HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Graded-stakes winners Tenfold and Midcourt and Grade 1-placed Bodexpress, a popular local favorite, were added Sunday to the formal list of horses invited to the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Saturday, Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park.
The 1 1/8-mile Pegasus for 4-year-olds and up on the main track is part of the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series along with the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) for 4-year-olds and up at 1 3/16 miles on the grass, which also saw changes to its list of invitees.
Overall, the Pegasus World Cup Day program will serve up nine stakes, six graded, worth $5.2 million in purses.
The Stronach Group, owners of the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series, announced the equine athletes in both races would compete free of any medications on race day, heralding a new era in the sport of Thoroughbred racing in North America. The medication-free policy is consistent with the International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities (IFHA) standards. Two percent of the purses will go back to Thoroughbred aftercare.
C R K Stable’s Midcourt, based in California with trainer John Shirreffs, was placed among a dozen horses on the main list. A 5-year-old son of champion sprinter Midnight Lute, Midcourt put together four straight wins last summer and fall capped by the Native Diver (G3) Nov. 23 Del Mar. Most recently, he finished third in the San Antonio (G2) Dec. 28 at Santa Anita.
Also new to the Pegasus lineup are Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC’s Tenfold and Top Racing LLC, Global Thoroughbreds LLC and GDS Racing Stable’s Bodexpress, each added to the list of reserve invitees.
Winner of the 2018 Jim Dandy (G2) and 2019 Pimlico Special (G3) and third by a half-length to eventual Triple Crown champion Justify in the 2018 Preakness (G1), Tenfold is trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who won the second renewal of the Pegasus in 2018 with 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner.
Bodexpress, trained by Gulfstream Park West-based Gustavo Delgado, ran second behind Maximum Security in the Xpressbet.com Florida Derby (G1) last spring and made headlines after losing Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez at the start of the Preakness. After some time off, he returned with back to back victories against maiden special weight and allowance company prior to a third-place finish in the Harlan’s Holiday (G3) Dec. 14 at Gulfstream.
Maximum Security, Gift Box, Roadster and Bravazo are no longer on the list of invitees.
Three horses that had been on the reserve list were moved up to the main body of the race – Diamond Oops, True Timber and War Story. Imaginary Stables and Glenn Ellis’ War Story, a multiple graded-stakes winner of nearly $3 million, ran fifth and 10th, respectively, in the 2017 and 2018 Pegasus.
Calumet Farm’s True Timber has placed in seven career graded-stakes including the Cigar Mile (G1), where he ran second in 2018 and third behind Maximum Security Dec. 7 in his most recent start. In 2019, Diamond 100 Racing Club LLC, Amy Dunne, D P Racing LLC and Patrick Biancone Racing LLC’s Diamond Oops won the Smile Sprint (G3) and Mr. Prospector (G3) in 2019 at Gulfstream, the latter over Imperial Hint, and was second in the A.G. Vanderbilt (G1) and Shadwell Turf Mile (G1).
| HORSE | OWNER | TRAINER |
| DIAMOND OOPS | DIAMOND 100 RACING CLUB LLC, AMY E. DUNNE, D P RACING LLC, AND PATRICK L. BIANCONE RACING LLC | PATRICK L. BIANCONE |
| HIGHER POWER | HRONIS RACING, LLC | JOHN W. SADLER |
| MATH WIZARD | JOHN FANELLI, KHALID MISHREF, CASH IS KING LLC, LC RACING LLC, COLLARMELE VITELLI STABLES LLC, IOANNIS ZOUMAS, AND BASSETT STABLES | SAFFIE A. JOSEPH, JR. |
| MCKINZIE | C R K STABLE LLC | JOHN A. SHIRREFFS |
| MR FREEZE | JIM BAKKE AND GERALD ISBISTER | DALE ROMANS |
| OMAHA BEACH | FOX HILL FARMS, INC. | RICHARD E. MANDELLA |
| SEEKING THE SOUL | CHARLES E. FIPKE | DALLAS STEWART |
| SPUN TO RUN | ROBERT P. DONALDSON | JUAN CARLOS GUERRERO |
| TAX | R.A. HILL STABLE, REEVES THOROUGHBRED RACING, HUGH LYNCH, AND CORMS RACING STABLE | DANNY GARGAN |
| TRUE TIMBER | CALUMET FARM | KIARAN MCLAUGHLIN |
| WAR STORY | IMAGINARY STABLES AND GLENN K. ELLIS | ELIZABETH DOBLES |
| RESERVE INVITEES IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE | ||
| HORSE | OWNER | TRAINER |
| MUCHO GUSTO | MICHAEL LUND PETERSEN | BOB BAFFERT |
| MAGIC WAND (IRE) | MICHAEL B. TABOR, DERRICK SMITH, MR. AND MRS. JOHN MAGNIER | AIDAN P. O’BRIEN |
| TENFOLD | WINCHELL THOROUGHBREDS LLC | STEVEN A. ASMUSSEN |
| BODEXPRESS | TOP RACING LLC, THOROUGHBREDS LLC, AND GDS RACING STABLE | GUSTAVO DELGADO |
In the Pegasus Turf, Amerman Racing’s Admission Office and Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables LLC, Wonder Stables and Bethlehem Stables LLC’s Sacred Life were moved up from the also-eligible list to the main list of invitees.
Admission Office is five-time stakes-placed, four in graded company, most recently in the Dec. 14 Fort Lauderdale (G2) at Gulfstream. Sacred Life won the Prix Thomas Bryon (G3) as a 2-year-old in his native France and owns one win from four starts in the U.S., finishing second in the Bernard Baruch (G2) and Seabiscuit handicaps last year.
New to the list of Turf invitees are Pin Oak Stable’s Synchrony, Jordan Wycoff’s Tusk and Calumet Farm and John Anthony Stables LLC’s American Tattoo.
Synchrony is a career nine-time winner of nearly $1 million in purses, taking the King Edward (G2) and Fair Grounds Handicap (G3) last year. Tusk, by Tapit, earned his eighth lifetime win and first in graded-stakes company in the one-mile Tropical Turf (G3) Jan. 11 at Gulfstream. A Group 1 winner in his native Argentina, American Tattoo most recently won the two-mile H. Allen Jerkens Stakes Dec. 28 at Gulfstream.
United, Starship Jubilee, A Thread of Blue and Lucullan are no longer on the list of Turf invitees.
| HORSE | OWNER | TRAINER |
| ADMISSION OFFICE | AMERMAN RACING LLC | BRIAN A. LYNCH |
| ARKLOW | DONEGAL RACING, JOSEPH BULGER, AND PETER CONEWAY | BRAD H. COX |
| CHANNEL CAT | CALUMET FARM | TODD A. PLETCHER |
| HENLEY’S JOY | BLOOM RACING STABLE LLC | MICHAEL J. MAKER |
| INSTILLED REGARD | OXO EQUINE LLC | CHAD C. BROWN |
| MAGIC WAND (IRE) | MICHAEL B. TABOR, DERRICK SMITH, AND MRS. JOHN MAGNIER | AIDAN P. O’BRIEN |
| MO FORZA | BARDY FARM AND OG BOSS | PETER MILLER |
| NEXT SHARES | DEBBY BALTAS, RICHARD BALTAS, CHRISTOPHER T. DUNN, JULES IAVARONE, MICHAEL IAVARONE, JERRY MCCLANAHAN, RITCHIE ROBERSHAW, AND MARK TAYLOR | RICHARD BALTAS |
| SACRED LIFE (FR) | MICHAEL DUBB, MADAKET STABLES LLC, WONDER STABLES, BETHLEHEM STABLES LLC | CHAD C. BROWN |
| SADLER’S JOY | WOODSLANE FARM | THOMAS ALBERTRANI |
| WITHOUT PAROLE (GB) | JOHN D. GUNTHER AND TANYA GUNTHER | CHAD C. BROWN |
| ZULU ALPHA | MICHAEL M. HUI | MICHAEL J. MAKER |
| RESERVE INVITEES IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE | ||
| HORSE | OWNER | TRAINER |
| MR. MISUNDERSTOOD | FLURRY RACING STABLES LLC | BRAD H. COX |
| SYNCHRONY | PIN OAK STABLE | MICHAEL STIDHAM |
| TUSK | JORDAN V. WYCOFF | SAFFIE A. JOSEPH, JR. |
| AMERICAN TATTOO (ARG) | CALUMET FARM AND JOHN | TODD A. PLETCHER |
The 2020 Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series will offer a world-class level of safety and care for horses and riders along with a unique and fully engaging experience for fans and guests, both at the racetrack and online. Since it was launched in 2017, the Pegasus World Cup has become one of the most anticipated events on the racing calendar. It has captured the attention of the racing industry, celebrities and fans from around the world and has featured some of the finest international and domestic runners, including Bricks and Mortar and Pegasus World Cup winners Arrogate (2017), Gun Runner (2018) and City of Light (2019).
Past celebrity attendees include Snoop Dogg, Mark Ronson, Bella Thorne, Evander Holyfield, Dennis Rodman and Amanda Cerny (2019), Pharrell Williams, Lenny Kravitz, Olivia Culpo, Prince Royce, Wilmer Valderrama, Post Malone, Ludacris, Jermaine Dupri, Carson Kressley and DJ Ruckus (2018) and Thomas Rhett, Vanessa Hudgens, Juanes, Karolina Kurkova, Aaron Paul, Gene Simmons, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Maria Menounos (2017).
For a third year, the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series will partner with Groot Hospitality, owners of the world famous LIV Nightclub, to offer a one-of-a-kind trackside party, the Pegasus LIV Stretch, featuring top tier entertainment, unique food and beverage concessions and the ultimate race-day views. Past performers at the Pegasus LIV Stretch include Snopp Dogg and Mark Ronson (2019), and Post Malone, Ludacris and Jermaine Dupri (2018).
The 2020 Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series will be broadcast live on NBC from 4:30 to 6 p.m. EST on Saturday, January 25.
For more information on the Pegasus World Cup and tickets, click here.
Click here to view Pegasus World Cup Invitees and PP’s.
VIA GULFSTREAM PARK PRESS RELEASE
