Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Horsemen wheel and deal before Pegasus deadline
Friday afternoon was the deadline for horsemen to pick up slots for the Jan. 27 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream, setting off a scramble of dealmaking last week as top players weighed whether to buy a slot outright or strike a deal with parties that had already bought a place in the starting gate.
Gun Runner, this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic winner and likely Horse of the Year, is definitely in, with his owners purchasing a slot Thursday and sending in the mandatory $350,000 down payment, according to Ron Winchell, one of the owners of the horse.
In addition, the connections of both Collected and West Coast bought slots for their horses, according to the trainer of both horses, Bob Baffert. Collected ran second in Gun Runner’s Classic, and West Coast ran third.
As of 2:45 p.m. Eastern, Daily Racing Form had confirmed that eight of the 12 slots for the race had been sold. Officials for The Stronach Group had not responded to repeated inquiries to discuss last-minute deals, though Tim Ritvo, the company’s chief operating officer, said that officials were fielding a number of calls for the slots Friday morning.
The purse for the second Pegasus World Cup, to be run at 1 1/8 miles, is listed at $16 million, with $4 million provided by Gulfstream owner The Stronach Group and the rest made up of the funds raised by selling 12 slots in the race for $1 million each.
The Stronach Group has made a number of changes to the structure of the race this year, including guaranteeing that each horse that starts in the race will earn $650,000, regardless of finish position. Last year, the guarantee was only $250,000, but The Stronach Group upped the guarantee to $550,000 earlier this year, only to increase it once again after the company had sold only four slots prior to September.
One deal reached Friday was between Dean Reeves, who purchased a slot in the Pegasus early this year, and Al Shaqab Racing, which recently brought Toast of New York back to the races after three years of stud duty. Toast of New York won a 1 1/4-mile race at Lingfield in England on Dec. 9, and was second in his previous start – the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
“It’s hard to say how he’ll run after being off so long, three years or so,” said Reeves, who declined to disclose terms of the deal. “But he looked good in his last start.”
Ron Paolucci, owner of Loooch Racing Stables, who ran War Story in last year’s Pegasus, said this week that he had purchased a slot in the race. Paolucci said he was considering either War Story or Game Over for the slot, depending on how Game Over runs in the Dec. 26 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita.
“The track configuration suits him a little better,” Paolucci said, referring to Game Over.
One of the early slot holders, Coolmore Stud, bought Stellar Wind out of the November Keeneland auction this year, and she appears to be the current first pick for the international racing and breeding company. Stellar Wind is in training in South Florida with Chad Brown. For the first Pegasus, Coolmore reached a deal for its slot with the connections of eventual winner Arrogate, who earned $7 million for first place.
Another known slot holder is Frank Stronach, who controls The Stronach Group. For this year’s running, Stronach filled his slot with a homebred, Shaman Ghost, who finished second, earning $1.75 million. It was not clear on Friday what Stronach’s plans are for the slot.
The connections of Gunnevera, who finished in a dead heat for fifth in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic, reached a deal Friday with William Gallo and Bella Inizio Farm to point their horse to the race, according to Gulfstream. Gunnevera is owned by Salomon del Valle and trained by Antonio Sano.
The Gulfstream release described Gallo and Bella Inizio Farm as being partners in a Pegasus slot.
Other horses whose connections were said to be eyeing a slot or deal to start in the race are Forever Unbridled and Seeking the Soul, both owned by Charles Fipke and trained by Dallas Stewart. Neither responded to phone calls. Sharp Azteca, owned by Ivan Rodriguez, is in the process of being sold and the new owner may partner with someone for a Pegasus slot, trainer Jorge Navarro said late Friday.