Bruce Lunsford’s ART COLLECTOR (Bernardini – Distorted Legacy by Distorted Humor) drew off in the stretch to win Saturday’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) presented by Baccarat at Gulfstream Park while pulling off a 15-1 upset in the 2023 racing season’s first multi-million event.
The Pegasus World Cup headlined a stellar 13-race program that also featured the $2 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1), won by Three Diamonds’ ATONE (Into Mischief). Canadian-owned and trained LADY SPEIGHTSPEARE closed out her illustrious career with a very game fourth-place finish, inches from third place in her first outing against the boys. Also on Pegasus day was the $500,000 TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G3), won by QUEEN GODDESS (Empire Maker) as well as four other graded stakes.
In the 7th running of the Pegasus, Art Collector, bred by Lunsford in Kentucky, prevailed by 4 ½ lengths over runner-up Defunded, trained by Bob Baffert, while Cyberknife, the 2-1 favourite in a field of 12 of the top older horses in training., was never a factor in a sixth-place finish.
Although some would have had trouble envisioning a victory by Art Collector, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and the horse’s new rider Junior Alvarado could see a way for Art Collector to win.
After breaking cleanly from the starting gate, Art Collector received an ideal stalking trip behind pacesetter Stilleto Boy and pursuers Defunded and White Abarrio. Stilleto Boy, who finished third in last year’s Pegasus World Cup, set solid fractions of 23.61 and 47.71 seconds for the first half mile and into the far turn with little change in the order along the backstretch.
Defunded ranged up alongside Stilleto Boy on the turn into the stretch as Art Collector made a menacing three-wide move to make a strong challenge at the head of the stretch. Defunded, ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr, and Stilleto Boy with Hall of Famer Mike Smith up, dug in gamely through the stretch run but were no match for the surging Art Collector in the closing yards.
“We scripted it that way and it turned out that way,” Mott said. “That doesn’t happen very often, but Junior rode him and did a great job. I told him just ride him like you ride Olympiad, and he rode him the same way.”
Alvarado, who rode the Mott-trained Olympiad to four graded stakes victories and a runner-up finish behind Flightline in the Breeders’ Cup Classic last year, was riding Art Collector for the first time.
Luis Saez had been riding Art Collector, guiding him to wins in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic in August and the Alydar Stakes at Saratoga, three weeks earlier.
“I don’t have the words to put it together. It’s just unbelievable. I’m so glad that I got a chance to ride this horse. He’s a very neat horse that I’ve been following for quite a while. I guess it was the perfect time and we got it done today,” said Alvarado, who recently rode his 2000th career victory at Gulfstream. “I don’t know how it gets any better than this. It’s unbelievable having this win with Mott. It’s unbelievable. I’m very grateful for the big support he’s given me over the years. I’m just very happy right now.”
Art Collector, who had won one Grade 1 stakes, the 2021 Woodward (G1) at Belmont Park prior to Saturday’s career performance, ran 1 1/8-miles in 1:49.44. The 6-year-old son of Bernardini has won back-to-back editions of the Charles Town Classic (G2) and entered the Pegasus with earnings in excess of $2.3 million during a career in which he has shown he can compete at the highest level on his best days.
Cyberknife, a two-time Grade 1 winner and who finished a close second to the Mott-trained Cody’s Wish in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) in his most recent start, was never in contention. Also absent from contention was the three-ply team from trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. – White Abarrio, Skippylongstocking and O’Connor.
Cyberknife was making his final career start.
ART COLLECTOR, who has had three trainers through his career – Joe Sharp, Tom Drury and Mott – is from the Woodbine winning mare Distorted Legacy. A stakes winner after leaving Woodbine, Distorted Legacy was trained by Barbara Minshall, who trains all of Lunsford’s Woodbine runners. Distorted Legacy has four foals to race, with three winners including 2022 juvenile winner Classic Legacy.
Distorted Legacy’s dam BUNTING was the horse that started it all for Lunsford, he noted post-race. The stakes mare produced Illinois Derby (G2) winner Vision and Verse for Lunsford.
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