Big-money Pegasus World Cup adds turf race for 2019 return

Associated PressSep 18, 2018, 2:51 PM EDT

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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. (AP) The Pegasus World Cup is back, and now has a second race.

The Stronach Group announced Tuesday the 2019 Pegasus will be a two-race event, one a $9 million race on the dirt and now a $7 million turf race will be part of the Jan. 26 card at Gulfstream Park as well.

The first two Pegasus World Cups only offered one dirt race.

Those also required a $1 million entry fee. The 2019 event will carry a $500,000 entry fee, with the total purse for the two races matching the $16 million that the lone race had last year.

“The appetite for a turf race is strong and the decision to include a premier turf race is part of the ongoing evolution of the Pegasus World Cup,” said Belinda Stronach, the chairman and president of The Stronach Group. “We are excited to expand this event for both horse owners and fans, adding to what is already an incredible day of entertainment and world-class racing.”

If the same ownership group wins both races, The Stronach Group will pay a $1 million bonus. The winner of the Pegasus World Cup Invitational, which will be on dirt at 1 1/8 miles, gets $4 million. The winner of the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, to be run at 1 3/16 miles, gets $3 million.

Adding a turf race was something The Stronach Group has considered for some time, and many of the sport’s top owners had lobbied for there to be a grass option – the belief there being the additional spectacle would only help racing grow.

“There is no better way to do that than to provide a new platform to showcase the world’s best thoroughbreds,” Coolmore Stud founder John Magnier said.

Arrogate won the inaugural Pegasus race in 2017, and Gun Runner prevailed this past January.

Their purses for those wins – $7 million apiece – are a big reason why they are the two top horses in terms of earnings in North American racing history. Arrogate sits atop that list at $17.4 million, Gun Runner is second at just under $16 million.

Forte works out, waits for Belmont Stakes clearance

Associated PressMay 27, 2023, 3:14 PM EDT

Matt Stone/USA TODAY NETWORK

NEW YORK — Forte, the early Kentucky Derby favorite who was scratched on the day of the race, worked out in preparation for a possible start in the Belmont Stakes on June 10.

Under regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr., Forte worked five-eighths of a mile for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. It was the colt’s second workout since being scratched from the Derby on May 6.

“It seems like he’s maintained his fitness level,” Pletcher said. “It seems like everything is in good order.”

Forte was placed on a mandatory 14-day veterinary list after being scratched from the Derby because of a bruised right front foot. In order to be removed from the list, the colt had to work in front of a state veterinarian and give a blood sample afterward, the results of which take five days.

“There’s protocols in place and we had to adhere to those and we’re happy that everything went smoothly,” Pletcher said. “We felt confident the horse was in good order or we wouldn’t have been out there twice in the last six days, but you still want to make sure everything went smoothly and we’re happy everything did go well.”

Pletcher said Kingsbarns, who finished 14th in the Kentucky Derby, will miss the Belmont. The colt is showing signs of colic, although he is fine, the trainer said.

Another Pletcher-trained horse, Prove Worthy, is under consideration for the Belmont. He also has Tapit Trice, who finished seventh in the Derby, being pointed toward the Belmont.

Judge grants Churchill Downs’ request for summary judgment to dismiss Bob Baffert’s lawsuit

Associated PressMay 25, 2023, 9:36 PM EDT

Abbey Cutrer/USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A federal judge has granted Churchill Downs’ motion for summary judgment that dismisses Bob Baffert’s claim the track breached due process by suspending the Hall of Fame trainer for two years.

Churchill Downs Inc. suspended Baffert in June 2021 after his now-deceased colt, Medina Spirit, failed a postrace drug test after crossing the finish line first in the 147th Kentucky Derby. The trainer’s request to lift the discipline was denied in February, keeping him out of the Derby for a second consecutive May.

U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings ruled in a 12-page opinion issued Wednesday that Churchill Downs’ suspension of Baffert did not devalue his Kentucky trainer’s license. It cited his purse winnings exceeding $1 million at Keeneland in Lexington and stated that his argument “amounts to a false analogy that distorts caselaw.”

Jennings denied CDI’s motion to stay discovery as moot.

The decision comes less than a week after Baffert-trained colt National Treasure won the Preakness in his first Triple Crown race in two years. His record eighth win in the second jewel of the Triple Crown came hours after another of his horses, Havnameltdown, was euthanized following an injury at Pimlico.

Churchill Downs said in a statement that it was pleased with the court’s favorable ruling as in Baffert’s other cases.

It added, “While he may choose to file baseless appeals, this completes the seemingly endless, arduous and unnecessary litigation proceedings instigated by Mr. Baffert.”

Baffert’s suspension is scheduled to end on June 2, but the track’s release noted its right to extend it “and will communicate our decision” at its conclusion.