AIDAN O’Brien’s globetrotting filly Magic Wand, who finished second to US champion Bricks And Mortar in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes last year, has again been invited to the Gulfstream event at the end of the month.
The filly has been invited to both the Pegasus World Cup and Pegasus World Cup Turf but is likely to run in the latter if she travels.
Aidan O’Brien revealed: ““The plan is to send her to Gulfstream for the same race she ran second in last year. She’s done plenty of travelling and has been very consistent.”
The five-year-old has raced in Ireland, England, France, the US, Australia (where she won the Grade 1 Mackinnon Stakes) and Hong Kong last season.
The purse for the Pegasus World Cup has been cut from $9 million to $3 million and the Pegasus World Cup Turf will drop to $1 million after being run for $7 million in 2019.
Of the leading US contenders, Maximum Security, McKinzie and possibly Gift Box are more likely to travel to the inaugural Saudi Cup in February.
Omaha Beach is a definite runner before he retires to stud next month. He comes off an impressive victory on December 28th in the Malibu (Grade 1) at Santa Anita.
However, the son of War Front will miss his first scheduled work at Gulfstream Park this week in order to address a minor foot issue.
Trainer Richard Mandella was not concerned: “He had a hot foot with a bruise in it and so we took the shoe off and poulticed it. We will miss a day or two of training. I don’t think it is going to be a big deal.”
Spun To Run, a four-year-old son of Hard Spun who defeated Omaha Beach in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, followed that with a second-place finish behind Maximum Security in the Cigar Mile, and looks the biggest danger again.
THE Bob Baffert-trained Authentic is the latest colt to gain attention and acquire points towards a Kentucky Derby start with an impressive win in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes last Saturday in Santa Anita on his second career start.
A May foal by Into Mischief, he was well clear into the straight and had the race sewn up two out but veered badly into the rail before straightening up again and going on to win by seven and three-quarter lengths as the 6/5 favourite under jockey Drayden Van Dyke. His well-backed stablemate Azul Coast finished best of the rest in the one-mile test.
“When I ran him the first time down at Del Mar, he was a little bit green that day, because I was debating whether or not to put blinkers on him,” said Baffert. “I didn’t, but he may need something to keep him a bit more focused. Today, he wasn’t blowing hard after the race and didn’t take a deep breath, so that is a good sign.”
Baffert also provided the winner of the fillies’ graded trial at the track on Sunday when the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies third Bast added another win to the CV. She came out of the Breeders’ Cup to win the Grade 1 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos in early December.
Baffert proved the one-two-three here and the blinkered daughter of Uncle Mo sat off her stablemates and edged clear late to score an odds-on success in the Grade 2 Santa Ynez Stakes.
Under the most pressure of the three stable companions, Bast appeared to have her work cut out, but Golden Principal was the first to wilt, leaving it to Bast and Auberge in the final furlong. The favourite gradually inched clear from her rival to post a one-and-three-quarter-length success.
Three in running for Horse of the Year
THE finalists in each category for the annual Eclipse Awards were announced last week with three horses in line for the Horse of the Year honour to be announced at a ceremony on January 23rd. Turf champion Bricks And Mortar, unbeaten in 2019, the disqualified Kentucky Derby winner Maximum Security, who won three Grade 1s, and the likely champion sprinter Mitole are the final trio. There was some surprise when the filly Midnight Bisou did not make the final for the overall title. The three selected for jumps horses are all Irish-bred in Brain Power, Scorpiancer, and Winston C.
The finalists in each category are:
Horse of the Year: Bricks And Mortar, Maximum Security, Mitole.
Three-year-old Male: Code Of Honor, Maximum Security, Omaha Beach.
Three-year-old Filly: Covfefe, Guarana, Serengeti Empress.
Older Dirt Male: McKinzie, Mitole, Vino Rosso.
Older Dirt Female: Blue Prize, Elate, Midnight Bisou.
Male Sprinter: Imperial Hint, Mitole, World Of Trouble.
Female Sprinter: Belvoir Bay, Come Dancing, Covfefe.
Male Turf Horse: Bricks And Mortar, Mo Forza, World Of Trouble.
Female Turf Horse: Got Stormy, Sistercharlie, Uni.
Two-year-old Male: Maxfield, Storm The Court, Structor.
Two-year-old filly: Bast, British Idiom, Sharing.
Steeplechaser: Brain Power, Scorpiancer, Winston C.
Breeder: Calumet Farm, Godolphin, George Strawbridge Jr.
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr., Javier Castellano, Jose Ortiz.
Trainer: Brad Cox, Chad Brown, Steve Asmussen.