Total handle on Saturday’s Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., including all horizontal wagers ending in the race, was $16.4 million, up 3.8 percent compared with wagering of $15.8 million last year on the inaugural Pegasus, according to charts of the races produced by Equibase.
West Coast and Collected were headed back to California on Monday from Florida’s Gulfstream Park, and while immediate plans for both were not yet mapped out, trainer Bob Baffert on Monday offered a general outline.
West Coast was a strong second behind Gun Runner on Saturday in the $16.3 million Pegasus World Cup, and with the retirement of Gun Runner, West Coast emerges as the ante-post favorite for Horse of the Year in 2018. He was last year’s champion 3-year-old male, and on Sunday, though beaten 2 1/2 lengths by Gun Runner, he was more than 10 lengths clear of everyone else.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Paradise Woods, one of the nation’s leading 3-year-old fillies of 2017, was recently diagnosed with an abscess in a foot that has delayed a return to full training for the two-time Grade 1 stakes winner.
In January, Paradise Woods was briefly sidelined by an illness detected in the weeks after she finished second to Unique Bella in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita.
Trainer Richard Mandella said Sunday that Paradise Woods is not expected to miss significant training time because of the recent setback.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Peace, a maiden race winner Dec. 30, will have his stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita against a familiar rival.
At Del Mar on Thanksgiving, Shivermetimbers beat Peace by a head in a one-mile maiden race on dirt. From trainer Richard Mandella’s perspective, Peace has changed in the more than two months since that race.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Reactions in the aftermath of Saturday’s $16.3 million Pegasus World Cup ran the gamut in the camps of the two top local contenders in the event, from elation among the connections of third-place finisher Gunnevera to the disappointment expressed by trainer Jorge Navarro following Sharp Azteca’s troubled eighth-place finish.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Army Mule, absent since earning a 90 Beyer Speed Figure winning his career debut by 8 1/2 lengths last spring at Belmont Park, makes his much anticipated return and figures to be heavily favored against just five rivals in Wednesday’s co-featured fourth race to be decided under first-level allowance and optional-claiming conditions at six furlongs for a $51,000 purse.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Emotions ran from low to high for trainer Jason Servis during the course of the day Saturday.
In the sixth race, Servis watched in horror as his Blue Bahia took a bad step, stumbled badly, and appeared to have possibly broken down while moving readily to the lead near midstretch while en route to an apparent victory in the Ladies Turf Sprint. Two hours later, Servis was in the winner’s circle following Rainbow Heir’s impressive two-length victory in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint while bearing good news about his filly.
World Approval, the 2017 Eclipse champion for top turf horse, remains on target for his 6-year-old debut in the Grade 3 Tampa Stakes, part of the Feb. 10 Sam Davis undercard.
Trainer Mark Casse is looking to use the $175,000 Tampa as a springboard to the $6 million Dubai Turf on March 31 at Meydan. John Velazquez will be in from Gulfstream to ride World Approval in the 1 1/16-mile Tampa.
“He looks good and is ready to go,” Casse said. “We’re looking forward to another big year with him.”
Catholic Boy, who looms a solid favorite in the Feb. 10 Sam F. Davis Stakes, had his third breeze since winning the Dec. 2 Remsen when going five furlongs Saturday at Tampa in 1:01 in company with his older stablemate March.
Catholic Boy schooled in the Tampa paddock Friday afternoon after shipping in from his base at Bridlewood Farm in Ocala.
“It all went extremely well,” said Jonathan Thomas, who trains Catholic Boy for Robert LaPenta. “He galloped out in 1:14 and 1:28. It was a good, methodic breeze. March has been good company for him all along.”
Leading jockey Antonio Gallardo escaped serious injury in a spill Sunday and is expected back this week after taking off the remainder of his mounts following the incident.
Gallardo reportedly suffered leg bruising when thrown to the dirt near the quarter pole in the second race by R Kinsley Doll when the 5-year-old mare suffered a catastrophic injury.
R Kinsley Doll, a winner of two Florida Sire Stakes events at Gulfstream Park as a 3-year-old in 2016, had to be euthanized. She earned $315,553 from 18 starts for owners Richard Averill and Silver Oak Stable.
