Bravazo Continues to Prepare for Pegasus Start

Classic-placed Bravazo tuned up for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) with a five-furlong work Dec. 30 at Oaklawn Park for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and Calumet Farm, which bred and owns the son of Awesome Again.

Breezing over surface rated good, Bravazo's time of 1:01 was the fastest of 12 works recorded at the distance. The move represented the second published work for Bravazo since finishing eighth in his comeback race, the $600,000 Clark Stakes Presented By Norton Healthcare (G1) Nov. 29 at Churchill Downs as he prepares for the Jan. 25 Pegasus at Gulfstream Park. 

"Good work yesterday," Lukas said Tuesday morning. "Real good. I thought the track was a little bit sticky, yet he still went in a minute. That was good."

Lukas said he should confirm a rider for Bravazo soon, adding the multiple grade 1-placed runner is scheduled to work three more times at Oaklawn before shipping to South Florida Jan. 20. 

"The last one will just be a blowout," Lukas said. 

Bravazo, in his 4-year-old debut, finished fourth in the 2019 Pegasus World Cup before later being sidelined with surgery to remove a bone chip from a knee. In his first work following last month's Clark, Bravazo covered five furlongs in 1:01 2/5 Dec. 23.

"He's right on target, barring any unforeseen setbacks," Lukas said. 

Lukas said the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus World Cup is the start of an ambitious three-race global campaign for Bravazo, who was among the country's leading 3-year-olds in 2018. 

Following the Pegasus, Lukas said Bravazo is scheduled to compete in the inaugural $20 million Saudi Cup—the world's richest race—Feb. 29 in Saudi Arabia and the $12 million Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) March 28 in the United Arab Emirates. 

"That's our plan," Lukas said. "That isn't everybody's plan. I hear these guys saying, 'Well, they think they're waiting for Saudi and not running in the Pegasus.' To hell with that, I'm running in all three of them. I think he thrives on work. If I don't do that, seriously, we'd put probably four or five more works into him. That's probably as shaky as anything."