The Pegasus World Cup Turf – Grade I
GP Race #10 1 1/8m Turf Graded Stake
Purse $1,000.000 For Four-Year-Olds And Upward.

1 Indian Summer Diablo Diablo Garcia Mar 124 —

A great two-year-old, a good three-year-old, what will he bring to the table as a four-year-old? Well, he has been thrown right in the deep end here so there is no doubt he will have to bring his two-year-old form and then some to win over nine furlongs after winning his first black type for a while over just five furlongs last time out. We all know he has the ability but a part of me is still convinced he is better sprinting, but I am willing and ready to be proven wrong.

2 Expresso Smokey Stover Alvarado F T 124 —

The winner of five of only ten starts there is no doubt after his victory over this trip in the Twilight last time that he could be a superstar in the making. He gets a nice gate to get on the pace today but if he gets into a lead battle, he may find it hard to hold some of these established stars. He still has plenty to prove at this sort of elite level and this may be too soon but he hails from a stable with very big guns to fire so I wouldn’t be writing him off.

3 Last Way To The Beac Maxmillion Farm Jimenez A 124 —

There aren’t many as good as him over the last three years but there are also not too many that have the sort of mood swings he has. At his brilliant best there are few better but at his worst, and we never know which it will be, he can look weak at the end of his races and just below this level. He was a stunning second in the Forrester Turf Classic last year behind his race rival and stable mate so we know he can run big at this time of year. His works on the track look on song so we may see him at his best today and with a great draw and the turf king at the reins he may well be right there at the end.

4 Grand Opening Riggins Racing Husbands P 124 —

You don’t find too many records like 11 wins from 19 starts so he comes with a lot of respect from a stable that is finding the big time again after a while in the wilderness. His last four starts have been top-notch resulting in three wins and a close fourth in the BC Mile and I know many see him as a possible superstar of the 2024 season. Let’s not forget that he has changed hands no less than seven times and has never cost more than $40.000, so the fact that he is a grade-one winner and so prolific is a testament to his trainer’s brilliance. He gets a great opportunity today to prove what he is made of.

5 King Que Niagra D J C Racing Stables Gutierrez Mario 124 —

This brilliant seven-year-old is the benchmark in any race he goes in and took his fourth grade one of the 2023 season when winning the BC Turf on his last start. He can take a few races to get going so the length of time between starts may be an issue but if he is anywhere near his best, he deserves to start favorite for this race. He gets a great draw where he likes to be but if you wanted another reason to look elsewhere it may be that he can find this trip a little sharp these days as shown in last year’s race, but his class is doubtless and sometimes that can see you through.

6 Killer Instinct Mb Stables Dettori L 124 —

Ran his best races in defeat last year including pushing King Que Niagra to a neck in the BC Turf, but he has been a little frustrating at times. He won the KY Turf Cup last year, making all the running, and tried that again in the Fort Lauderdale last time out and in the AP Million before that but was run down on both occasions. In a race of champions like this race he is not misplaced as his best efforts will see him right in the fight and with a trainer that knows how to win the BIG purses he won’t be wanting for preparation or the correct tactics.

7 Hawaiian Lord Our Athletes Beschizza A 124 —

With only three wins from thirty-four starts you have to say that he is an outsider in this stellar field. He has however amassed nearly $1,000.000 in prize money and was third in the grade one Forrester Turf Classic last year so even without the sort of record that shouts superstar he clearly can make his presence felt.

8 Oh Brother Spankys Barn Rosario J 124 —

How many times have we seen a horse sold for a modest amount only to quickly go on to a huge victory? Well, this one did just that after being picked up for $45.000 he went on to win the grade one Pacific Classic just a couple of months later. He was drawn wide in the BC Turf and weakened out of it, but I am not sure he is a true mile-and-a-half horse so that can be forgiven especially as he had the wide draw. This is a big ask but he has proven he can do it and who is to say he can’t do it again?

9 Buffalo G Nakamura Stables Luzzi L J 124 —

He is in the race and there were a lot of good horses that didn’t get a start so he must be given a chance even if his form looks a little short of the best in this race. The winner of 13 races he certainly has a chance, but I can’t help thinking his best hopes would be a place here.

10 Seven Is Lucky Mb Stables Lezcano J 124 —

The Champion trainer has a strong hand in this race with their second starter being this lightly raced five-year-old. The winner of five from eleven his meteoric rise from being beaten in a couple of ordinary sprints to the HOL Turf Cup winner happened after a break when his trainer used the time to find out what made him tick. Switching him to route races for the first time in his career, he ended his year with a close second in the grade one Shadwell Turf Mile and then that HOL victory where he beat a nice bunch of routers. Timing is everything at HRP and his time looks like it is coming.

11 Penal Hockey Party Maxmillion Farm Rivera L R 124 —

Won the Forrester Turf Classic last year and then went on to the Wise Dan and the AP Million looking like he would never lose a race again. However, the opposite happened as in his next four starts he failed to win but was only just beaten a nose in the BC Mile. He was gifted perfect draws almost the whole year so it will be interesting to see how he handles this wide draw but there is no doubt that at his best he could win this.

12 Jakarta Nakamura Stables Corbett G W 124 —

Good enough to grace any grade one, but with only five wins he more often than not is the near horse. He may well be just below this class but only just and it wouldn’t take much of a race engine fart to see him powering home late or of course making all because you can never tell how they are going to run these days.

13 Ptyrannical Arindel Jaramillo E 124 —

The winner of ten from thirty-three, he has looked a superstar at times and ordinary at others, but when he puts his best foot forward, he is very good and well capable of winning this even from a terrible draw. Who could forget last year when he powered home from a sticky draw in this very race beating Jakarta, King Que Niagra, and the rest of the field? He had ten starts last year and only won three but the three he did win were all graded stakes so you cannot deny his winning chance.

14 Ziccio Night Rider Stables Gaffalione T 124 —

He bought it for just $35.000 after winning a $14.000 claimer his new and current owner put him straight into the upper grades so obviously had had their eye on him as an improver. He won the grade one Manhattan in June and the Henry Championship in October proving to be one of the best buys of the year. His problem of course is the only thing outside him is the crowd, so something will have to happen to give him a chance. There are plenty of pace horses here though so it could be set up for him to come home late.

SUMMARY

These top races aren’t about picking the winner on accomplishments because they are all accomplished, works, as they all work like superstars, form, because they all get beat and beat each other so it has more to do with getting a feeling of who will have that boost today and for what reason. Will the wide draws go to war with the inside horses for the lead setting it up for a closer? Will a horse go five lengths clear and remain unchallenged for the entire race?
Of course, we won’t know till the race engine tells us, so picking a winner is all about gut feelings. My gut is telling me Last Way To The Beac or Killer Instinct may be the best chances but it’s wrong more than its right, so good luck finding the winner in this one.

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES