortiz Jr.; Kukulkan, Frankie Dettori; Patternrecognition, Jose Ortiz; Seeking the Soul, John Velazquez; Something Awesome, Edgar Prado; Tom’s d’Etat, Shaun Bridgmohan; and True Timber, Joe Bravo.
Fair Grounds
Seeking the Soul worked five furlongs in 59.80, second-fastest among 42 works at the distance Saturday morning at Fair Grounds in his final drill for the Pegasus at Gulfstream Park. Trainer Dallas Stewart was playing this work by ear as he monitored the weather, but when Saturday rain didn't show up at until later in the morning, Stewart went ahead and breezed his horse on a fast track.
Seeking the Soul continued his pattern of fast work times here: his last four drills have been bullets or second-fastest at the distance, all on busy workout mornings.
"I really could not be happier with the horse," Stewart said.
Seeking the Soul was a fine second behind City of Light in the Breeders' Cup Mile before running below his best in the Clark Handicap. He finished fifth, beaten 14 lengths, in the 2018 Pegasus.
Seeking the Soul is scheduled for one walk day before resuming training and flying Tuesday to Floriday. Also shipping on the same plane is Fair Grounds-based Pegasus hope Tom's d'Etat, who'll have his final work for the race Sunday.
- additional reporting by Marcus Hersh
