National Treasure, Warm Heart Among Pegasus Champs

While National Treasure’s next start has yet to be determined, the four-year-old son of Quality Road’s future is considerably brighter on and off the track in the aftermath of his impressive victory in the face of adversity at Gulfstream Park in Saturday’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) presented by Baccarat.

“He’s just going to get better and better. We were thinking, ‘Where do we run? Do we go to Saudi? Do we go here? We thought, let’s keep him here and be a good horse in America,’” Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said following National Treasure’s courageous effort in the headliner of Saturday’s 13-race program that also featured the $1 million 1/ST BET Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) and $500,000 TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G2) and four other graded stakes.

A record $47,320,906 was wagered on the 13-race card. On the following day, which featured a Mandatory Rainbow Six payout, $18 million was wagered. The Rainbow 6 paid a whopping $1.8 million.

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National Treasure, who lost the Breeder’s Cup Dirt Mile (G1) by a nose to Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish in his prior start, gave Baffert his third success in the Pegasus World Cup, following Arrogate (2017) and Mucho Gusto (2020).

Owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan, National Treasure, who prevailed in the Preakness (G1) by a head after a prolonged stretch duel, once again demonstrated a lot of heart during the running of the Pegasus. Denied pacesetting privileges by Hoist the Gold, who set quick fractions for the first half-mile of the 1 1/8-mile stakes, National Treasure conclusively proved that he didn’t need to have the lead in order to win. After finally putting away the pacesetter at the top of the stretch, the Baffert trainee opened a clear lead in mid-stretch and had enough in reserve to prevail by a neck.

The time of 1:50.51 over a slowish dirt track that many trainers said had a great deal of stinging blowback into horse’s faces, was good for a 105 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form.

“He was out there by himself. He was looking around there. I don’t think he was getting tired,” Baffert said. “When he ran with Cody’s Wish, he ran really fast. Cody came to him, but after the race, he just kept going out with him. He wasn’t really tired. He just got beat by a really good horse, you know. He fought hard and he’s a fighter. In the Preakness, remember that horse came to him? He fights. That’s a huge quality you want to see in a horse.”

National Treasure, bred by Peter Blum Thoroughbreds in Kentucky, was a $500,000 yearling purchase at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale from the consignment of Bridie Harrison.

The colt’s dam, TREASURE, by Medaglia D’Oro, has five named foals, four winners including stakes winner Ultimate. Treasure was placed six times in seven career races and she is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Inspired and other stakes winners Silver City, Initiation and Elope.

Joe Peacock Jr.’s Senor Buscador, who rallied from 11th to finish second, was invited to the Feb. 25 Saudi Cup (G1) following his strong effort under Junior Alvarado Saturday.

“I think it’s a great opportunity, so as long as the horse is doing well, we’ll probably head that way,” trainer Todd Fincher said Sunday morning.

Senor Buscador, who was coming off a late-closing second behind Hoist the Gold in the Cigar Mile in his prior start, finished 4 ½ lengths clear of third-place finisher Crupi.

“He ran a great race. Those two horses separated from the field by quite a large margin. They proved themselves to be two very nice Grade 1 horses,” Fincher said. “We ran a great race. We just came up on the losing end. We just needed a few jumps.”

The six-year-old son of Mineshaft has won multiple graded-stakes and earned multiple graded-stakes placings with his drop-back, run-late style.

“From Day 1 when we started to run him, he just had that running style. We tried to keep him close, and he just refuses, so we just let him be,” Fincher said. “He just gets better and better as time goes by.”

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. reported Sunday morning that Skippylongstocking, who was pulled up and walked off in the Pegasus World Cup, exited the race in good order.

“It looks like he was over-heated,” Joseph said. “I just think he overheated on a hot day. He had to use him hard from Post 12. Maybe it was a combination of that and it being hot. He came out well, that’s the most important thing, to fight another day.”

Warm Heart Sets Course Record, now on to date with Justify

Globe-trotting filly Warm Heart, already a multiple Group 1 winner last year in Europe, capped her racing career in style with a record-setting performance in Saturday’s $1 million 1/ST BET Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) Invitational at Gulfstream Park.

The sixth running of the Pegasus World Cup Turf and the eighth renewal of the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) presented by Baccarat on dirt, both at 1 1/8 miles, and the third edition of the $500,000 TAA Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G2) headlined a blockbuster Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series program featuring seven graded-stakes worth $5.2 million in purses.

Based in Ireland with trainer Aidan O’Brien, Warm Heart ($6.80) covered the distance in 1:44.45 over a firm turf course to break the record of 1:44.51 set by champion English Channel in a Feb. 22, 2007 allowance.

Given a heady and patient trip from O’Brien’s first-call rider, champion Ryan Moore, the four-year-old Warm Heart became both the first female and first European-based horse to win a Pegasus race. She retires with six wins and $2.2 million in purse earnings from 11 starts, and is booked to be bred to 2018 Triple Crown champion Justify.

“We’re absolutely delighted. It’s incredible,” trainer Aidan O’Brien said by phone from Ireland. “Ryan obviously gave her an incredible ride and has done such an incredible job. We’re just so delighted for everyone, and for her to go off now to Justify is so exciting. She’s absolutely made for him.”

Main Event, front-running winner of Gulfstream’s Pegasus Turf prep, the Dec. 30 Fort Lauderdale (G2), was intent on the lead from Post 11 and got there under Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, going the opening quarter-mile 23.47 seconds and a half in 46.86 with Jerry the Nipper pressing on his outside and Moore having settled Warm Heart in third along the rail.

The order remained unchanged as they rounded the far turn, with Moore biding his time behind Main Event. Once straightened for home, Moore sent Warm Heart through a narrow opening between Main Event and the rail and she sailed through with aplomb, creating enough space from her rivals to hold off a late charge by I’m Very Busy to win by a half-length.

It was a neck back to the third-place finisher, 45-1 longshot Catnip, who was a length in front of defending Pegasus Turf champion Atone. Integration, Webslinger, Kingmax, Shirl’s Speight, Jerry the Nipper, Adhamo, Main Event and Master Piece completed the order of finish. Also-eligibles Grand Sonata and Anglophile were scratched.

“The leader, he was always leaning out and he was weakening, and I knew I had plenty of horse, so no problem. I was happy to wait,” Moore said. “She’s always traveling very comfortably. I didn’t want to be there too early, and I didn’t want to be tipping out into the straight, and I thought I’d just wait. She’s a great filly. She’s had an incredible year. She hasn’t had a bad race.”

Warm Heart won the Yorkshire Oaks (G1) in England and Prix Vermeille (G1) in France in back-to-back starts last summer and fall, then was beaten a neck when second to champion Inspiral in the 1 ¼-mile Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) Nov. 4 at Santa Anita. From there she went to Hong Kong to face males for the first time in the 1 ½-mile Vase (G1) Dec. 10, finishing third.

“She’s an incredible filly. Ryan said it just didn’t work out for her the last race,” O’Brien said. “But she’s tactical, she’s tough and she quickens. She doesn’t do an awful lot when she gets there but that’s the way she’s always been. She’s very classy and very hardy, loves the fast ground.

“We’d love to have her and to be racing her, but the lads’ business is breeding these horses and she’s an absolutely incredible broodmare to be going to Justify,” he added. “It’s so exciting, really.”

~ edited press releases