Entries will be taken Wednesday for the $3 million Pegasus and Omaha Beach, owned by Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farms, is expected to be the heavy morning line favorite for the 1 1/8-mile race. 
 
Trainer Mark Hennig’s exercise rider, Fernando De La Cruz, was aboard Omaha Beach for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella. He went three furlongs in :36.66 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:114.01, according to Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch.
 
“We didn’t want him to overdo it because we’re within a week of the race,” Mandella said. “The boy said he felt like a Cadillac. Actually, like a Porsche.” 
Mandella was pleased with what he saw of the 4-year-old War Front colt, who will complete his racing career in the Pegasus and move on to stud duty at Spendthrift Farm.
 
“He looked great,” Mandella said. “We’re ready to go.”

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will ride Omaha Beach in the Pegasus World Cup.

Omaha Beach won the Rebel (G2) and the Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park and was the favorite for the Kentucky Derby before scratched when found to have an entrapped epiglottis. On return, Omaha Beach won the six-furlong Santa Anita Sprint Championship by a head on Oct. 5, but ended up second as the even-money favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. He completed his 3-year-old season with an impressive 2 3/4-lengths win in the seven-furlong Malibu (G1) on Dec. 28 at Santa Anita.

Mandella said he does not expect that Omaha Beach will have any trouble stretching out again a month after the Malibu.

“He’s always been able to do what you want to do, short or long,” Mandella said. “I might have put him a little bit to sleep going into the mile of the Breeders’ Cup as a mistake. Coming out of that sprint, I was a little concerned that I jazzed him up quick to do that. I thought ‘Well I don’t want to overdo it going into the mile.’

“I think I went a little bit too far the other way because leaving the gate he kind of galloped around there until he came around the field and ran a good finish. I think I had more to do with him getting beat than him.”

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who won the inaugural Pegasus in 2017 with Arrogate, has confirmed to Gulfstream’s racing office that he will enter Mucho Gusto in Saturday’s Pegasus. The 4-year-old was third last summer in the Travers (G1) and was fourth last time out in the Oklahoma Derby (G3) in September at Remington.

In latest news, jockey Irad Ortiz will reportedly ride Mucho Gusto, leaving Spun to Run without a rider as of Monday.

PEGASUS PROBABLE FIELD

with Best Beyer Figure, Trainer/Jockey, Owner, Sire from Daily Racing Form

Bodexpress – 101
Trainer: Gustavo Delgado/Emisael Jaramillo
Owner: Top Racing, LLC, Global Thoroughbred and GDS Racing Stable
Sire: Bodemeister

Diamond Oops 105
Trainer: Patrick Biancone/Julien Leparoux
Owner: Diamond 100 Racing Club, LLC, Amy E. Dunne, D P Racing LLC, and Patrick Biancone
Sire: Lookin At Lucky

Higher Power 107
Trainer: John Sadler/Flavien Prat
Owner: Hronis Racing LLC
Sire: Medaglia d’Oro

Mr Freeze 102
Trainer: Dale Romans/Luis Saez
Owner: Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister
Sire: Bernardini

Mucho Gusto 101
Trainer: Bob Baffert/Irad Ortiz Jr.
Owner: Michael Lund Petersen
Sire: Mucho Macho Man

Omaha Beach 104
Trainer: Richard Mandella/Mike Smith
Owner: Fox Hill Farms Inc.
Sire: War Front

Seeking the Soul 105
Dallas Stewart/John Velazquez
Owner: Charles Fipke
Sire: Perfect Soul

Spun to Run 110
Juan Guerrero/TBA
Owner: Robert P. Donaldson
Sire: Hard Spun

Tax – 101
Trainer: Danny Gargan/Jose Ortiz
Owner: R.A. Hill Stable and Reeves Thoroughbreds
Sire: Arch

Tenfold 96
Trainer: Steve Asmussen/Javier Castellano
Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC
Sire: Curlin

True Timber 104
Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin/Joe Bravo
Owner: Calumet Farm
Sire: Mineshaft

War Story 112
Trainer: Elizabeth L. Dobles/Joel Rosario
Owner: Imaginary Stables and Glenn Ellis
Sire: Northern Afleet

 

Tags: Omaha Beach, Pegasus World Cup Invitational,

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