Gun Runner can fly in Pegasus
RICHEST RACE: HE HAS HIS LAST RACE IN THE $16-M PEGASUS WORLD CUP AT GULFSTREAM PARK
Steve Asmussen’s star looks set to take USA Horse of the Year honours tomorrow night. London
Gun Runner is likely to be crowned the USA’s Horse of the Year for 2017 at tomorrow’s prestigious Eclipse Awards ceremony at Gulfstream Park and 48 hours later out on the Florida track, connections of the brilliant Breeders’ Cup Classic winner might be topping up their celebrations in the $16-million Pegasus World Cup.
Slight odds-on with British bookmakers, Gun Runner cannot be opposed in the richest race on the globe – in what will be the champ’s final appearance before he takes up stallion duties at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky.
Steve Asmussen’s stable star has won 11 of his 18 races and amassed prize money just short of $9 million.
Second-favourite Collected looks the logical choice for the Exacta, but Gun Runner put him to the sword to the tune of 2.50 lengths at Del Mar and I expect the champ to sign off in style.
Not that Bob Baffert, who trains both the Breeders’ Cup second and third, Collected and West Coast respectively, is throwing in the towel just yet, having got a taste of the mega bucks when winning the inaugural running of this innovative race with Arrogate last year.
Baffert, who reckons 8-1 is excellent value about his pair, said: “Both came through their final workout at Santa Anita on Sunday without a hitch and I couldn’t be happier with their condition.
“West Coast was the outstanding three-year-old colt of last season and there have been no bumps in the road during his preparation, while I’ve put a line through Collect’s disappointing run behind Great Expectations in the San Antonio last time.
“That was not the real Collect, but we did not super crank him for that race and we have done things a bit differently since. He’s ready to roll again.”
Sharp Azteca, runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, was subsequently impressive in winning the Cigar Mile at Aqueduct and though this last 100m is unknown territory, he wasn’t stopping at the line in New York.
Stellar Wind, champion filly of 2015, is the first female to run in the race. She was bought by Coolmore for $6 million at the November thoroughbred sale and trainer Chad Brown, who has taken charge for what is the mare’s last race before she goes to the paddocks, is adamant she has strengthened up considerably and “has what it takes to get a piece of the action”.
The sole European runner is Toast Of New York, who has had a tendon injury and a season covering mares since he pushed Bayern all the way in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in California in 2014. Frankie Dettori rides and if you believe in miracles – maybe. Sadly I don’t.
Meanwhile, in Dubai last week Mike de Kock had a grin the width of the Sheikh Zayed Road after Light The Lights gave him his first winner at this year’s Meydan Carnival.
“This proves that the South African thoroughbred can hold its own on the world stage,” beamed De Kock, adding: “Light the Lights has run to his rating of 111 and given a smart horse of Godolphin’s (Blair House) 5kg and a beating.”
Equally delighted was jockey Christophe Soumillon, who said: “Light The Lights can stop in front, but he has improved mentally and found another gear when the other horse came at us. He’s better than a handicapper and he can build on this over the next two months.”
One of De Kock’s big hopes for this year’s Carnival is SMILING BLUE EYES who, having joined him from Sean Tarry, rocks up in the Group 2 Cape Verdi at Meydan tomorrow.
De Kock has done well with fillies in Dubai and he compares Smiling Blue Eyes favourably with some of his glamour gals from yesteryear, though she’ll need to be close to concert pitch to cope with Godolphin’s Promising Run, who has been a Meydan regular the last two years and had a pipeopener at Lingfield in November before getting on the plane for Dubai.