The Pegasus F&M Turf – Grade III

1 1/16 Mile Turf Stake Purse $500.000 Filly & Mare 4 Year Olds And Up.

Well, a race that seemed set up to celebrate the great veterans La Terrifiant and Maggie Greene and to admire the perfection that WAS Perfect Class certainly didn’t end up that way. There will be celebrations from the winners, and they of course thoroughly deserved their success, but many will watch this race again and again to try and work out just what this means going forward with our shiny new race engine. Here is how the top four filled those places but for today at least there will be no mention of the great veterans or of course the filly of last year Perfect Class.

1st Always Condottieri Maletto Gonzalez El

With the outside gate there really wasn’t too many options open to the trainer, it was push on or fall back and luckily it seems the other 11 instructions did not include anything that was to push this filly out of her comfort zone. So, after running 6 jockeys through the start of turn one she crossed the field and found the rail by the time they excited the corner and whilst she was setting a strong pace it was well within her scope and most importantly everything left her alone. All the principal runners were stalking but at a respectful distance behind with only Shining Moments and Made The Choice in trailing positions which would have been found at the start on the old engine. Perfect Class was hung wide but whilst that may have been tough on the old engine it hasn’t been a problem on the new one so all were still in play as they headed round the home turn. Whilst all the other jockeys were exchanging banter, smoking pipes and generally unaware a horse was in a clear lead this filly just kept on happily almost unaware she was in a field of horses that included the best fillies and mares the game has seen. Even as they turned for home and faced the last 1 and a 1/2 furlongs and this mare started to drift a little nothing launched any sort of challenge, and her rider must’ve been wondering what on earth was happening. As the rest seemed to be racing each other she finally saw the whip in the last half furlong and whilst she needed the line as the closers came nothing was to get within a length of her.
A filly that really found her feet as a four-year-old after being just ordinary at three she is clearly a late developer who is still improving, and this win would have thrilled the owner who has persevered with her since they bred her and is now reaping the benefits.

2nd Fangs Of The Storm Arindel Franco M

Well, this mare won the ‘other race’ which seemed to be going on behind the leader and was one of only two that ever made any sort of challenge to the winner even if it was about 3 furlongs too late. Her works were much faster than the winners, but she was running her race almost without consideration for the Always Condottieri who just never came back to them as many of the other jockeys seemed to think. As it stands this was a big effort and considering the horses she beat, the trainer must be thinking that there is an exciting year ahead with the five-year-old.


3rd Common Misconception Nakamura Stables Husbands P

The only other runner that seemed to notice the front-runner, but all too late she ran a great race for third closing from way behind and setting some of the best final quarter sectionals in the race. I mentioned in the preview that this mare won the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2020 but hadn’t been really following that sort of path after an ordinary three-year-old season, but I feel today may mark the start of a five-year-old campaign that may just see her back in a breeders Cup race.


4th Demanding Commander Hippyheart Bocachica A

This four-year-old managed to run alongside all the superstars in this race and out battled them for fourth which is something that may not have been rewarded with financial gain but will have been a big thrill for the owner. As a four-year-old this was a good run as the ones that beat her were all five-year-olds and would’ve been giving her weight a month ago so there is plenty to like about the effort.

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES