Eragon Arrives at Gulfstream Park for Pegasus

James McIngvale's Eragon cleared quarantine in Miami and arrived Jan. 5 at Gulfstream Park for his upcoming engagement in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 28.

South American import Eragon, a three-time group 1 winner in Argentina, stepped off McIngvale's van at approximately 10:30 a.m. ET and entered Barn 19, his home for the next few weeks as he prepares for the 1 1/8-mile inaugural running of the Pegasus. McIngvale privately purchased the horse after he won a group 1 in Argentina in November to fill the Pegasus slot he originally purchased to run champion male sprinter Runhappy  . The grade 1 winner was retired after finishing unplaced in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) Nov. 4 at Santa Anita Park.

Upon arriving from Argentina Dec. 19, the 6-year-old Eragon entered quarantine for what was expected to be a seven-day stay. Laura Wohlers, McIngvale's sister-in-law and horse trainer, said his time there was extended for unforeseen reasons.

"I'm so glad to have him out of quarantine," said Wohlers as she watched an energized Eragon being hand-walked in the shedrow. "One of the horses in quarantine had a suspicious test, which turned out to be nothing, but because of protocol we unfortunately had to stay there longer.

"He's lost a little weight since I saw him in Argentina, but that was to be expected as he was not getting the large amount of feed he had been getting while there. All in all, he looks pretty good, and his energy is up."

Wohlers said she plans to start training the son of Offlee Wild the morning of Jan. 6 at Gulfstream around 8:00 a.m.

"We'll probably won't do a whole lot with him," she said. "We'll probably jog him. If we see him out there getting fractious and anxious we might gallop him lightly."

Wohlers said she is aiming to get two works into Eragon, who last raced on Nov. 12 in Argentina, before the Pegasus.

One of the upsides of being in quarantine so long is that Eragon created his own fan club with staff that work at the facility.

"We have a bunch of people from there coming to the Pegasus," Wohlers said. "One of the girls pulled up his YouTube races from Argentina, and that created a fan base for him. They are all excited and said they will be rooting for him."