Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Stellar Wind possible for Pegasus
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Stellar Wind’s racing career might not be over just yet.
Stellar Wind, a multiple Grade 1 winner of more than $2.2 million, was purchased by Coolmore for $6 million out of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale just four days after the former Eclipse Award winner finished a disappointing eighth and last as the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
She joined trainer Chad Brown’s stable at Palm Meadows shortly after, and on Sunday breezed for the first time in her new surroundings, an easy half-mile in 50 seconds.
“She is being considered for the Pegasus if she’s training well,” Brown said from Palm Meadows early Monday. “I’ll know more in a few weeks, probably by Christmastime, after I’ve had an opportunity to evaluate her further.”
Brown said he has no firm training schedule mapped out for Stellar Wind.
“We’ll just play it by ear for now and see how things go,” said Brown, who won the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks with the first horse he trained for Coolmore, Minorette, in 2014.
Brown is winding down toward the end of another outstanding season and is the favorite to successfully defend the Eclipse Award title he won for the first time in 2016.
“I’m extremely proud of the performance of my horses, my staff, and the results we’ve provided for our clients,” said Brown, who arrived here from New York on Sunday. “More importantly, I’m looking forward to several of my horses being rewarded for all their efforts and honored for their achievements this season. That above everything else is a really special feeling for me.”
If Stellar Wind were to compete in the Pegasus, she’d likely have an opportunity to avenge her setback in the Breeders’ Cup, with Distaff winner Forever Unbridled among the horses under serious consideration for the race. The 2018 Pegasus will be decided here Jan. 29.
Navarro has big day
Trainer Jorge Navarro had a huge day Saturday, not only winning the Grade 1 Cigar Mile with potential Pegasus starter Sharp Azteca at Aqueduct, but also the main event on Gulfstream’s opening day, the $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel, with Flowers for Lisa.
Flowers for Lisa, claimed by Navarro for $20,000 in the interests of Flying P Stable on July 21 at Monmouth Park, was sent hard from the extreme outside post by jockey Paco Lopez to make the early lead. He never looked back over the speed-favoring strip, posting a 1 1/2-length triumph over Flashy Jewel as a 16-1 outsider in the nine-furlong Jewel.
“When he drew post 13, I said to myself ‘How are we going to do this?,’ ” Navarro said. “So I told Paco we’ve got to go to the lead, and he sent him out of there. The Claiming Crown was my intention when claiming this horse, he was training up to the race really great, but, to be honest, I thought 13 was going to kill us, not a chance.”
Navarro flew back from New York immediately after the Cigar Mile to oversee several of his stable stars working Sunday at Gulfstream Park West, most notably War Story, Game Over, and X Y Jet.
War Story breezed five furlongs in 1:02.40 in his second work since finishing in a dead heat for fifth with Arrogate in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
“We were considering trying him back on the turf again, but with Pegasus and the Dubai World Cup ahead, it doesn’t make sense to go to the grass now,” Navarro said.
Game Over, runner-up in the West Virginia Derby and most recently fourth in the Pennsylvania Derby, will close his 3-year-old campaign in the Grade 1 Malibu on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita.
X Y Jet is nearing his return to the races following yet another lengthy break, having been idle since his third-place finish as the overwhelming favorite in the 2016 De Francis Dash one year ago. X Y Jet, runner-up in the Grade 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen earlier that year, posted a near-bullet fiveeighths in 1:00.40 on Sunday at Gulfstream Park West.
“He’s my baby,” Navarro said. “It’s just been a matter of giving him the time. I told the owners he doesn’t owe us anything, either he’s going to make it or we’ll retire him. And, so far, it’s paying off. I’ve had him since a 2-year-old, and this is the best I’ve ever seen him.”
Navarro said he is pointing X Y Jet to the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector on Dec. 23.
Gulfstream adds horses scale
A horse scale has been installed adjacent to the paddock at Gulfstream Park for the purpose of weighing horses prior to the races. The information will be used as a tool for both horseplayers and trainers.
“It’s something Timmy Ritvo put out [at Santa Anita] on a trial basis, and we’re doing the same thing here,” Gulfstream Park general manger Bill Badgett said. “We’ll pull a couple of races out of the hat, starting Wednesday, see how the horses handle it, and if it all works out where the horses adapt to it, we’re going to do it every race starting in January.
“The information will go up on the screen, in house, to begin with, but eventually we hope to get it printed in Equibase and the Racing Form past performances as well.”
Charlie Mops returns
The speedy Charlie Mops may prove the one to beat in Wednesday’s $50,000 main event to be decided under firstlevel allowance and optionalclaiming conditions at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
Charlie Mops was involved in an extended pace duel before finishing a tiring third in the Sunshine Millions turf preview last month at Gulfstream Park West. He returns to his favorite course Wednesday, having registered all five of his career wins at Gulfstream.
Other key contenders in the main event include Run Time, Robusto, and Jagr.