NEWS
Champ Pegasus secures Breeders’
Cup spot with Del Mar win
Posted: Sunday, August 29, 2010 10:19 PM
CHAMP PEGASUS
Benoit & Associates photo
To view the Del Mar Handicap, click here.
by Mike Curry
Less than a month and a half after making his stakes debut, rapidly improving Champ Pegasus wrapped up a starting spot in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) and a chance to face the best of the turf male division.
The bay four-year-old Fusaichi Pegasus colt streaked through a huge opening along the rail in early stretch and powered to a 1 1/4-length win in the $200,000 Del Mar Handicap (G2) on Sunday at Del Mar. Trained by Richard Mandella for owners Diamond A Racing Corp. and Arturo Vargas, Champ Pegasus improved to three wins, two seconds, and one third from six starts this season after an unplaced finish in his only race at three.
With the Del Mar Handicap win, Champ Pegasus secured a starting spot in the Breeders’ Cup Turf via the Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” series. He covered 1 3/8 miles in 2:11.93 on firm turf under Joel Rosario.
"I'll probably run him [Champ Pegasus] in the Clement Hirsch [Memorial Turf Championship Stakes (G1) at the Oak Tree meet] at Hollywood Park and then we hope we'll be looking at the Breeders' Cup Turf,” Mandella said. “I don't know if the mile and a half wouldn't be a problem, but it's something to dream about and that's what this game is all about."
Champ Pegasus was sent off as the 3-to-2 favorite off a runner-up finish in the Sunset Handicap (G3) on July 18 at Hollywood. Rosario reserved him early in the Del Mar Handicap as Red Eye Express (Ire) opened up a 13-length lead through six furlongs in 1:10.16.
Champ Pegasus rallied into contention on the last of three turns and surged through from the inside to take command with a powerful bid.
"[Red Eye Express] being so far out front concerned me, but I thought he was going too fast,” Rosario said. “My horse was nice and relaxed, running easy. He's an easy horse to ride, and when we came for home I was looking for a place to go—outside, inside. A spot opened inside for me and I went for it. Easy enough. It all worked out well."
Out of Grade 1 winner Salt Champ (Arg), a champion and classic winner in her native Argentina, Champ Pegasus more than doubled his earnings to $208,520 with his first stakes win.
"I can't say I wasn't worried about Red Eye Express being out there alone. He's a Neil Drysdale horse and you're always worried about what Neil is doing,” Mandella said. “But my horse was getting around there nice and he looked like he did at Hollywood Park [second in the Sunset] and kicked it in nice. You have to expect them to learn and get better at this. I'm pretty happy about the way he's come around.”
Fast-closing Buenos Dias (Ire) nipped the Mandella-trained Worth Repeating by a nose for second in the nine-horse field.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor
