Eragon Arrives at Gulfstream Park for Pegasus (G1)

By David Joseph —-

South American import out of quarantine

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – The James McIngvale-owned Eragon cleared quarantine in Miami and arrived Thursday morning at Gulfstream Park for his upcoming engagement in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 28.

South American import Eragon, a three-time Group 1 winner in Argentina, stepped off McIngvale’s van at approximately 10:30 a.m. and entered Barn 19, his home for the next few weeks as he prepares for the 1 1/8-mile inaugural running of the Pegasus. McIngvale privately purchased the horse after he won a Group 1 in Argentina in November.

After arriving from Argentina on Dec. 19, the 6-year-old Eragon entered quarantine for what was expected to be a seven-day stay. Laura Wohlers, McIngvale’s sister-in-law and the horse’s trainer said his time there was extended for unforeseen reasons.

“I’m so glad to have him out of quarantine,” said Wohlers as she watched an energized Eragon being hand-walked in the shedrow. “One of the horses in quarantine had a suspicious test which turned out to be nothing but because of protocol we unfortunately had to stay there longer.

“He’s lost a little weight since I saw him in Argentina, but that was to be expected as he was not getting the large amount of feed he had been getting while there. All in all, he looks pretty good, and his energy is up.”

Wohlers said she plans on training Eragon, a son of Offlee Wild, Friday morning at Gulfstream Park. Tentatively he is scheduled to train at 8 a.m.

“We’ll probably won’t do a whole lot with him,” she said. “We’ll probably jog him. If we see him out there getting fractious and anxious we might gallop him lightly.”

Wohlers said she is aiming to get two works into Eragon, who last raced on Nov. 12 in Argentina, before the Pegasus.

One of the upsides of being in quarantine so long is that Eragon created his own fan club with staff that work at the facility.

“We have a bunch of people from there coming to the Pegasus,” Wohlers said. “One of the girls pulled up his YouTube races from Argentina, and that created a fan base for him. They are all excited and said they will be rooting for him.”

McIngvale purchased his slot in the Pegasus World Cup with the intent of running Runhappy in the Pegasus. But the 2015 sprint male champion was retired after finishing unplaced in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) Nov. 4 at Santa Anita.

Gulfstream Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida, and is one of North America’s top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world’s largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; XpressBet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.