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| Sumita Pawar |
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Saudi Crown, the 4YO colt owned by Faisal Mohammed Alqahtani and trained by Brad Cox, is preparing for the Gr.1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park. Since finishing 10th at the Breeders' Cup Classic in Santa Anita, Saudi Crown has been training vigorously, including a five-furlong workout that he completed in 1:01.4 on Friday at Fair Grounds.
He is also being considered for the US$20 million Gr.1 Saudi Cup next month. Other notable horses that have been working out include Leave No Trace, Queen Goddess, and Brickyard Ride, among others. These horses have been putting in the effort to prepare for upcoming races and are expected to perform at an elite level.
Trainer Brad Cox confirmed that First Mission, owned by Godolphin, is on track to begin his 4YO season in the US$3 million Gr.1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park. The horse, who lost Gr.2 Churchill Downs’ Clark by a nose in his last start as a 3YO, is a promising contender, with his style being forward, but not necessarily on the lead. Trainer Cox believes that Gulfstream Park is a great fit for First Mission's style since he likes to be somewhat forward. The Pegasus would mark only First Mission’s sixth start as a racehorse.
Another contender for the Pegasus World Cup Invitational is Hoist the Gold, who won the Gr.2 Cigar Mile impressively, according to trainer Dallas Stewart. Hoist the Gold, newly turned 5YO, worked a half-mile in 47 1/5 seconds on Tuesday, and the trainer said he’s not concerned about the 1 1/8-mile distance. However, the Pegasus’ two-turn configuration remains an unknown territory for the horse since he has only raced around two turns once, finishing fourth in last year’s Gr.3 Mineshaft at 1 1/16 miles at the Fair Grounds. Stewart said that they would have to see how it works out, the two turns, and that they've got a great rider, Hall of Famer John Velazquez, to help them figure it out.
Senor Buscador, a multiple graded stakes-winning 6YO son of Mineshaft, is another horse to watch out for. He has been stabled at Gulfstream since 3rd Dec and is coming off a second-place finish at Aqueduct in the Gr.2 Cigar Mile, in which he trailed the 12-horse field before closing strongly to finish second behind Pegasus World Cup nominee Hoist the Gold.