Pegasus World Cup Undercard Stakes Previews

By David Joseph —-

Cyclone Mischief Returns to Gulfstream in Hooper (G3)

Brown ‘Excited’ to Saddle Vosburgh (G2) Runner-up Accretive

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Cyclone Mischief will be looking to regain the form that earned him a start in the 2023 Kentucky Derby (G1) at the track he has enjoyed the most success. The son of Into Mischief will be one of two runners from the barn of Dale Romans in Saturday’s $150,000 Fred W. Hooper (G3) presented by Whispering Angel at Gulfstream Park. The mile stakes race for older horses drew a full field of 12.

Cyclone Mischief punched his ticket to Kentucky with a pair of third place finishes last year in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and the Florida Derby (G1). The wins earned him enough points to qualify for a Kentucky Derby post after a late defection. He, however, would go on to finish last in the field.

Given a long layoff, Cyclone Mischief returned to a post a fourth-place finish in a mile allowance face on Nov. 26 at Churchill Downs. The 4-year-old will seek to revisit the Gulfstream winner’s circle for the first time since Jan. 8 of last year, when he notched his most recent win. Frankie Dettori will be aboard Cyclone Mischief for the first time.

Stablemate Giant Game will also be looking to rebound off a disappointing race at Churchill Downs. The 5-year-old son of Giants Causeway faded to an eighth-place finish in his most recent outing in the Clark (G2) on Nov. 24. Giant Game will dial back from that 1 1/8-mile test to a distance where he has posted a pair of second place finishes in as many outings. Martin Garcia gets the call for the fourth-straight race.

Jockey Luis Saez, who has five victories in the Hooper including last year’s win aboard Endorsed, will pilot Tumbarumba for trainer Bryan Lynch and owner Amerman Racing, LLC. The 4-year-old’s most recent win came at a mile in the Ellis Park Derby on Aug. 13. Two of the gelding’s four career wins have come with Saez in the irons.

Irad Ortiz Jr., who leads the Gulfstream jockey colony in wins, will again ride Accretive for trainer Chad Brown. The gelded son of Practical Joke finished a disappointing 10th in his last outing Dec. 2 over a muddy Aqueduct track in the Cigar Mile (G2). Prior to that outing, Accretive had finished in the money in both the Forty Niner (G2) and Vosburgh Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct.

“He didn’t fire in the (Cigar),” Brown said. “He was [third] in his prep for the race and then he went in there and it was wet and all that, so he really didn’t handle it too well. The race kind of was dominated by a loose speed horse that ran out of his mind that day. He’s come down here and he’s trained well, and I think this is his distance, this one-turn mile race, so I’m excited to run him.”

Castle Chaos will be making his second stakes start Saturday. The 6-year-old gelding managed to navigate the Aqueduct off-track to a third-place score in the Cigar Mile in his stakes debut. Trained by Robert N. Falcone Jr., Tyler Gaffalione will get the call aboard the son of Palace Malice.

Trainer Bob Baffert will send Hejazi to post on Saturday in the Hooper. The 4-year-old ships in on the heels of a second-place finish in the Malibu Stakes (G1) on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita. The son of Bernardini will contest a mile for the first time but has finished in the money in seven of his eight career starts. Flavien Prat will be aboard Hejazi for the first time.

Fellow Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey will saddle a horse in the Hooper who will also be making his Gulfstream debut. Signator will be making his first start outside of New York Saturday. He finished fourth in his last outing in the Queens County on Dec. 31 at Aqueduct in his stakes debut. Javier Castellano will be aboard.

Todd Pletcher, who won this race saddling Tommy Macho in 2016 and 2018, will send out Expressman Saturday. The 5-year-old son of Liam’s Map will be seeking his first stakes win in the Hooper. In his two starts over the Gulfstream main track, Expressman has finished second and first in allowance company, with his most recent win coming on Feb. 10 at 1 1/8 miles. He was third in the Carter (G3) in April.

Steal Sunshine is coming off a fourth-place finish in the Harlan’s Holiday (G3) on Dec. 30 at Gulfstream. Trained by Bobby Dibona, the 5-year-old son of Constitution has four wins in eight starts at the mile distance.

Gilmore was last seen handing in a second-place finish in the Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) on Dec. 23 at Gulfstream. The 4-year-old son of Twirling Candy will be seeking his first stakes victory in the Hooper. Gilmore is trained by Brendan Walsh and will be ridden by Jose Ortiz.

Dreaming of Kona finished 4 ¾-lengths back of Gilmore in the Mr. Prospector to take show money. Trained and partially owned by Aldana Spieth, the 4-year-old colt will be seeking his first win since posting a half-length win on synthetic in the Tom Ridge Stakes at Presque Isle Downs on Jun. 5. Regular rider Scott Spieth will be aboard the son of Fast Anna.

Great Navigator last posted a fifth-place finish in the Mr. Prospector. His last win came on Sept. 4 in the Charles Hesse III Handicap at Monmouth Park. Trained by Eddie Owens Jr. and ridden by Luca Panici, the 4-year-old son of Sea Wizard will be seeking his first win at the mile distance.

Godolphin Looking to Kickstart Year in $3M Pegasus (G1)

Eclipse Favorite as Owner, Breeder to Send Out First Mission

Story by Jennie Rees

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL — This is a week on the calendar in which Sheikh Mohammed’s international racing and bloodstock operation Godolphin has enjoyed tremendous success in recent years.

Godolphin is the heavy favorite to be feted Thursday at the Breakers in Palm Beach with Eclipse Awards as North America’s outstanding owner and breeder for 2023. Godolphin has won an Eclipse Awards three straight years as leading owner and five overall, and two straight as leading breeder with a third under the Darley banner.

That said, the Godolphin team is hoping this week ends with a different twist two days later at Gulfstream Park – winning its first $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) Invitational presented by Baccarat with the 4-year-old homebred First Mission.

Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile Pegasus and the Kentucky Derby (G1) are about the only signature American races that Sheikh Mohammed has yet to win. However, Proxy, who finished fifth last year, also was Godolphin’s first starter in the Pegasus since the race was refashioned from the Donn Handicap in 2017.

The Brad Cox-trained First Mission is the 7-2 second choice in the field of 12, which is led by 9-5 favorite National Treasure, last year’s Preakness Stakes (G1) winner.

First Mission, a son of Godolphin’s Darley America stallion and 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, comes into the Pegasus as the least experienced horse, having raced only five times, all last year.

Unraced as a 2-year-old, First Mission captured Keeneland’s Lexington (G3) in his third start last year but then was scratched from the Preakness with a minor issue. First Mission returned sixth months later to win a Keeneland allowance race before dropping a nose decision in the Clark (G2) to fellow Pegasus entrant Trademark Nov. 24 at Churchill Downs.

“He’s still a horse that doesn’t have a whole lot of experience,” Michael Banahan, Godolphin USA’s director of bloodstock, said. “He had that long break and then ran against [Trademark], who loves Churchill and has plenty of hardened experience. He probably learned a lot from the race that day. We were probably disappointed not to the win the race but happy with how the horse ran. Since the Clark, we earmarked the Pegasus.

“There are nice horses in there,” he added. “We go in there optimistic we’ll be able to compete with those horses. We like him and think he has plenty of upside. This will tell us the story if our lofty sights for him are correct or if we need to rein them in.”

Banahan acknowledged it was frustrating to miss last year’s Preakness and other marquee 3-year-old stakes.

“We’re on the doorstep of a classic and would probably have been close to being the favorite in the race or very close to it,” he said. “We thought he’d run a big race in there. There are only three classics that come around every year, and we haven’t won too many. Yeah, it was frustrating at the time. But we all wear long pants and we have to roll with the punches a little bit and come back and try and regroup and do the best we can.

“It wasn’t anything major [that sidelined First Mission], just sort of juvenile issues more than anything. We figured at the time that if we needed to give him time off, then let’s give him the [extra] time off and come back as a bigger, stronger version of himself.”

While Godolphin has always commanded respect wherever it runs horses, its staggering numbers the past few years show Sheikh Mohammed’s increased emphasis on American racing – developing and keeping horses here rather than shipping them to Dubai. The expanded American operation has led North America in purse earnings and graded-stakes victories the past three years, including last year’s $17.27 million and 27, respectively.

“Powerhouse stable,” said Cox, whose Godolphin-owned horses have included two-time champion Essential Quality. “Pretty easy to see that when you see the leaderboards and the stats they put up. They’re obviously a world-class operation, all class to deal with, great team to work with in America headed by Michael Banahan and Dan Pride. I really just enjoy working with those guys.

“First Mission came in rated as one of their better colts,” he added. “He was one that just wasn’t quite ready for what we were asking him to do [as a 2-year-old], so we gave him some time off. He came back in the fall and marched forward. Now he’s grown up mentally and physically.”

Godolphin’s two-time Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Cody’s Wish is a solid favorite to be crowned 2023 Horse of the Year. Racing’s most poignant story of 2023 was Hall of Famer Bill Mott-trainee’s special relationship with Cody Dorman, who was born with Wolf–Hirschhorn syndrome and confined to a wheelchair while communicating through a digital tablet. Cody died from a medical event while returning home from the Breeders’ Cup after watching his namesake’s last career race before joining Godolphin’s Darley America stallion band.

Godolphin also has Kentucky Oaks (G1) heroine and three-time Grade 1 winner Pretty Mischievous as the front-runner for the 3-year-old filly championship, with Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) winner Master of the Seas a finalist for champion male turf horse.

“We have some stiff competition in there,” Banahan said of the Eclipse Awards. “But that would be a fantastic way to start the year. We had a super year last year, a special year. I think we won 12 Grade 1 races, following on 2022 and 2021, which were unbelievable years as well. We’ve been very lucky riding the crest of a wave for the last couple of years. We’d like to continue to ride that for another year or however long we can. Hopefully a horse like First Mission can jump up there and replace our stellar horses from the last couple of years, where Cody’s Wish and Proxy sort of led the charge in the older-horse division.

“We’re very grateful the boss has given us the opportunity to have the quality of these horses in the States to race under the Godolphin banner,” he added. “I suppose our broodmare band has become more and more dirt-centric than it was 20 years ago, when we were trying to feed the European stable more so. As we’ve gotten a bigger stable the last 10 years in America, it’s really a stand-alone, independent version of Godolphin for just America. We’re getting those results now.”

Cox also has a vested interest in the Eclipse Awards, with Juddmonte Farms’ Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) winner Idiomatic the overwhelming favorite to be voted champion older filly or mare. Cox himself is a finalist for outstanding trainer, an honor he won in 2020 and 2021.

Story by Jennie Rees

Star Fortress Leads Competitive Field in Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G2)

Defending champ Queen Goddess Entered

Pletcher, Joseph & Brown Enter Two Each

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – In her stateside debut for trainer Cherie DeVaux, Star Fortress didn’t just win, she turned in an eye-opening performance.

That 10-length triumph in the Cardinal (G3) on Nov. 23 at Churchill Downs showed that the Irish-bred mare was more than capable in North American stakes company and earned her an invitation to the $500,000 Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf (G2) Saturday at Gulfstream Park. The 5-year-old drew Post 4 and is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the third running of the 1 1/16 miles stake, where she will face a full field of 11 others on the Pegasus World Cup (G1) program.

Last year’s winner, Queen Goddess, returns and drew Post 8, and is part of a strong field of graded-stakes runners, which includes Merriebelle Stable’s Didia and Spendthrift Farm’s Ruby Nell.

Trainer Chad Brown entered a pair, Fluffy Socks and Chili Flag. Head of Plains Partners’ Fluffy Socks is a 6-year-old, millionaire, the top earner in the field, whose five wins have come at five different tracks. She drew Post 7 and is the 9-2 second choice on the morning line. Chili Flag, a French-bred 5-year-old, has been no worse than third in six starts since being imported after the 2022 season. She will start from Post 2 and is 20-1.

The top three finishers in the local prep, the very contentious Dec. 30 Suwanee River (G3): Full Count Felicia, Accomplished Girl and Sister Lou Ann all advanced to the Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf.

Star Fortress, co-owned by John Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock Services, one of the breeders, started her career in Europe with Ralph Beckett. She won one of seven starts, and placed in a Group 3, before she was sent to DeVaux’s barn last summer. DeVaux prepped her for the 1 1/8 miles Cardinal, which was run over good ground at Churchill. After sitting at the back of the field of six through the first six furlongs, she unleashed a five-wide move under Luis Saez and blew past the others.

“I wasn’t quite sure what to expect,” DeVaux said. “Her form was OK from Europe. We were cutting her back in distance. She had been training really well, but we only had the opportunity to train on dirt, and she had been training extremely well. I was expecting her to have a good showing of herself, but that performance definitely superseded anything you could have hoped for.”

Tanya Gunther purchased Star Fortress for $176,234 as a weanling and the Sea of Stars filly did not make her first start until the summer of her 3-year-old season of 2022. In Europe, she was often prominent early in the races, all of which were at least 1¼ miles. The decision was made to give her a try in North America.

“The Gunthers felt maybe the turf over here might be more to her liking, and just the flow of the races, which it was,” DeVaux said. “She’s a well-bred filly. One of her half-siblings is running over there in graded-stakes company. We were just trying to see what she would do over here and just give her a different environment.”

In the Cardinal, Star Fortress found success with a different running style in a race with a livelier early pace. She worked five furlongs in 59.60 on the turf at the Palm Meadows Training Center Thursday, which DeVaux called an excellent breeze.

“She came out of that race fine,” DeVaux said. “She had a little bit of a minor setback after her first work, but as far as fitness goes, she’s fit, she’s happy and training right along.”

DeVaux said Star Fortress seemed to enjoy the give in the ground in the Cardinal but is ready to test her on what is likely to be firmer going in the Filly and Mare Turf.

The race dynamic is the key, DeVaux said: “As long as the pace is there, which she should get over here, she should be a formidable foe.”

Stalking the pace early, Queen Goddess took the 2023 Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf by 1½ lengths over Shantisara at 4-1. Queen Goddess won the American Oaks (G1) in December 2021 and delivered three-straight strong races in California – winning two of them – for trainer Michael McCarthy before the Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf. She is winless in four starts since, but was the closely beaten favorite in the Gamely (G1) in May and in her comeback race, the Goldikova (G2) on Nov. 5. She had a troubled trip in the Matriarch (G1) on Dec. 3 at Del Mar and was ninth.

Cairo Consort, who drew the rail for the Filly and Mare Turf and is 15-1, finished fourth, beaten a length as the 2-1 favorite in her return to the races in the Tropical Park Oaks on Dec. 23. It was her first start since early May. She is a stakes-proven 4-year-old with four black-type finishes in graded races. Repole Stable and Town and Country Racing paid $875,000 for her after she finished third in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Filly Turf (G1) at Keeneland. In the care of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, she promptly picked up a pair of wins at Gulfstream Park to start 2023, was third by a head in the Herecomesthebride (G3) and second by a neck in the Appalacian (G2).

“It was a good effort in the Oaks,” Pletcher said. “She just got a little too far back, closed well, but left her a little too much to do. She got a little bit of a break after Churchill and part of the reason for that was we felt like she does handle Gulfstream really well. She had quite a bit of success as a 3-year-old there so we wanted to freshen her up with the idea that we would hopefully get a race in the Tropical Oaks and that would set her up for the Pegasus.”

Pletcher also will saddle Repole Stable’s Surprisingly, who was purchased for $1 million at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale. Bred and raced by Phipps Stable, the 5-year-old daughter of Mastery, finished in the top three in five consecutive graded stakes in 2023, topped by a win in the Endeavour (G3). Surprisingly drew the opposite end of the field from Cairo Consort and is 20-1.

Didia was imported from her native Argentina following a notable 2021 campaign, that was highlighted by a pair of Group 1 wins over males at 1 ¼ miles. She has been very tough in the U.S. with trainer Ignacio Correas, winning five of seven starts, including the Rodeo Drive (G2). Away from the races since finishing 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1), she drew Post 9 and is 6-1 on the morning line.

Gulfstream Park’s leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will send out Accomplished Girl and Sister Lou Ann, the team that put Full Count Felicia to the test in the Suwanee River. Gentry Farm’s Accomplished Girl won the Presque Island Downs Masters (G2) on Sept. 18 and showed she was capable at two turns in the one-mile Suwanee. Accomplished Girl drew Post 3 and is 20-1. Ken Ramsey’s homebred Sister Lou Ann has finished in the money in four or her five starts since blinkers were removed last summer. She drew Post 10 and is 20-1.

Full Count Felicia has flourished since she was moved to trainer Brittany Russell’s barn last summer, winning five of seven starts. Russell has stretched out the Gold Square LLC 5-year-old mare and she continued her climb up the competitive ladder with her first graded stakes victory in the Suwanee River. Full Count Felicia will leave from Post 5 with new rider Javier Castellano up and is 10-1 on the morning line.

Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella has developed consistent Ruby Nell into a turf stakes runner, who added the Autumn Miss (G3) to her resume on Nov. 5. She has a record of 5-2-1 in 10 starts for Spendthrift Farm, which paid $1.2 million for the now 4-year-old daughter of Bolt d’Oro. Ruby Nell drew Post 6 and is 8-1.

In her most recent start, Mission of Joy, finished third by a length in the Queen Elizabeth II to Mawj, who went on finish second by a nose against males in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. (G1). The Kitten’s Joy 4-year-old filly trained by Graham Motion, won the Florida Oaks (G3) and the Regret (G3) last year. She drew Post 11 and is 10-1 on the morning line.

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