Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Turf Selections

By Rick Francis —-

Gulfstream Park

Race 11) 13/16th Mile. (Turf) Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. Grade I.
Purse $7,000,000 THREE YEAR OLDS AND UPWARD

1) Magic Wand – (O’Brien/Lordan) M/L 9-2; field’s lone filly weakened late last out in the Breeders’ Cup F&M Turf, however she stayed close throughout to finish fourth; the slight cutback works in her favor here.

2) Yoshida – (Mott/Ortiz, J) M/L 5-2; Woodward winner turned in a solid effort last out in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic, rallying from well back to close out the superfectas. Really liked his work two back, and the return to the lawn makes him the one to beat.

3) Channel Maker – (Mott/Castellano) M/L 12-1; never threatened in the BC Turf and has failed to hit the board here from two attempts.

4) Aerolithe – (Kikuzawa/Geroux) M/L 8-1; Japanese-bred mare had some issues last out finishing twelfth at the mile in her native Japan. Though her competition is hard to evaluate, the $3 plus millions she’s earned isn’t. Jock change to Geroux an obvious plus.

5) Next Shares – (Baltas/Gaffalione) M/L 15-1; 6-year-old has won 3 of 4 starts including a solid score in the G2 San Gabriel; nevertheless, in three tries against Catapult she’s come up empty and will again today.

6) Fahan Mura – (Cerin/Maldonado) M/L 30-1; rebounded from a disastrous G1 Matriarch effort to take the Grade 3 Frankel last month at Santa Anita. Consistent mare has had minor success here but is just that consistent.

7) Bricks and Mortar – (Brown/Ortiz, I) M/L 5-1; Giant’s Causeway 5-year-old is dangerous in this spot; never out of the money in seven career starts highlighted with his five wins. This will be the toughest bunch he’s faced, but his work tab indicates he’s ready for the challenge.

8) Delta Prince – (Jerkens/Dettori) M/L 15-1; competitive 6-year-old also knows how to find a spot on the tote-board, landing there in 10 of 11 career efforts. The blinkers come off today, which hasn’t been the strongest of conditioning angles for trainer Jerkens.

9) Catapult – (Sadler/Rosario) M/L 7-2; I like this 6-year-old by Kitten’s Joy; a bit rank early last out yet still battled gamely only to miss by a half-length in the BC Mile. This distance will serve his proven late turn of foot perfectly.

10) Dubby Dubbie – (Hess/Panici) M/L 30-1; 4-year-old gelding makes his first start in the hess barn, and on paper appears to be well overmatched.

Selections: 9, 7, 2, 1