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| Sumita Pawar |
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Since 2000, D. J. Stable has campaigned 10 graded-stakes winners, including three millionaires and three Group One winners, either independently or in collaboration with others. The stable has also been represented in two Classics and a year-end champion.
However, one feat that has eluded the father and son duo of Leonard and Jonathan Green is winning a Group One on the grass. They hope to achieve this milestone with their horse, Webslinger, in the upcoming US$1 million Gr.1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Park.
Webslinger was purchased for only US$50,000 as a 2YO in training in 2022, and was bred by Ken and Sarah Ramsey. This will be the Greens' first time participating in the Pegasus World Cup day program, which features not only the US$1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational but also the US$3 million Gr.1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational presented by Baccarat and the US$500,000 TAA Gr.2 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf.
“We’ve never even campaigned in any of the Pegasus races. When we got the invite, we thought about it for all of five seconds because it is a race that is on our bucket list and we feel like we finally have the right horse to compete and to represent our silks,” Jonathan Green said.
“We’re excited about it. I honestly think that the turf race is coming up a little tougher,” he added. “Maybe I’m being biased, but it’s going to be a great card, and it sounds like things are setting up perfectly for Gulfstream and hopefully for us.”
Webslinger, a 4YO son of Constitution, has a successful career record of eight top-three finishes and four wins, including the 2015 Gr. 1 Donn Handicap and the 1 1/16-mile Gr.2 American Turf on the Gr.1 Kentucky Derby undercard. Webslinger broke his maiden in 2022 at Monmouth Park in a stakes race. He also placed in five other stakes in his 3YO campaign, including seconds in the Saratoga Derby Invitational and Hollywood Derby and thirds in the Twilight Derby and Transylvania. Webslinger will be racing in the Pegasus Turf, trained by Mark Casse and ridden by Edgard Zayas.
Senor Buscador is one of the entrants in the US$3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational presented by Baccarat at Gulfstream Park. The 6YO son of Mineshaft has won six races and earned US$923,000 in his 16-race career. The veteran campaigner has won multiple graded-stakes races, including the 2022 Gr.3 Ack Ack at Churchill Downs and the 2023 Gr.2 San Diego at Del Mar. Senor Buscador has been on the Gulfstream Park grounds after being shipped directly from Aqueduct following a second-place finish in the 2nd Dec Cigar Mile. Trainer Todd Fincher is hopeful that Senor Buscador will feel at home at Gulfstream Park and perform well in the race.
Mission of Joy, a 4YO Kitten’s Joy filly, has been entered by trainer Graham Motion in the US$500,000 Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf at Gulfstream Park. The filly had a solid 2023 season with seven starts, which featured wins in the Florida Oaks and the Regret and a third-place finish in the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Keeneland. Mission of Joy has continued to improve with maturity and has trained well this winter in Florida. She will be ridden by John Velazquez and is 10-1 on the morning line.
Trainer Jorge Delgado began his career with just two horses worth around US$2,000 and worked as his own groom. Seven years later, he has emerged as a stakes winner at nine different tracks, including some of the most historic venues like Keeneland, Pimlico, Saratoga, and Gulfstream Park.
Although he has won three stakes races in graded company, he is now aiming for his first Group One victory with Kingmax in the upcoming Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational. This 1 1/8-mile race for 4YOs and up is one of seven graded-stakes worth $5.2 million in purses on a 13-race program.
Delgado has experienced both highs and lows in racing, but he keeps moving forward and believes in learning from the lows. He started his career working under his uncle Gustavo Delgado, the trainer of 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage. Delgado's first winner came in 2017 with Saturado at Gulfstream, and he has since won at other venues like Delaware Park, Laurel Park, Monmouth Park, Tampa Bay Downs, and Woodbine.
Kingmax, bred in Ireland, is Delgado's current horse and he is optimistic about his chances in the Pegasus Turf. Kingmax finished second in the Fort Lauderdale on 30th Dec, Gulfstream's local prep, and his British jockey David Egan will be returning for the Pegasus Turf.
Delgado is pleased that the horse has already raced at Gulfstream and the jockey knows the horse well. Kingmax has won two of his first three races in the US, and Delgado believes that the distance, surface, and everything else is perfect for him to run a good race.