Global Weekly Preview: Second Pegasus faces a true popularity test

Jim McGrath
J A McGrath

In many ways, the second running of the G1 Pegasus at Gulfstream Park this weekend is more important than the first.

There was so much novelty value attached to the inaugural race that it would have been unfair to judge the concept solely on that initial experience.

Having made that point, the positives to Saturday’s race are that a capacity field of 12 is scheduled to line up, and with US$16m up for grabs, the Pegasus remains the richest race in the world, a tag that will always ensure certain fascination.

Last year, race promoters had the perfect scenario when Arrogate, then the stunning new star, went head-to-head with California Chrome, a Kentucky Derby winner, who had attracted a huge following as he raced on past his Classic year.

Whether this year’s renewal will generate the same level of interest outside the racing bubble remains to be seen.

One memory of the inaugural race is that California Chrome was clearly struggling early in the contest, leaving it very much a one-horse race as Arrogate was so superior to his other rivals that day.

Gun Runner, winner of the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar in November and recently crowned Horse of the Year, heads the list of Pegasus contenders and can almost double his career earnings if he wins.

First, though, he must contend with an awkward draw — he will start from gate 10, which means he will have only two horses on his outside in the notoriously short run to the first turn.

Both the second and third in Gun Runner’s Breeders’ Cup Classic — the Bob Baffert-trained duo Collected and West Coast — will have another crack at their old rival, while the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile runner-up Sharp Azteca also takes his place.

One of the most interesting runners is the Jamie Osborne-trained Toast Of New York, the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up, who recently made a successful comeback to racing after three years away from the track.

He will be partnered by Frankie Dettori, who has not ridden at Gulfstream in nearly two decades.

In South Africa, the in-form Legal Eagle is expected to set the bar very high in the G1 Sun Met at Kenilworth, Cape Town, though he is another forced to contend with a bad draw. Legal Eagle recently landed the G1 Queen’s Plate, a pointer to his excellent prospects this weekend.

Finally, in New Zealand, the running of the Karaka Million at Ellerslie on Saturday will herald the start of a busy week of racing and sales in Auckland.