Asmussen: Tenfold's 'in a great rhythm' for Pegasus World Cup

Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Tenfold worked a leisurely half-mile in 51 seconds flat on a frigid Monday at New Orleans' Fair Grounds in his last training session before flying to south Florida on Tuesday for the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1).

The workout time ranked 43rd out of 52 at the distance but was typical of what Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen looks for from his horses the Monday before a Saturday race. 

“He’s in a great rhythm,” said Asmussen, who on Saturday became the third trainer to win 1,000 career stakes races when Finite won the Fair Grounds’ Silverbulletday. “The horse has trained with a lot of energy lately and heads out to Gulfstream tomorrow.”

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano has the mount on Tenfold, the trainer said.

Asmussen won the 2018 Pegasus with 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, whom Winchell co-owned with Three Chimneys Farm.

In his most-recent start, the 5-year-old Tenfold was a close fourth in Fair Grounds’ Dec. 21 Tenacious Stakes, finishing three-quarters of a length in the slop behind victorious Pioneer Spirit. Tenfold, a son of the Asmussen-trained two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, won Saratoga’s Jim Dandy (G2) at age 3 and the Pimlico Special (G3) last year. He also counts among career highlights a third, beaten less than a length, behind Triple Crown winner Justify in the 2018 Preakness Stakes. 

Overall, Tenfold is 4-for-15 with total earnings of $968,390. Regardless of placing, Tenfold will exit the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus as a millionaire, with the race conditions specifying a $50,000 minimum payout to horses that have won a graded stakes within in the past two years.

2020 Pegasus World Cup (G1)

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