Yoshida Headlines Inaugural Pegasus World Cup Turf

While the field for the inaugural running of the $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1T) Jan. 26 at Gulfstream Park has been subject to more than a little speculation over the past months, the wait is finally over. 

WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, Starlight Racing and Head of Plains Partners' Yoshida, a versatile grade 1 winner on both turf and dirt, is the 5-2 morning-line favorite in his first start of 2019 and first start on grass since August. 

The 5-year-old son of Heart's Cry started 2018 strong, notching his first grade 1 score in the Old Forester Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) May 5 at Churchill Downs. Shipped across the Atlantic Ocean for the Royal Ascot meet, he placed fifth by a short 1 1/4-length margin in the June 19 Queen Anne Stakes (G1), and he followed that effort with another fifth-place finish in the Aug. 11 Fourstardave Handicap (G1T) at Saratoga Race Course.

Switched to dirt to for his next race, the Bill Mott trainee dominated in a come-from-behind performance to win the Woodward Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), defeating last year's Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) third-place finisher Gunnevera. In his most recent start, he again came from well back to finish fourth in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 3 on the main track at Churchill Downs, less than two lengths behind Pegasus World Cup favorite and 2018 Horse of the Year finalist Accelerate .

"He's got a pedigree that would probably lend itself to turf or dirt," Mott said. "On the top side, maybe a little turf and dirt. The bottom side, his mother was a grade 1 winner at the sprint distances ... so he's got a pedigree for both and he's one of the odd horses that has transitioned from one to the other.

"It's probably debatable whether his dirt races are better than his turf races, and they may well be, but he's a horse that won very nicely for us in the spring last year on the turf. He's run with good company, and we weighed our options here and thought that maybe the turf was the spot to go this time."

Yoshida has been working steadily for Mott at Payson Park training center since December. He will break from post 2 in the expected field of 10 runners. Jose Ortiz has the call. 

Mott will also send out 5-year-old Channel Maker from post 3 under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano in Saturday's 1 3/16-mile test, as the son of English Channel  makes his first start since an off-the-board finish in the Nov. 3 Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T).

Owned by Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, R.A. Hill Stable, and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Channel Maker won two of his eight starts in 2018  including a dead-heat with this year's Eclipse Award male turf finalist Glorious Empire in the July 28 Bowling Green (G2T) at Saratoga and a gate-to-wire romp in the Sept. 29 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (G1) at Belmont Park. 

"He's very good," Mott said. "He had been in really great form during Saratoga and Belmont. He won a 'Win and You're In' when he won the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and we ran in the Breeders' Cup Turf going a mile and a half. Very soggy turf that day, a lot more pace than maybe he had had when he won the Joe Hirsch.            

"He's a horse that's not really one-dimensional by any means. It looks like the Pegasus is going to have some pace in it, so in that particular instance I don't think we have to push him up toward the lead early in the race."

Another Japanese-bred contender and one of only three females entered in the Turf Invitational, Sunday Racing Company's Aerolithe will try her hand at grade 1 glory for the first time outside her native country. 

Bred like Yoshida at the Yoshida family's Northern Farm in Abira, Japan, the Kurofune mare has been first or second in nine of 13 lifetime starts and has won twice over males in the both the 2017 NHK Mile Cup (G1) and 1 1/8-mile Mainichi Okan (G2) Oct. 7 at Tokyo Racecourse.

Florent Geroux, winner of the 2018 Pegasus with Horse of the Year Gun Runner , has the call from post 4.

"She's never shied away from the boys, and she always runs really well," trainer Takanori Kikuzawa said through interpreter Kate Hunter, Pegasus World Cup field representative for the Japan Racing Association. "She's got a very strong personality and likes the competition, so she's in a good spot mentally, as well. This filly has got a lot of speed and, if you look at some of her previous races, she can really go to the front. If we get a good start, we plan on going forward and hopefully staying there."

Trainer John Sadler will send out Woodford Racing's Catapult in the Pegasus Turf, second choice on the morning line at 7-2. The 6-year-old son of champion grass horse and leading sire Kitten's Joy  took the Eddie Read (G2T) and Del Mar Mile Handicap (G2T) at Del Mar last year before closing out his season with a second in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T). 

Despite having yet to break through at the grade 1 level, Sadler is pleased with the improvement he's seen in the 6-year-old, who has put in six timed works since the beginning of December. 

"I think he's better than he was last year," Sadler said. "He had a little foot issue after the Del Mar Mile and we trained him right into the Breeders' Cup, but he's been perfect out of the Breeders' Cup. I think he's in tip-top shape. His record is so good. ... He won't have any problem with the distance.

“Catapult drew on the outside (post 9), but that’s not a bad draw from him. He’s a turf horse at a long distance that settles and then puts his run in.”

Mike and Jules Iavarone, Jerry McClanahan, Christopher Dunn, William Marasa, Ritchie Robershaw and Mark Taylor's grade 1 winner Next Shares enters the Pegasus Turf having won three of his past four starts, and will be the only runner in the field to already boast a win in 2019.

The Archarcharch gelding most recently triumphed over his competition by a nose in the Jan. 5 San Gabriel Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita Park for trainer Richard Baltas. 

"He's just getting good," Baltas said. "He's a gelding, so I think he's probably just coming into his own. He seems like a very happy horse." 

Rounding out the field will be five other turf runners who bring considerable experience. Among them are Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence's Bricks and Mortar—who is undefeated in two tries over Gulfstream's turf; Stronach Stables' homebred Delta Prince, and Bran Jam Stable and David W. Clark's grade 3-winning English Channel mare Fahan Mura, the most experienced runner in the field with 23 starts. 

The other female runner entered is European shipper Magic Wand. Owned in partnership by Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier, and Derrick Smith, the daughter of Galileo is a group 2 winner in France and will be making only her second North American start in the Pegasus Turf after finishing fourth in the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T). 

Ron Paolucci Racing's Dubby Dubbie closes out the field at morning-line odds of 30-1. The 4-year-old Ice Box  gelding is grade 3-placed on turf and enters off an allowance optional claiming win Nov. 23 at Churchill Downs. 

Entries: Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. (G1T)

Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 26, 2019, Race 11

• Grade IT
• 1 3/16m
• Turf
• $7,000,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 4:51 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Magic Wand (IRE)	Wayne Lordan	112	Aidan P. O'Brien	9/2
2	2Yoshida (JPN)	Jose L. Ortiz	124	William I. Mott	5/2
3	3Channel Maker (ON)	Javier Castellano	117	William I. Mott	12/1
4	4Aerolithe (JPN)	Florent Geroux	112	Takanori Kikuzawa	8/1
5	5Next Shares (KY)	Tyler Gaffalione	124	Richard Baltas	15/1
6	6Fahan Mura (PA)	Edwin A. Maldonado	119	Vladimir Cerin	30/1
7	7Bricks and Mortar (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	124	Chad C. Brown	5/1
8	8Delta Prince (KY)	Lanfranco Dettori	124	James A. Jerkens	15/1
9	9Catapult (KY)	Joel Rosario	124	John W. Sadler	7/2
10	10Dubby Dubbie (KY)	Luca Panici	124	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	30/1