Yoshida's odyssey continues in the Pegasus World Cup Turf

Bred in Japan, Yoshida has traveled all around this world, and without much fanfare the 5-year-old son of Heart's Cry has become one of America's most interesting horses. His odyssey continues on Saturday when he'll enter the starting gate for the inaugural edition of the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf.

Once upon a time purchased for $765,160 at the Japan Racing Association’s 2015 sale of yearlings and weanlings, Yoshida is proving to be worth every penny.

Owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club International, SF Racing and Head of Plains Partners, Yoshida has to date won five of 12 lifetime starts with earnings of $1,589,770 under the guidance of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. His current bankroll could seem like small potatoes, though, if he performs up to his ability in his next few starts.

“The nice thing about Yoshida is he’s a Grade 1 winner on both surfaces," said WinStar chief Elliott Walden.

That unique quality of being able to perform at a top class on both turf and dirt opened up some interesting doors for the son of a Japanese champion in 2018, and this year, he could well take things up a notch.

Brand new to the U.S. racing landscape is Saturday's Pegasus World Cup Turf. Contested at 1 3/16 miles on the Gulfstream Park turf course, it may play second fiddle on the card to the Pegasus World Cup on dirt, but its $7 million purse immediately qualifies it as the richest grass race in North America. With his excellent credentials on the green, Yoshida will be one of the horses to beat on Saturday.

The Pegasus Turf will actually mark a surface switch for Yoshida. After making his first 10 starts of his career on the grass, Yoshida finally took to the dirt late last summer for the Grade 1 Woodward at Saratoga. The powerhouse, rallying victory in the prestigious race over the likes of Gunnevera, Leofric and Seeking the Soul led directly to a start in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Although he finished fourth, make no mistake: Yoshida ran a big race in the Classic. A wide trip slowed his fast finish just enough to miss out on a better result.

Yoshida's newly discovered ability to run big on the dirt should also lead to a start in the $12 million Dubai World Cup back on dirt in March. Before he adds more major miles to his frequent flyer account, and runs in two of the world's richest races, Yoshida will be in for a major test Saturday in South Florida.

Besides a cast of capable American turf runners, Yoshida will need to best a pair of world class international females if he is to take home the lion's share of the $7 million purse. Magic Wand, a talented 4-year-old English filly from the Aiden O'Brien barn, and Aerolithe, a Group 1 winner back in Yoshida's native land of Japan, could well represent his biggest challenge should either or both bring their respective top game to Gulfstream.

Still, it is Yoshida who looms the one to beat in the first Pegasus World Cup Turf, and he is no stranger to running big on a huge card of racing. A promising two-time stakes winner on the grass as a 3-year-old, the grandson of Sunday Silence came back to racing off a long layoff last year to score his first Grade 1 victory in the Old Forester Turf Classic Stakes on Kentucky Derby day. That thrilling win in front of the big crowd at Churchill Downs led to another grand test.

He may not have won the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, but the Mott trainee proved once again that he is a top-notch grass horse with a solid effort in front of throngs of English race fans.

Now with a couple of big dirt performances under his belt, Saturday will offer Yoshida another chance to prove how good he is on his original surface. Given a short rest after his effort in the Breeders' Cup, he has been building his fitness and sharpness down at the Payson Park Training Center with five steady workouts. He should be ready for this one, and then a trip to Dubai.

As for the bold plan of bouncing from dirt to turf, and back to the main track, with $6 million, $7 million, and then $12 million on the line, well, this is Yoshida's world, after all.

"He’s continued to fill out and do well and we’re excited about the upcoming year with him,” Walden said. “He’s unbelievable. He’s been a good horse from Day 1.”