Champ Pegasus Scores in Hirsch

Champ Pegasus, the 8-5 choice, outfinished Where’s the Remote and six others to take the $250,000 Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship Presented by TVG.

Ahead of only Where’s the Remote with a quarter of a mile to run, Champ Pegasus finished strongly on the outside in the closing yards to win the Hirsch.

Owned by breeders Diamond A Racing Corporation and Arturo Vargas and trained by Richard Mandella, the 4-year-old Fusaichi Pegasus colt and the Salt Lake mare Salt Champ won by three-quarters of a length.

The win was the second in a row and fourth in eight starts for Champ Pegasus. Ridden by Joel Rosario, he increased his earnings to $358,520. The final time for the 1 ¼ miles was 2:01.21.

Now 2-for-4 on the grass at Hollywood Park, Champ Pegasus paid $5.40, $3.40 and $2.40.

Where’s the Remote, making his graded stakes debut for owner Greg Unruh and trainer Mike Mitchell, paid $6.40 and $3.40. Bourbon Bay, the 2-1 second choice making his initial start in some 5 ½ months, returned $2.60 to show. He wound up a neck behind Where’s the Remote and a neck in front of pacesetter and stablemate Marlang.

“He just kind of keeps improving and getting better as we go,’’ said Mandella after his fifth Hirsch victory., “We’ll probably have to get a little bit better than this to win the Breeders’ Cup (Turf on Nov. 6).

“He showed that style at Del Mar (when winning the Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 29) that he was kind of believing in himself to do it.’’

Rosario, who collected his first win in a race named in honor of one of Oak Tree’s founders and its longtime president, thinks better days are ahead for Champ Pegasus.

“He’s getting better every time,’’ he said. “I worked him the other morning and he went great, like he was really ready to go. He surprised me today the way he moved turning for home. I’m pretty excited about him.’’