The Pegasus: A $16-Million 'Gun' Salute?

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm's Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) was crowned 2017 Horse of the Year Thursday night at Gulfstream Park and, on Saturday, the celebrated chestnut's farewell party shifts to the racetrack where he has the opportunity to end his career in style in the $16-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational. Entering its second year of existence, the shareholder-funded richest horse race in the world has lured Gun Runner to stick around for one more start before being retired to stud at the Torrealba Family's Three Chimneys Farm.

While Gun Runner displayed admirable consistency and grit while holding his own against the best of his class as a 3-year-old, his transformation to a dominant handicap horse at the age of four in 2017 was the latest of many achievements in trainer Steve Asmussen's Hall of Fame career. Emerging from the shadow of 2017 Pegasus hero Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) after a tough runner-up finish in the G1 Dubai World Cup in March, Gun Runner responded by reeling off four consecutive top-level victories in the June 5 Stephen Foster H., Aug. 5 Whitney S., Sept. 2 Woodward S. and Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup Classic.

Now five, the son of Candy Ride has by all accounts been training with the same focus and willingness that gained him reverence from across the industry.

“I'll be sad not to see him race next year, because, frankly, he's doing phenomenal,” co-owner Ron Winchell told Gulfstream Park officials earlier this week. “It's not easy to put something away that is working so good.”

Gun Runner's task will not be easy, however, as he drew wide in post 10–a sometimes troubling spot around two turns at Gulfstream–and will have to deal with a number of other rivals possessing significant early speed. GI Cigar Mile H. winner Sharp Azteca (Freud)–who will join War Story (Northern Afleet) as a pair of entrants for trainer Jorge Navarro–will attempt to carry his speed over nine furlongs for the first time in his career. Although he is almost certainly most effective as a miler, Sharp Azteca captured the GIII Monmouth Cup over a two-turn 8 1/2 furlongs in track record time in late July.

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert holds two important cards in Gary and Mary West's West Coast (Flatter) and Speedway Stable's Collected (City Zip), both of whom have enough early foot to influence the race's pace scenario and enough ability to stick around at the finish. West Coast was crowned champion sophomore male of 2017 at the Eclipse Awards on the heels of a season that saw him annex the GI Travers S. and GI Pennsylvania Derby before finishing third behind Gun Runner and Collected at the World Championships. Collected's top performance came in a wire-to-wire defeat of stablemate Arrogate in the GI Pacific Classic Aug. 19 and he looks to bounce back from an uncharacteristically punchless third-place finish when taken back off a crawling pace in the Dec. 26 GII San Antonio S., which was won by the reopposing Giant Expectations (Frost Giant).

“We know that Gun Runner is going to be really tough,” Baffert said. “All I do is I concentrate on my horses, that they show up. In case somebody skips a note, I want to be there. That's what this game is all about. I've been there.”

The Pegasus field boasts a long list of accomplishments, perhaps best illustrated by the fact champion and six-time Grade I winner Stellar Wind (Curlin) was given a 30-1 chance on the morning line. Returned to training under the care of 2017 champion trainer Chad Brown after being purchased for $6 million by the Coolmore partners at Keeneland November, the chestnut will look to rebound from an eighth-place finish in the Nov. 4 GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Al Shaqab Racing's 2014 Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up Toast of New York (Thewayyouare) makes his second start off a 37-month layoff, while trainer Dallas Stewart and owner Chuck Fipke seek to win their second Grade I in a row with Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}), who was last seen scoring in the Nov. 24 Clark H.

Three Storylines to Watch

1) The Future of the Pegasus: The Stronach Group makes no bones about constantly seeking to tweak and improve its product, and the world's richest race appears to be no exception. According to CEO Tim Ritvo, the outcome of Saturday's event at Gulfstream will play a major role in guiding its direction in the future. Most notably, there has been an ongoing discussion within The Stronach Group about a potential cross-country move to Santa Anita Park.

“It makes all the business sense in the world to move it to Santa Anita, trying to sell tickets and everything else,” Ritvo said earlier this week. “But at the same time, [Belinda Stronach] is really thinking that we're making an iconic event in Miami that needs to stay–especially with the [Pegasus] statue [at Gulfstream].”

From a racing and business perspective, Ritvo said his team would also like to eventually gain a greater foothold in the Asian market, where he sees potential to add starters from outside the confines of North American racing. The addition of a marquee turf race to accompany the Pegasus is also under consideration.

“What you have to do all the time is recreate yourself,” Ritvo said. “I still think we have a lot of things that we could do from a marketing perspective that can really make this race more exciting.”

2) The Spot on the Calendar: In its first two years, the Pegasus has prolonged the careers of two Horse of the Year winners by one race. While the timing of the race allows a prospective stallion (or broodmare, for that matter) to sneak in another start before beginning their new career, its spot on the calendar certainly has an influence on horses' form cycles, which typically are in flux during the winter months.

“It's unique for this caliber of race to be in January,” Gun Runner's Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said. “You know, we definitely had targeted peaking at the Breeders' Cup Classic [in November] when we brought him back in training–so that is a bit unique, and he does need to step up from it.”

Regardless of the challenges faced by trainers bringing horses into the race, the presence of Gun Runner and others provides validation for the idea behind the Pegasus.

“How do you keep the older horses racing and competing at the highest level?” Ritvo said. “The intent was to always give these horses another opportunity and maybe even another reason to stay racing for another year.”

3) Horses for the Course: While the majority of the main body of the Pegasus field has limited or zero previous racing experience at Gulfstream Park, three horses–Sharp Azteca, Gunnevera (Dialed In) and Fear the Cowboy (Cowboy Cal)–have combined for 10 wins from 18 starts over the Hallandale Beach oval.

When asked about the decision to enter the Pegasus with Fear the Cowboy, who recently won the GIII Harlan's Holiday S. over the local strip Dec. 16, owner Raffaele Centofanti said, “He loves this track. That's one of the major things we looked at for choosing to put him in this race. Why not give it a chance? He loves the track, he runs well and I think he deserves it.”

The hard-trying identity of all three local heroes, paired with proven ability to handle the sometimes fickle racing surface, could narrow the delta between favorites and outsiders in the world's richest race.

Friday's Pegasus Track Report

A windy Friday morning at Gulfstream saw Pegasus contenders put the finishing touches on their preparations for Saturday's main event, headlined by Gun Runner training for the final time in his career before sunrise. The chestnut was well within himself in an easy gallop around the oval and appeared eager to do more–undoubtedly a positive sign as race day approaches.

Margoth and Gallo Stables' Gunnevera gave a similar impression in a measured gallop during the second training window, plugging along at a controlled clip while under a firm hold by his rider.

A noticeably larger crowd was on hand to view workouts Friday, with Spendthrift Farm owner B. Wayne Hughes and general manager Ned Toffey among those in attendance on the frontside. Meanwhile, Gulfstream's newly built V.I.P. Cabana began to come to life, ready to welcome trackside guests on Saturday.

Pegasus contenders Toast of New York and Stronach Stables' longshot Singing Bullet (Hard Spun) were among the horses to train during the less congested late morning session.