First Mission 'Set Up Big' for Pegasus Run

Godolphin's newly turned 4-year-old First Mission  continued serious preparations for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 27 with another five furlong bullet work Jan. 13 at the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

With exercise rider Kelvin Perez up, First Mission worked five furlongs in 1:00 flat, the fastest of 50 works Saturday. The Street Sense   colt breezed a bullet five furlongs in 1.00 1/5 Jan. 5.

"He's a great work horse," said trainer Brad Cox. "He's continued to do the same here at the Fair Grounds in preparing for the Pegasus. He looked fantastic this morning. We actually took him to the track today (jogging a mile Sunday) because we're due some cold weather in the next few days and we may miss a day of training. But overall, super pleased with how he's moving and how he physically looks and how he is acting. I think he's set up for a big run to start his 4-year-old season."

The 1 1/8-mile Pegasus at Gulfstream Park will be First Mission's first race since he was second by a nose to fellow Pegasus contender Trademark in Churchill Downs' Clark Stakes (G2) the day after Thanksgiving.

First Mission captured the Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland last year in his third start. The son of Street Sense was then scratched from the Preakness Stakes (G1) with a minor ankle issue before returning to Keeneland to win an allowance race off a six-month layoff.

"We obviously had a setback Preakness week," Cox said earlier this month. "We gave him a little time and he came back and ran huge off the layoff there at Keeneland. To come back in a grade 2, facing older horses and him just being 3 and as lightly raced as he is, I thought he ran huge. We think he's a tremendous talent and we're excited about 2024."

Cox won the 2021 Pegasus with eventual Horse of the Year Knicks Go  , who came into the season's first grade 1 race for older horses on dirt off victory in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1). Knicks Go capped his 2021 championship season with victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), then made his career finale before going to stud in the 2022 Pegasus, finishing second to Life Is Good  .

Cox also had the favorite in last year's Pegasus, with multiple grade 1 winner Cyberknife   finishing sixth in his first and last start as a 4-year-old before going to stud.