Pegasus: Spirit of St. Louis cruises to victory in the $1M Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1)

By David Joseph —-

Spirit of St Louis the Pegasus Turf credit Ryan Thompson
Spirit of St. Louis cruises to victory in the $1M Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1)

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Spirit of St. Louis made the most of a rare trip away from New York Saturday, securing his first graded stakes victory by a neck in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) presented by Qatar Racing at Gulfstream Park.

The seventh running of the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus Turf for 4-year-olds was part of a blockbuster 13-race Pegasus World Cup Invitational program featuring 10 stakes, seven graded, worth $5.625 million in purses including the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational and the $500,000 TAA Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G2) presented by SirDavis American Whiskey.

The 6-year-old son of Medaglia d’Oro had some trouble in the trip, but jockey Tyler Gaffalione swung him outside to find running room at the top of the stretch and caught Integration just before the wire. He completed the race in 1:44.50 and paid $17.80. Integration finished 1 1/4 lengths in from of Chasing the Crown, who was 60-1. Godolphin’s Nations Pride, the 7-2 favorite, finished ninth in the field of 12.

Trainer Chad Brown, who received his fifth Eclipse Award Thursday night, trains the

chestnut for Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb and Richard Schermerhorn. Spirit of St. Louis came into the Turf with nine wins from 13 starts. All nine of the victories were on New York tracks and eight were in New York-bred company. In his lone previous graded stakes try, he was fifth in the Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland in October.

Brown prepared Spirit of St. Louis in at Payson Park this winter and said he was pleased that the horse was invited to the race.

“The horse had been training super,” Brown said. “I’m just fortunate the horse got in the race because without a lot of graded stuff next to him and no graded wins, he could have easily gotten excluded. I’m happy he was in the race and he fired today. Tyler, just another brilliant ride. Honestly, I haven’t had a good meet here. Tyler’s ridden a bunch of them, and I don’t think I’ve had one bad trip. Tyler’s just been in the right spot at every pole in every race, at least for my horses that I’ve watched. Just phenomenal riding. He’s in career form. Just so happy for the partners that are here today. It’s just a great day here at Gulfstream.”

While Formidable Man and Win for the Money were leading the way through fast early fractions of :22.74, :46.20 and 1:09.29, Gaffalione and Spirit of St. Louis were in mid-pack a few lengths pack, but stuck between horses.

“I loved where he was, but the fact that he found himself between horses down the backside, I’d rather either be on the rail or two deep,” Brown said. “Right in between two horses can get a little tight at times, so I was mildly concerned. I loved where he was in relation to the leader and the pace, but I didn’t know how he was going to track from there. One of the many great moves in the race was Tyler on the turn when he sort of let a couple other horses go first and cleared his own path rather than try to go with him. He would have got jammed up if he went with them.”

Gafflaione took the horse out to the middle of the course and he responded.

“I needed to keep an eye on them all around me, especially when William [Buick aboard Nations Pride] went up the fence and gave me a good target,” Gaffalione said. “I just kind of waited for my spot and coming into the stretch I was able to work my way out and the horse did the rest. I’m so happy for the connections and thankful for the opportunity. It’s incredible. This is home for me and it’s good to see so many friendly faces and it’s good to be back in the winner’s circle.”

Integration, the 7-2 second choice, looked like a winner in the stretch, but could not hold off Spirit of St. Louis.

“I had him where I wanted him,” jockey Frankie Dettori saidf. “I knew he’d stay so I kicked, and one came out of the pack and got me on the line. I wanted to be a little closer because it didn’t read like there was going to be a ton of pace. We know the horse can run longer so I wanted to be [closer] the way the turf is riding today. No excuses.”

About The Stronach Group and 1/ST

The Stronach Group is a world-class technology, entertainment and real estate development company with Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core. The Stronach Group’s 1/ST business (pronounced “First”) is North America’s preeminent Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering company and includes the 1/ST RACING & GAMING, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY and 1/ST EXPERIENCE businesses, while advocating for and driving the 1/ST HORSE CARE mission. 1/ST represents The Stronach Group’s continued movement toward redefining Thoroughbred racing and the ecosystem that drives it. 1/ST RACING & GAMING drives the best-in-class racing operations and gaming offerings at the company’s premier racetracks and training centers including: Santa Anita Park and San Luis Rey Downs (California); Gulfstream Park – home of the Pegasus World Cup and Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center (Florida); Laurel Park, The Preakness Stakes, Rosecroft Raceway and Bowie Training Center (Maryland). 1/ST CONTENT is the operating group for 1/ST’s media and content companies including: Monarch Content Management, Elite, TSG Global Wagering Solutions (GWS) and XBTV. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is racing’s largest racing and gaming technology company offering world-class products via its AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix brands. 1/ST EXPERIENCE blends the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality through innovative content development, elevated national and local venue management and hospitality, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and procurement development. As the advocate for critical industry reforms and by making meaningful investments into aftercare programs for retired horses and jockeys, 1/ST HORSE CARE represents The Stronach Group’s commitment to achieving the highest level of horse and rider care and safety standards in Thoroughbred racing on and off the track. The Stronach Group’s TSG Properties is responsible for the development of the company’s live, play and work communities surrounding its racing venues including: The Village at Gulfstream Park (Florida) and Paddock Pointe (Maryland). For more information, visit www.1st.com or follow @1ST_racing on Twitter or @1stracing on Instagram and Facebook.