Be Your Best holds off Sacred Wish to win the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (Coglianese)
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Michael J. Ryan’s Be Your Best never wins by much. She just wins.
The 5-year-old mare notched her third straight victory with Saturday’s close call win in the $500,000 TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G2), barely reaching the wire first ahead of Sacred Wish in the 1 1/16-mile grass stakes.
Her winning margin: a neck.
The mare’s winning margins in her two previous races, which included the Suwannee River (G3) at Gulfstream on Dec. 21: a length and a nose.
With Edgard Zayas back in the irons on Saturday, Be Your Best stalked frontrunning In Our Time for much of the race before accelerating in the stretch and crossing under the wire just ahead of fast closing Sacred Wish.
In Our Time held on for third, 2 ½ lengths ahead of Pounce.
“It set up perfect, absolutely,” Zayas said. “Once [In Our Time] got in, I knew she was the speed of the speed. The plan was to get covered up behind her and it worked out perfect. The pace was quick, but they’ve been going quick all day. The track is pretty fast and they keep on going. At the end, she never quit, she kept on steady, steady, steady.”
Sacred Wish jockey John Velazquez said he knew he had no chance to catch Be Your Best at the quarter pole.
“When I got to the quarter pole, I said, ‘(Darn), I’ve got to be superman to get there,” Velazquez said.
Be Your Best started her career with just two wins in her first 15 races but has since found her winning stride since moving to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr’s. barn in August. Her three-race winning streak have all come against Graded stakes company.
“Thank God she hung on,” said Joseph, who also trains In Our Time. “I thank Mike Ryan for giving her to us. He’s been a big supporter of me from very, very early. He fired me once, and then he hired me back. I’ve never been able to really repay him the way he’s helped me. And I know this filly, it’s a special moment for him, because it’s a homebred.”
Be Your Best completed the trip in 1:39:06.
