Bodexpress among three new Pegasus World Cup invitees
Graded stakes winners Tenfold and Midcourt and Grade 1-placed Bodexpress, a popular local favorite, were added Sunday to the formal list of horses invited to the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup set for Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park.
C R K Stable’s Midcourt, based in California with trainer John Shirreffs, was placed among a dozen horses on the main list. A 5-year-old son of champion sprinter Midnight Lute, Midcourt put together four straight wins last summer and fall capped by the Native Diver (G3) Nov. 23 Del Mar. Most recently, he finished third in the San Antonio (G2) Dec. 28 at Santa Anita.
Also new to the Pegasus lineup are Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC’s Tenfold and Top Racing LLC, Global Thoroughbreds LLC and GDS Racing Stable’s Bodexpress, both added to the list of reserve invitees.
Winner of the 2018 Jim Dandy (G2) and 2019 Pimlico Special (G3) and third by a half-length to eventual Triple Crown champion Justify in the 2018 Preakness (G1), Tenfold is trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who won the second renewal of the Pegasus in 2018 with 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner.
Bodexpress, trained by Gulfstream Park West-based Gustavo Delgado, ran second behind Maximum Security in the Xpressbet.com Florida Derby (G1) last spring and made headlines after losing Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez at the start of the Preakness. After some time off, he returned with back to back victories against maiden special weight and allowance company prior to a third-place finish in the Harlan’s Holiday (G3) Dec. 14 at Gulfstream.
Maximum Security, Gift Box, Roadster and Bravazo are no longer on the list of invitees.
Three horses that had been on the reserve list were moved up to the main body of the race: Diamond Oops, True Timber and War Story. Imaginary Stables and Glenn Ellis’ War Story, a multiple graded-stakes winner of nearly $3 million, ran fifth and 10th, respectively, in the 2017 and 2018 Pegasus.
Calumet Farm’s True Timber has placed in seven career graded-stakes including the Cigar Mile (G1), where he ran second in 2018 and third behind Maximum Security Dec. 7 in his most recent start. In 2019, Diamond 100 Racing Club LLC, Amy Dunne, D P Racing LLC and Patrick Biancone Racing LLC’s Diamond Oops won the Smile Sprint (G3) and Mr. Prospector (G3) in 2019 at Gulfstream, the latter over Imperial Hint, and was second in the A.G. Vanderbilt (G1) and Shadwell Turf Mile (G1).
The 1 1/8-mile Pegasus for 4-year-olds and up on the main track is part of the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series along with the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) for 4-year-olds and up at 1 3/16 miles on the grass. Overall, the Pegasus World Cup Day program will serve up nine stakes, six graded, worth $5.2 million in purses.
The Stronach Group, owners of the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series, announced the equine athletes in both races would compete free of any medications on race day, heralding a new era in the sport of Thoroughbred racing in North America. The medication-free policy is consistent with the International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities standards. Two percent of the purses will go back to Thoroughbred aftercare.
Current Pegasus World Cup invitees must confirm their intent to run by 9 a.m. Friday, according to the Gulfstream condition book. The Pegasus World Cup Selection Committee will then update its list and order of preference on Sunday. Final entries will be taken the Wednesday of race week.