Yoshida Newest Contender For Pegasus World Cup Turf

WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, SF Racing, and Head of Plains Partners' Yoshida, a grade 1 winner on dirt and turf, will be returning to the grass for his 2019 debut in the $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1T) Jan. 26 at Gulfstream Park.

The 1 3/16-mile Pegasus World Cup Turf joins the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) on a program of nine stakes—six graded—worth $17.125 million in purses.

WinStar also owns a share of 2018 Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1) winner Audible, who is set make his 2019 debut in the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus World Cup for trainer Todd Pletcher.

"We debated about whether to run (Yoshida) on the dirt or the turf," WinStar president and CEO Elliott Walden said Jan. 4. "The nice thing about Yoshida is he's a grade 1 winner on both surfaces. We felt like with Audible being in the other race, this was a good place to start."

Bred in Japan by Northern Farm, Yoshida brought $765,160 at the 2015 Japan Racing Association sale of yearlings and weanlings and has gone on to earn $1,589,770 in 12 starts for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Yoshida's first black-type victory came in the 2017 James W. Murphy Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. He won the 2017 Hill Prince Stakes (G3T) and 2018 Old Forester Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) before capturing the Woodward Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) in September at Saratoga Race Course in his dirt debut.

Most recently, Yoshida finished fourth—less than two lengths behind winner Accelerate —in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). Accelerate and runner-up Gunnevera are both being pointed to the Pegasus World Cup.

"He's done great. He had a little bit of a break for the month of November and then started back training. He's had three breezes at Payson Park, and Bill is really happy with him. He's continued to fill out and do well, and we're excited about the upcoming year with him," Walden said. "He's unbelievable. He's been a good horse from day one."

In his latest work, Yoshida breezed a half-mile Dec. 30 in :49 3/5 at Payson Park.

Other horses pointing for the Pegasus World Cup Turf are Sunday Racing's Aerolithe, a grade 1 winner in Japan; Accelerate's John Sadler-trained stablemate Catapult, winner of the Eddie Read Stakes (G2T) and Del Mar Mile Handicap (G2T) and second in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) for Woodford Racing; and Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith, and M.J. Jooste's Magic Wand, a group 2 winner in England who finished fourth in the Nov. 3 Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) in her North American debut.

"It's very exciting. I give kudos to the Stronachs for what they're trying to accomplish in horse racing and how they've been an advocate for trying different things," Walden said. "We just want to participate. It's a great opportunity, it's a big purse, it's a great idea that started with the Pegasus on dirt a few years ago and that's gained momentum. I give Frank and Belinda (Stronach) a lot of credit for trying to do different things to help move the industry forward."