Mandaloun heads field of five for Sunday’s TVG.com Pegasus Stakes

By Tom Luicci —-

KY. DERBY RUNNER-UP MANDALOUN HEADS FIELD OF FIVE

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Kentucky Derby runner-up Mandaloun will face four other 3-year-olds, including two graded stakes winners, when he marks his return to racing in Sunday’s TVG.com Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park.

Unraced since the May 1 Kentucky Derby, Mandaloun drew post position 2 for the 40th edition of the mile and a sixteenth Pegasus Stakes. Trained by Brad Cox, the son of Into Mischief will be ridden by Florent Geroux in the $150,000 race that headlines the Sunday card. First race post time is 12:15 p.m.

Cox is using the Pegasus Stakes as a tune-up for Mandaloun for the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes on July 17 at Monmouth.

Brooklyn Strong, who won the Grade 2 Remsen and was fifth in the Wood Memorial, drew post 1 for trainer Danny Velazquez. Abner Adano has the mount.

Weyburn, winner of the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes at odds of 46-1 and then fourth in the Wood Memorial, has post position 4 for trainer James Jerkens. Dr Jack, unbeaten in two lifetime starts for trainer Todd Pletcher, and Lugamo, unraced since a 12th-place finish on March 27 in the UAE Derby, round out the field.

Cox said Mandaloun will van from Churchill Downs today and is expected to arrive at Monmouth Park early Friday morning.

The Pegasus Stakes field in post position order (with jockeys):

1 – Brooklyn Strong (Abner Adano)

2 – Mandaloun (Florent Geroux)

3 – Dr Jack (Paco Lopez)

4 – Weyburn (Dylan Davis

5 – Lugamo (Angel Cruz)