The Pegasus World Cup (Grade 1)- $500.000 Purse
GP- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
January 28, 2017
Ever since the format for the Pegasus World Cup was announced in real life, many began to wonder what exactly would HRP do? No one can really be certain if this race will become an annual staple on the real world calendar in its current format, but after the field in which the race attracted, you have to think it will be, and that’s exciting. While HRP tries their best to mirror the real life racing world, the format for the Pegasus certainly put them in an understandable bind. For HRP to do the same, twelve trainers would have to shell out $1,000.000 in nomination fees to make up a $12,000.000 purse. Those who have the money and have the horsepower are certainly inclined to say, “Yeah, bring it on!” If the game did that, however, the traditional max of a $50.000 entry fee would have to be increased by a factor of twenty. Not to mention, it could also skew some history, as the winner of the race would become one of the most prolific horses in earnings on HRP just as a result of one victory. To their credit, the game has seemed willing to mirror the real life conditions only if the race starts to become a staple on the schedule. The game owners are no different then the rest of us other racing fans that might be excited for the quality of racing we’ll see at real-world GP on Saturday, and are intrigued by the format, but at the same time, want to make sure this race is not just a flash in the pan.
For 2017, the game came to the conclusion that the race will be run like another Donn Handicap, and that we’ll go from there. This is the race that the Pegasus is technically replacing this Saturday at GP, and it seems like a fair compromise for this season, though if the real Pegasus returns again, we should see a greater push to mirror the true format of the race. I do believe that the game will step up and try to provide a resolution for us if that does indeed become the case. So now, without further adieu, what we really have on Saturday is the 14th running of the Donn Handicap now going under the Pegasus name, and this is still a race with plenty of history for us to be proud of. A horse for the ages, Omni, won the first two editions in 2004 and 2005, which were two of his 16 wins in 62 career starts. In 2009, Jagged Account won this race by six lengths (good luck seeing that again) for Australia Wide, one of his 21 career wins and part of his over $5,000.000 in career earnings. That win completed a stretch where Australia Wide won three out of four runnings of this race, making him the race’s most successful trainer. On the jockey side, R Bejarano’s three wins is tops.
This field this year is simply, star-studded. Half of the field (six of twelve) ran in the BC Classic, including all four of last year’s top three finishers (because there was a dead heat for third, of course). Let’s get ready to enjoy the race, we might not be running for $12,000.000, but it will still be of that quality. Here’s the field!
#1- Tiger Town (Aer Stables, ridden by J R Leparoux)- Starting on the rail, this Don’t Tell Charley gelding is looking to take the next step forward in his career and this would be a big score for him on Saturday. He’s won a couple graded events, including the Grade 3 Canadian Derby and the Grade 2 LA Derby (the one at LA, not LAD), but everyone in this field have won races like that. It’s a third place finish that brings the hope for Tiger Town, when he was within a length at the Grade 1 JC Gold Cup. Among the horses that he defeated were A One, Port On The Horizon, and Royal Prodigy, so Tiger Town has been able to thrive against the best in the game before. No one’s going to say he should be one of the top favorites in this field, but he has shown he can run with this crowd. What he really needs is a true signature victory against this level of competition.
#2- Black Mojo (Mb Stables, ridden by J J Castellano)- The runner up in the BEL, where he was part of an amazing one-two finish for Broken Spoke Stables, is now in the hands of Mb Stables. In fact both of Broken Spoke’s Cinderella stories are now trained by two of the higher budgeted stables. Mb acquired him from Heavens Own for $660.000 and we’ll see what they do together as the 2017 season gets rolling. Black Mojo has been competitive, but still has not won since May, as he was also able to hit the board in the BC Classic, being one of two credited with a third place finish. It’s interesting to see with this one that when the lights are anything but black and are shining the brightest, Black Mojo brings his A-game. That bodes well for him here, and he could thrive under this new leadership to an even higher level.
#3- Ufc Morals (Tiratzo, ridden by F Pennington)- This colt has won some good fights over the course of his career, which is highlighted by a victory in the Grade 3 Dwyer back in July against decent company that featured Water Mummy and Palestinian. Other then though, we’re mainly talking about a handful of on-the-board finishes in other quality races. At the Spa in August, he ran second in the Kings Bishop (Grade 1), in what was the best race of his career. He was only run once since, and that was a flat showing Cigar Handicap when he thought the race was over at six furlongs. Tiratzo seems to know why exactly that happened and seems confident that it won’t happen again. If that is the case, and he then builds off of the Kings Bishop, he could be the Pegasus Champion.
#4- Blowin Smoke (Grimley, ridden by M Franco)- After winning the Grade 1 Cigar Handicap around Thanksgiving, a race in which he defeated quality runners Champagne Supernova and Impending Decision, as well as Ufc Morals, Blowin Smoke now attempts his biggest challenge yet. When he was purchased in private sales for $65.000, Grimley put him right on the race track, ending a five month layoff. Prior to the layoff, he had been a disappointment. He added bute, and the impact has been immediate. The resume is not as impressive as others, but he is on the best form of his career right now.
#5- Port On The Horizon (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by R J Albarado)- The Risen Ruler gelding begins his five year old season with it being over a year since he last won. That victory was in the SSM Classic of 2016, with regular rider Albarado in the saddle. The lack of wins did not stop the trainer from putting him in some of the best races out there, and Port On The Horizon still got a handful of strong results. The best performance for the 2015 BC Classic runner up came in August, when he ran third in the Pacific Classic out at DMR, getting a nose ahead of stablemate Niagra While I like this horse, what keeps me from picking him is a recent trend of inconsistency.
#6- Viking Rasta (Delta Farms, ridden by P Lopez)- It took a little while for this one to break his maiden, and because of that he really missed out on running in triple crown prep races. The trainer deserves a ton of credit for his patience, particularly keeping him on the shelf between January and April last year, because it seems as though the springtime became the time when Viking Rasta finally figured out not only how to win, but to run well against the best. He picked up a couple of big wins in the fall, taking the Grade 3 Jones Stakes at PRX in September, and then the Awesome Again (Grade 1), in October. That would get him to the BC Classic, where he would finish in the top half of the field. His career his on the upswing, and while he is not going to be a favorite in this field, he warrants serious consideration in any exotic bets.
#7- Spring Lover (Mb Stables, ridden by M E Smith)- After being one of two credited with a third place finish in the BC Classic, Spring Lover looks to kick off his season with the biggest win of his career. His biggest success to this point occurred in April when he came from well off the pace to win the $1,000.000 BG Stakes (Grade 1), punching his ticket to the KYD. He would ride the momentum into that race, again closing well, to finish fifth. He’s been very consistent in every race he has been involved with, but it seems like he gets lost in the shuffle a little bit when we think back on last years three year olds. A win in the Pegasus is certainly very capable for him, and it would serve as a great highlight for his career.
#8- Copper Beast (John Henry, ridden by J R Velazquez)- This Copper Bottom colt is just shy of $3.000.000 for his career, and it is possible that he might emerge as having the best career of any of last year’s KYD hopefuls. The Atomic Twister fanbase might not like that statement, but when you look at what Copper Beast accomplished, you see significant consistency in his career. He was second in the KYD, and then went to Saratoga and won the Midsummer Classic at the Spa, the Travers. In the BC Classic, he had a great performance, though would be second to Atomic Twister. Other then the BEL, which was too long for him, Copper Beast has never had a bad race. Interesting to note that he has a rider change, as R Alvarado Jr, who’s been in the saddle for every race of his April, will not be riding. Though if you have to have a new rider, you can’t go wrong with J R Velazquez!
#9- Compress (Cherrytree Hill Farm, ridden by R Bejarano)- One of the best stories of 2016, Compress is set to begin his four year old campaign here in the Pegasus. This was not necessarily an automatic, as since after the BEL, the trainer moved him back to the grass. That is where Compress showed his early dominance before impressing mostly everyone in the TC prep races, including a FL Derby win. Though after the BEL, it was to the turf and he is actually coming off a monster victory in the HOL Derby (Grade 1) in early December. It’s exciting to see him return to dirt and reunite acquaintance with some of his former adversaries. I think he will run well here.
#10- Skeleton Balle (Oval Express Farms, ridden by J J Hernandez)- The jockey has picking them up and laying them down with a 39% win clip so far this year (as of press time), and certainly the GG regular is excited for this opportunity to run in the Pegasus. His mount figures to be a longshot, but Skeleton Balle does know how to find the winners circle. The five year old has won eight of 19 races, with his best runs coming in 2015 while in Mb Stables silks. Oval Express Farm picked him up in the June auction for $62.000 and may have resurrected his career, picking up two graded wins in four starts, including the Grade 2 Marathon at SA on BC day. Not sure why his next race after that was a turf sprint, but clearly that is a throw out.
#11- Carneyman (John Henry, ridden by J Lezcano)- What should we really make of this horse? There have been times, and they have usually been in the biggest moments, where Carneyman has been unbeatable. On the surface, any horse who wins the BC Juvenile, the BEL, and the Haskell would be considered one of the best horses in the entire game. If you did a show of hands on HRP, I am guessing that Carneyman would not be in many top fives, however. There was a stretch in 2016 when he could not hit the board, and that led to him having even less KYD points then some horse named Phooeys Ideal. The PRK showed potential, and the BEL showed greatness. But then in the BC Classic, at a distance that should have been to his liking, he tired out and disappointed. As his four year old season is set to begin, who knows what to expect from Carneyman? The potential is there, let’s see how it goes!
#12- Atomic Twister (Blushing Meadows, ridden by I Ortiz Jr)- On the far outside in the Pegasus, one of the greats of the sport is looking to overcome his post position and pick up a big win. That’s a sentence that holds true both in the real world and in our virtual world. Atomic Twister closed out his 2016 season in glamourous style, winning the BC Classic. It finished out a season for him that only had one other victory, but several performances where he was very much a factor. That is something, though, that figures to prevent him from winning Horse of The Year (not known as of press time). I am very interested to see how he carries that form into this season, because there will be plenty of races out there for him to significantly add to his career earning totals which are presently just a bit under $5,000.000.
Prediction: 8-12-7-11
— NS
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES
