Starlight Racing excited about Pegasus World Cup hopeful Neolithic
{{monthName}} {{day}}, {{year}} {{hour12}}:{{minuteTwoDigit}}{{dayPeriod}}
Photo:
Leslie Martin
Having passed his audition with flying colors, Starlight Racing’s Neolithic has founder and managing partner Jack Wolf excited about the 3-year-old colt’s prospects for the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Neolithic rolled to a front-running allowance victory by nine lengths under a hand-ride from jockey Javier Castellano, who had a hard time pulling up the son of Harlan’s Holiday after he ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.58.
"It was great, fantastic. He did it the right way and did it easy,” Wolf said. “He galloped out fantastic, maybe a little too fantastic.”
The win was the second in as many starts at Gulfstream for Neolithic following his maiden triumph last December. He didn’t race again until finishing second in a seven-furlong allowance Aug. 6 at Saratoga.
Starlight Pegasus Partners is one of 12 stakeholders that put up $1 million apiece for the Pegasus World Cup, the historic and innovative racing event conceived by Gulfstream Park owner Frank Stronach. Second in the Discovery (G3) Nov. 12, Neolithic is one of a handful of horses under Pegasus consideration trained by Todd Pletcher along with Keen Ice, Stanford and Madefromlucky, each entered in Saturday’s $100,000 Harlan’s Holiday (G3).
“This course can be biased at times and we’re looking for a horse that’s been able to go over the surface and prove himself. This is his second win over the track at two turns,” Wolf said. “I think that alone, even though he doesn’t have the class of a Grade 1 or Grade 2 win, I think that gives him a little bit of an edge, especially if he draws a good post in the race. Of the top horses [for the Pegasus], not one of them have done that.”
California Chrome LLC is another stakeholder and is pointing its 2014 Horse of the Year to the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus. Multiple Grade 1 winner Arrogate, who defeated California Chrome in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 5, is also expected to run though owner Juddmonte Farms has yet to secure a starting position.
“I’ll talk to Todd and see how the horse is doing and talk to some of the partners that want to be involved in the decision-making process. I’ve talked to a number of the other horse owners who until recently really haven’t had a prospect. Basically where we are is, I wanted to see how this race came out and go from there,” Wolf said.
“The key to this thing is getting Arrogate signed up,” he added. “Once Arrogate is signed up, [the field will begin to take shape] not only for the benefit of everybody else falling into place, [but] having this marquee race against California Chrome, which is going to be unbelievable. Throwing in variables like the track and the post position, then we’ve got a horse race.”
Source: Gulfstream Park
Read More
The Grade 3, $350,000 Jockey Club Oaks drew a field of eight 3-year-old fillies who will race 1 3/8...
Martin Drexler stands in second place in the trainer standings at Woodbine, where he finished the last two...
In the 10 days since the Breeders’ Cup Classic, word has filtered out about which runners will return...
If Whit Beckman was disappointed with Regaled 's third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, you wouldn't know...
Touchuponastar earned a 138 Horse Racing Nation speed figure for his 10-length win in Saturday's Delta Mile at...