The Pegasus F & M Turf (Grade 3)- $500.000 Purse
GP- For Fillies and Mares Four Years Old and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
January 27, 2024

Pegasus weekend provides more than just one race to showcase some of the best horses in the game, and the Pegasus F & M Turf will provide the latest showdown between some incredible female turf stars. La Terrifiant is here, kicking off her nine-year-old season against the likes of Perfect Class, Maggie Greene and many more. Most of the horses in this field of twelve have accumulated at least $1,000.000 in earnings, and none of them have under $400.000. Therefore, we can expect a great race! This is the third year that the race will run under this name, though it has a longer history as the smaller Marshuas River Stakes. Last year, Always Condottieri got the win for Maletto, but she will not be here to defend her title. Here’s a look at those who will be taking part!

#1- La Terrifiant (Smokey Stover, ridden by L R Rivera)- One of the greatest horses of all time in the game enters her nine-year-old season while continuing to perform at a high level. She closed out 2023 by running the BC Fillies and Mares Turf, a race that she won in 2019, and still was able to finish second in the race. It would be the second straight year that she finished in that spot, and has never been lower than fourth in any of the BC races that she has been in. Nine seems to be the maximum year historically when horses of this caliber continue to run at a high level, as I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any get to ten and do this. Ran fifth in this race last year, and a win here would go a long way in getting her close to $10,000.000 in earnings.

#2- Omnibus (High Voltage, ridden by U Rispoli)- This six-year-old mare comes into the race off a win in the Grade 3 Suwannee River here in late December, which was one of her two wins on the year. She did not take part in the BC, but she still managed to win close to $400.000 on the year and had strong third place efforts in both the Grade 1 Just A Game at BEL and Grade 1 First Lady at KEE. Likely did not miss getting into the BC by much with those results, and her Suwannee River win is something to build on in 2024.

#3- Painville (Mo Mentum Farm, ridden by L Dettori)- Painville was not only in the BC Fillies and Mares Turf a couple months ago, but she also pulled off the win as a 15/1 longshot. The win finished off a year where she ended up winning five of ten races, so maybe she should not have been such a surprise based on those odds. Also won the Grade 1 Just A Game (in a dead heat) and the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes during the year. She’ll begin her six-year-old campaign here and Mo Mentum Farm will be hoping she was good as she was last winter.

#4- Power Royale (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by Ru Silvera)- Made several starts in PA-bred stakes last year, and had success in them but was ultimately sold off in private sales for $50.000 in September. D J C Racing Stables had larger aspirations and entered Power Royale in the Grade 3 Waya for their first race together and the mare won by a nose. She did not run in the BC, as it was too late to make a run at that but comes out of a runner up in the Grade 1 Matriarch where only Perfect Class could beat her. If there was any question about how she’d fare against this type of opposition, that race answered it.

#5- Stinky Rene (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by A Beschizza)- Last August at CNL, Stinky Rene was able to snap out of a dry spell in highly impressive fashion, winning the Grade 1 Beverly D by two lengths. That would kick off a three-race winning streak that also saw her win the Grade 1 Taylor Stakes at WO. She had all of the momentum that you would want heading into the BC, and she would be one of the top choices for the race at 4/1. She never really got going there, but some passes late got her fifth, so not the worst performance. This is her first race since then and I am very interested in seeing how this works out for her.

#6- Perfect Class (Sccj Stables, ridden by Mario Gutierrez)- This five-year-old Asset Class mare had an excellent that culminated with a win in the 2022 BC Fillies and Mares Turf. At the time, that was her fifth consecutive win, and the streak would go to six with a win at the Grade 1 American Oaks. 2023 was tougher for her, and she would not make it back to the BC. But she still picked up a win at SA over that weekend, coming in the Grade 2 Goldikova Stakes and last month she won the Grade 1 Matriarch. Maybe she is back in her groove once again.

#7- Wander (Mb Stables, ridden by T Gaffalione)- If you want a horse that is on great form, Wander may be the one for you. She’s won four out of her last five, highlighted by the $1,000.000 Grade 3 KD Ladies Turf. Despite all of that, she did not run in the BC. Her last race came in late November, when she beat a small field in the Grade 3 Cardinal at CD. Expect to see her be on or near the lead early based on how recent races have gone for her.

#8- November Storm (Mb Stables, ridden by F Prat)- Picked up by the trainer in private sales for $300.000 in July, and at the time, she had never been entered into a stake. That changed right away with Mb Stables, who ran her in the Grade 3 SAR Oaks and saw her take second on the yielding turf that. Since the sale, she’s run well, but has won just once over her five starts with the victory being the $600.000 Grade 1 QE II Challenge Cup at KEE. Last month, she came from well off the pace to be third in the Grade 1 American Oaks. While her stablemate Wander likes to be on the lead, November Storm takes the opposite approach.

#9- Zalinda (Threshold, ridden by J Lezcano)- Found herself way back at the start in the BC Fillies and Mares Turf, but came on strong in the stretch to get up for fourth. That’s not typically how she begins a race and starting from the 14 four-year-old could have had something to do with that. She either won or finished fourth in her seven races last year with the biggest victory being in the Grade 1 Gamely at SA in May. Worked nicely at PRX in anticipation of this race, and she should be in the mix at the end here.

#10- Ethereum Star (Smokey Stover, ridden by P Husbands)- A very consistent horse that has never finished out of the money in any of her ten starts to this point. She’s won half of them, too, including the Grade 1 American Oaks on the day after Christmas. Doesn’t have a lot of graded experience as of yet, but she is just beginning her four-year-old season and has all the looks of a horse that is on the verge of breakout year. Perhaps this is who La Terrifiant passes the torch to in this barn.

#11- Tabitha Stephens (Mb Stables, ridden by E Jaramillo)- This is a horse that likes to break out the gate fast, and sometimes she will even open up by multiple lengths. It’s worked for her, as she has won or been second in eleven of her 18 starts so far. Hit the board in multiple graded ones, but her biggest win was the Suwannee River in her last start, where she shared the winner’s circle with Omnibus.

#12- Maggie Greene (The Sidley Stud, ridden by F T Alvarado)- Like La Terrifiant, this is a nine-year-old mare now, and their paths have crossed many times over their careers. Maggie Greene has won over $5,000.000 in her career, which has now spanned 70 races. She has 21 victories, which is the same number that La Terrifiant has. In the BC Fillies and Mares Turf, she ran third, being beaten by two lengths but she is also a winner of that race, doing so in 2020. It was good to see her bounce back in the BC, because her run right before that in the Rodeo Drive was concerning. Ran sixth in this race last year and should not be doubted this year.

Prediction: 1-6-3-9

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES