Pegasus World Cup Day News & Notes: Brown Defending Pegasus Turf (G1) Title with Talented Trio – Inaugural Winner Bricks and Mortar Named Horse of the Year

By David Joseph —-

Pegasus World Cup Day News & Notes

Bloom Hoping Henley’s Joy Avoids Trouble in Pegasus Turf

Inaugural Winner Bricks and Mortar Named Horse of the Year

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – The way Jeff Bloom describes it, his Pegasus Turf runner Henley’s Joy often proves the Murphy’s Law adage: “If things can go wrong, they will go wrong.” Though the 4-year-old colt scored a victory in the Belmont Derby Invitational (G1) in July and has earned over $1 million already, Bloom said he is adept at finding trouble.

“He’s arguably one of the toughest-luck horses that I’ve ever had,” said Bloom, who operates Bloom Racing Stable. “He got to display his talent in the Invitational. He’s a horse that has had a lot of bad trips. He’s a horse that we try to find firm, dry turf for. No matter where we take him, we end up finding wet and rain.

“Hopefully the rain stays away,” he added. “He’s a horse that definitely prefers a firm course without a lot of give in it. The talent is there. If he gets the right trip he’s the kind of horse that could show up in the winner’s circle.”

Bloom purchased the chestnut son of top turf sire Kitten’s Joy as a 2-year-old in 2018 for $50,000. He is named for Don Henley, co-founder of the Eagles. Julien Leparoux will ride Henley’s Joy for the first time Saturday.

Ortiz with Rare Mount for Baffert in Pegasus World Cup (G1)

Two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. doesn’t ride for trainer Bob Baffert very often because they are based a continent apart, Ortiz in the east and Baffert in California.

The infrequent Ortiz-Baffert partnership will make its 11th start in seven years Saturday when Ortiz guides Mucho Gusto in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) presented by Runhappy at Gulfstream Park. They have one win together, the first time Ortiz rode for Baffert, aboard Brigand on Jan. 20, 2013 in the $75,000 Turnofthecentury Stakes at Aqueduct.

Baffert used Ortiz three more times in 2013, twice in 2015, then reconnected last year when Ortiz rode Improbable to a four-place finish in the Kentucky Derby (G1).

Baffert planned to offer Ortiz the mount on Mucho Gusto if he ran him in the one-mile Fred Hooper (G3) on the Pegasus undercard. When Baffert decided instead to go in the marquee race of the day, Ortiz was available and picked up the mount.

Baffert won the inaugural Pegasus with Arrogate in 2017 and was second with West Coast in 2018. Ortiz has not finished in the top three in his two starts in the race – Gunnevera (sixth) in 2019 and Sharp Azteca (eighth) in 2018.

World of Trouble Sprint Features Texas Wedge, Pay Any Price

Altamira Racing Stable, Rafter JR Ranch, STD Racing Stable and A. Miller’s Texas Wedge will bring his graded-stakes winning form to Gulfstream Park Saturday to face 18-time winner Pay Any Price and six other rivals in the $150,000 Hill ‘n’ Dale World of Trouble Sprint.

The five-furlong turf dash for 4-year-olds and up is the first of nine stakes, six graded, worth $5.2 million on a 12-race Pegasus World Cup Day program anchored by the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) and $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1), both presented by Runhappy.

Texas Wedge, based in California with trainer Peter Miller, kicked off his 5-year-old season with a three-quarter-length victory in the 5 ½-furlong Joe Hernandez (G2) on New Year’s Day over Santa Anita’s turf course. It was the first stakes win in 13 starts for the Colonel John gelding, one of four horses Miller shipped east for Saturday including multiple Grade winner Mo Forza in the Pegasus Turf.

“He had some trouble that day but he was able to overcome it. He’s a really cool little horse and he’s doing very well. We’re hoping he likes that grass over there,” Miller said of Texas Wedge. “I’m very fortunate that I’m bringing over horses that really fire every time. Whether he’s good enough or not, this is probably a little tougher race than he won but he’s doing very well and I know he always tries hard.”

Overall, Texas Wedge has finished third or better 10 times and earned $313,500 in purses.

“He’s just a neat little gelding,” Miller said. “I bought him for $30,000 at Ocala and he’s just been a great horse for us. Hopefully he can run his race on Saturday.”

Averill Racing and Matties Racing’s Pay Any Price launched his 10-year-old campaign with a front-running neck triumph Jan. 5 in a five-furlong optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream. He owns 16 wins at the distance, 15 over the local course and eight career stakes victories including the world record of 53.61 seconds for five furlongs on the grass in the 2017 Silks Run.

Breaking alongside Pay Any Price from Post 3 is Ron Paolucci Racing’s Fielder, making his debut for trainer Peter Walder after fetching $100,000 during Fasig-Tipton’s Midlantic December 2019 Mixed Sale at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.

Winner of the 2018 Marshall Jenney Stakes, a five-furlong Parx turf sprint, Fielder was third and second, respectively, in the 2018 and 2019 Laurel Dash, also sprinting on the grass, beaten 1 ¼ lengths combined.

“Looking at his form, he looks like he’s legit. He tries hard and he’s run against some tough competition. He worked really the other day,” Walder said. “He bought the horse with this race in mind, and here we are.

“For $100,000 it looks like he’s worth that kind of money,” he added. “He’s run against some good horses and held his own, so why not? You get a free horse if he happens to win and Ron’s a big participant in racing down here, whether it’s Claiming Crown Day or Pegasus Day or any day in between. He’s a big supporter of local racing and I don’t think we’re swinging for the fences here.”

Brown Defending Pegasus Turf (G1) Title with Talented Trio

Inaugural Winner Bricks and Mortar Named Horse of the Year

Newly crowned four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown will try for a second straight win in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Turf (G1) presented by Runhappy Saturday with a seasoned trio of graded-stakes winners.

Bricks and Mortar started what would be an unbeaten 2019 campaign in the Pegasus Turf. He was honored as the male turf champion and Horse of the Year at the Eclipse Awards dinner Thursday evening at Gulfstream Park.

John and Tanya Gunther’s 5-year-old homebred son of Frankel is the most accomplished of Brown’s 2020 threesome with a Group 1 win in the 2018 St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. Sacred Life was a Group 3 winner at Saint-Cloud in France in 2017. Instilled Regard, fourth in the 2018 Kentucky Derby (G1) for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, has been transitioned to the turf since being moved to Brown’s care in the in the summer of 2018. He prepped for the Pegasus Turf with a victory in the Fort Lauderdale (G2) Dec. 14 at Gulfstream Park.

Bricks and Mortar was a graded-stakes winning 3-year-old in 2018 but was off for more than a year recovering from surgery to repair an injury to a rear leg. He returned to win an allowance race about month before his impressive score in the Pegasus Turf. Brown said the connections expected him to run very well.

“Yeah, we really liked the horse in that race and I was so pleased to see him perform that way,” Brown said. “It was a great start to a memorable campaign, one of the best, if not the best, by a male turf horse in this country, a horse that races exclusively on turf.”

Bricks and Mortar completed his perfect six-race season in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), was retired and is beginning stud duty in Japan.

Without Parole will be ridden from Post 3 in the Pegasus Turf by internationally acclaimed jockey Frankie Dettori, who was his regular rider in Europe. The 5-year-old British-bred horse is winless in his six starts since the Royal Ascot success. He was transferred to Brown’s care in August and, without a prep race, finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1).

“His first race for us in the Breeders’ Cup was a tall order and he really did well. He ran extraordinarily well,” Brown said. “We freshened him up just a touch and pointed him to this race. I think he’s coming into it well. I don’t think the distance will be a problem for him. He drew a good cozy post inside I’m excited to see him run.”

Larry Best’s OXO Equine purchased Instilled Regard for $1,050,000 as a 2-year-old. He won the Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds and moved on to the Derby after running fourth in the Risen Star (G2) and Santa Anita Derby (G1). The son of Arch has been on the turf in four of his last five starts. He drew Post 6 and will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.

“He’s coming in well. He’s coming off a very nice win over the turf course at Gulfstream,” Brown said. “He got a very good trip and he performed well. He’s going to have to step up; this is a tougher field. But he’s training like a horse that is capable of stepping up. He’s constantly improving. He’s a real classy horse with a good turn of foot. Hopefully, he steps it up on Saturday.”

Like Without Parole, this will be Instilled Regard’s first try at 1 ½ miles.

Sacred Life was purchased and imported from France last summer by co-owners Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables and Bethlehem Stables. He has a victory and three seconds in four U.S. starts and most recently was the runner-up to Next Shares – who he will meet again in the Pegasus Turf – in the Seabiscuit Handicap (G2) Nov. 30 at Del Mar. Jose Ortiz and Sacred Life will leave from Post 11.

“This horse has really come around,” Brown said. “He’s a rapidly improving horse with a big turn of foot. He drew a challenging post out there in the 11, but he’s training exceptionally well. If he works out a trip he’s capable of winning.”

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