Maturing Proxy Remains on Target for Pegasus
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Photo: Coady Photography
Proxy (outside) en route to victory over West Will Power in the Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs
Representatives of Godolphin, an Eclipse Award finalist for both outstanding owner and breeder, have multiple reasons to be in South Florida late this month, not just the Jan. 26 Eclipse Awards ceremony at The Breakers Palm Beach.
A couple of days later, the global racing and breeding operation's blue silks will be carried by Joel Rosario when he pilots the Mike Stidham-trained Proxy Jan. 28 in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park. The homebred 5-year-old Tapit horse is pointed to the 1 1/8-mile race co-headed by invitees Cyberknife , Defunded , and White Abarrio .
Proxy enters the Pegasus World Cup off his first win at the graded level, a determined three-quarter-length victory over front-running West Will Power in the Nov. 25 Clark Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs. More focused than in prior starts when he often settled for minor awards in stakes company, Proxy was engaged from the start and wore down the pacesetter.
"He came out of the Clark great and has really trained forwardly," trainer Mike Stidham said of the horse's recent works at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. "Last year going into this year, he's just a bigger, stronger, more mature version of his 3-year-old self."
Stidham said Proxy will have two more works at Fair Grounds this month before shipping from Louisiana to Florida Jan. 22 and galloping at Gulfstream leading into the Pegasus.