Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Spun to Run works under radar
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – While Omaha Beach has been getting most of the attention in the weeks leading up to the $3 million Pegasus World Cup, the horse who handed him his only setback over the last year has been preparing in relative anonymity for the rematch on Jan. 25.
Spun to Run on Monday turned in his third work since shipping to South Florida from his regular base at Parx Racing, breezing an easy five furlongs in 1:03.20 at Palm Meadows, according to Daily Racing Form clocker Donald Harris. The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner, Spun to Run posted splits of 25.60 seconds and 38.60 along the way under regular exercise rider Jose Correa.
“He worked beautiful, nice and easy,” trainer Juan Carlos Guerrero said a short while later. “He can go real fast at times in the morning. He went too fast his first work down here. Today, he was perfect. I brought his regular exercise rider down for this work because I wanted his opinion. He knows this horse better than anybody. And he was very happy. He said he was very relaxed, was striding out beautifully, and galloped out nicely.”
Spun to Run was administered Lasix prior to his work on Monday after breezing without the anti-bleeding medication the previous two weeks. There will be no raceday medication permitted for horses competing in either the Pegasus or the $1 million Pegasus Turf Invitational.
“I worked him with Lasix today just to make sure everything was perfect,” Guerrero explained. “But so far he’s scoped clean every time. You always worry about running a horse without Lasix who has been racing with it their entire career, and there’s a big difference between a workout and a race. We want to make sure he goes in 110 percent clean and, so far, everything has been good.”
Guerrero has no problem keeping his star out of the limelight in the weeks leading up to the race.
“Sometimes the less attention the better,” he said. “We don’t mind being behind the scenes and letting Omaha Beach get all the publicity. We beat him before in California, and I’m very confident and don’t see why we can’t beat him again.”
Spun to Run led throughout to beat Omaha Beach by a comfortable 2 3/4 lengths in the Dirt Mile. He concluded his 3-year-old campaign finishing second behind Maximum Security in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile.
Sunday morning, Omaha Beach attracted a large crowd and an array of television cameras to witness his first local work, an easy five furlongs in 1:00.42. Omaha Beach completed his final quarter in 24.65 into a very strong headwind before galloping out six furlongs in 1:14.35. Jockey Julien Leparoux was aboard, deputizing for his regular rider, Mike Smith.
“He went nice,” said Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella. “He missed a few days last week, missed a work, but no big deal. We’ll get another next week and we’ll be ready to go.”
Omaha Beach and Spun to Run are the two marquee names in this year’s 1 1/8-mile Pegasus. On Sunday, the racing office added three new names to the invitation list, graded stakes winners Tenfold and Midcourt along with the Grade 1-placed Bodexpress. Four others were removed from the list – Maximum Security, Gift Box, Roadster, and Bravazo. Three horses who had originally been on the reserve list of invitees have been moved into the body of the race: War Story, Diamond Oops, and True Timber.
Others expected to compete in the fourth running of the Pegasus include Higher Power, Mr Freeze, Seeking the Soul, and Tax. Both Mucho Gusto and Magic Wand are also under consideration. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said there is only about a 10 percent chance that Math Wizard, also among the original invitees, would run.
Endorsed set up for big year
One older horse not quite ready for a race like the Pegasus World Cup but who figures to be heard from in the handicap division as the year progresses is Endorsed. The 4-year-old son of Medaglia d’Oro made a triumphant return here Saturday by rallying to a two-length victory over a very strong field of optional-claiming rivals while making his first start since a fourth-place finish nearly five months earlier in the Travers.
“It was a great way to come back,” said Kiaran McLaughlin, who trains the homebred Endorsed for Godolphin. “We always thought a lot of this horse, and it’s great to start back on a winning note and now to be able to move on to stakes races.”
McLaughlin cited no specific reasons for Endorsed being absent during the final third of his 3-year-old campaign.
“Nothing major, thus a little bit of this and that,” said McLaughlin. “He was with us the whole time. He never went anywhere. Just a lot of little issues. Luckily, we were able to get him back and he ran great today.”
Premier Star worth watching
The promising 3-year-old prospect Premier Star will be the focus of attention in Wednesday’s seventh race, the first of two $51,000 optional-claiming races on the card. Premier Star rallied to a 1 3/4-length victory over the highly regarded Caracaro to win his debut here five weeks ago. Caracaro flattered the effort by coming back to win his maiden in dominant fashion Saturday, earning a 92 Beyer Speed Figure.
Premier Star is one of two horses trainer Jorge Navarro will send out in the race, along with the uncoupled Calibrator. The co-feature also is the third leg in a Rainbow 6 sequence that begins with a carryover of $2.37 million.
◗ Miguel Vasquez returns to the saddle Wednesday following a near three-month absence. Vasquez suffered a hairline fracture of a vertebra in his back when his mount flipped at the starting gate before a race during the Gulfstream Park West meet.