Aerolithe Arrives for Pegasus World Cup Turf

Sunday Racing's grade 1 winner Aerolithe arrived Jan. 16 at Gulfstream Park at approximately 3:15 a.m. local time to prepare for the $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T) that runs Jan. 26 at the Florida track.

The mare traveled from Tokyo to South Korea to Anchorage, Alaska, and then to Miami. Total travel time, including layovers, was 21 hours and 25 minutes. 

"She traveled really well, much better than expected," said Kate Hunter, Pegasus World Cup field representative for the Japan Racing Association. 

Aerolithe, a winner against males in the NHK Mile Cup (G1) as a 3-year-old, has placed first or second in nine of 13 starts, including a victory in the Oct. 7 Mainichi Okan (G2) and a second-place finish in the June 3 Yasuda Kinen (G1), both also against males. The 5-year-old daughter of Kurofune, a son of French Deputy, is trained by Takanori Kikuzawa.

Florent Geroux has the mount on Aerolithe, who will remain in quarantine at Gulfstream for approximately 42 hours.

"She's going to stay inside the barn until her 42-hour quarantine is finished," Hunter said. "But once that's done, she'll spend the day walking, and the trainer, who is also going to be riding her in the mornings, gets in on the morning of the 20th, so he will be riding her on the morning of the 20th on the track."

Video of Aerolith's arrival at Gulfstream

Hunter said there is excitement regarding Aerolithe's participation in the Pegasus World Cup Turf.

"To be able to bring over a Japanese horse to America, especially with the recent issues with Japanese cargo companies not being able to fly in or out of Japan, it's a huge get," she said. "The (mare's) owners really wanted to go to the Breeders' Cup but were denied because of airplane issues. So they were really keen on coming to America and giving it a go. She's a really game (mare) with good speed and a lot of heart, so they were really keen on giving her a chance in the United States."

Aerolithe is not the only international competitor on the Pegasus World Cup card. Kukulkan, Mexico's undefeated Triple Crown winner who was victorious in the Clasico del Caribe at Gulfstream in December, will return to compete in the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), and Ireland's Magic Wand will also compete in the Pegasus World Cup Turf.