Pegasus World Cup

Irad Ortiz, Jr., who only recently returned from a 30-day suspension, will be sidelined 3-4 weeks with a knee fracture, according to a tweet from Daily Racing Form's Marty McGee. The three-time reigning Eclipse Award-winning jockey was given 30 days for separate riding infractions at Aqueduct Dec. 3 and 4 and returned to the saddle at Gulfstream Park Thursday, Jan. 6. Ortiz, Jr. was aboard Shea On a Mission (Mission Impazible) in Hallandale Jan. 7 and was injured when the 4-year-old filly became fractious in the gates. He took off...

The favorite to land an Eclipse Award as the country's outstanding jockey of 2021 will begin his 2022 push at Oaklawn. Joel Rosario is named on seven horses Friday, which will mark his first day as a regular in Hot Springs and first action since suffering a hairline fracture of a rib when he was unseated shortly after the finish of a Dec. 2 race at Aqueduct. Rosario ($32,944,478) was eyeing a single-season North American record for purse earnings before the injury. Now healthy, Rosario's return to the saddle will...

'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief), a dominant winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Nov. 6, continues to train forwardly toward his 4-year-old debut in the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 29 at Gulfstream Park. Life Is Good was among two dozen horses breezing for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher Saturday morning at Palm Beach Downs. He was clocked in 1:00.41 (5/11) for five furlongs. "He's a phenomenal workhorse. He's a very talented, gifted animal that when you watch him breeze you kind...

Repole Stable's Fearless (Ghostzapper) ran to the money as the 3-5 chalk in Saturday's GIII Harlan's Holiday S., the local prep for the upcoming $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Jan. 29. Drawn widest of all in post six, he tracked a pair of dueling leaders in a dream spot in third as they made their way up the backstretch. This term's GII WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile S. Feb. 27 winner revved up three wide rounding the far turn, kicked for home as the one to catch and...

A year after adding the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational to his Hall of Fame resume, trainer Todd Pletcher is targeting the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational for his next conquest during the upcoming Championship Meet at Gulfstream Park. The Pegasus World Cup and the Pegasus World Cup Turf will co-headline a program with seven graded stakes Jan. 29. Pletcher, the defending 18-time Championship Meet titlist, is preparing 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief) for a start in the Pegasus World Cup, as well as planning for...

Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go (Paynter), seeking to become the first repeat winner of Gulfstream Park's $3- million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, recorded his first workout since capturing the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic a month ago. The dark gray worked what was clocked as a three-eighths of a mile breeze in :36.20 (2/2) under exercise rider Edvin Vargas early Saturday morning at Churchill Downs. Trainer Brad Cox said he timed Knicks Go galloping out a half-mile in :48 1/5. "Well in hand, and I think he was out...

There is talk that Breeders' Cup winners Knicks Go (Paynter) and Life Is Good (Into Mischief) will meet in the Jan. 29 GI Pegasus S. at Gulfstream. I'll take Life Is Good. He was that good Saturday in the GI Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. Nothing against Knicks Go or any of the other winners over the weekend at Del Mar, but the best horse over the 14 races that make up the Breeders' Cup was Life Is Good. He put in a sensational performance in the Dirt...

Korea Racing Association's Knicks Go (Paynter), fresh off an emphatic victory in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar Saturday, could cap his career in the Jan. 29 GI Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park, trainer Brad Cox confirmed Sunday. "If he comes out of it good and he trains well, we'll point for the Pegasus," Cox said. "It's a good purse, it's a surface he likes and if he's doing well, there have been horses that won the Breeders' Cup and ended their careers with that, between...

Four-time Grade I winner and one of the favorites for 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go (Paynter--Kosmo's Buddy, by Outflanker) will retire to Taylor Made Stallions at the conclusion of his racing career, the farm announced Monday. Campaigned by Korea Racing Authority, Knicks Go is currently the top-ranked older horse on the NTRA Thoroughbred Poll as he prepares for his next start in the $6-million GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar Nov. 6. A stud fee will be announced after the Breeders' Cup. "The KRA's goal was to...

Knicks Go (Paynter), a razor-sharp winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Nov. 7 and GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. Jan. 23, got back on track in a big way with a front-running, tour-de-force victory in Friday evening's GIII Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H. Fourth in both the $20-million Saudi Cup Feb. 20 and GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. June 5, the 3-5 favorite cleared the field heading into the clubhouse turn in this return to his preferred two-turn trip. The 2018 GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity hero carved...

Grupo 7C Racing Stable's Jesus' Team (Tapiture), second in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. Jan. 23, breezed six furlongs in 1:14.45 at Palm Meadows Training Center Saturday morning, three weeks out from a scheduled to run in the $12-million G1 Dubai World Cup Mar. 27. "He went perfect, just like I wanted," trainer Jose D'Angelo said. "He was spectacular on the gallop-out, faster than he finished. I think we're going to have a great trip to Dubai with him. He'll have one more work, an easy seven furlongs...

There are few people in racing more qualified to speak on the health of the sport than Lane's End's Bill Farish. In addition to running the historic farm, Farish is on the board of the Breeders' Cup, chairman of the Horse PAC and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Keeneland Association, the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Foundation. Wednesday, Farish joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland, calling in as the Green Group Guest of the Week to explain why...