Knicks Go, Colonel Liam lead 2021 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Series odds

By Mia ZanzucchiJan 23, 2021, 2:15 PM EST

Last year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Knicks Go is the early favorite at 5-2 for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, Jan. 23 (NBC, 4:30-6 p.m. ET). He is trained by Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer finalist Brad Cox and will be ridden by Joel Rosario, a finalist for the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey.

The 2019 Travers Stakes winner Code of Honor, who was most recently second in the Clark Stakes (G1), is on Knicks Go’s heels at 9-2. Danny Gargan’s Tax comes in at 5-1 after finishing 9th in the 2020 Pegasus World Cup. Trainer Dale Romans fields two horses in the dirt race: the 15-1 Coastal Defense and 30-1 longshot Mr Freeze, who finished second in last year’s edition.

Todd Pletcher’s Colonel Liam (7-2) leads the turf field. This will be his first graded stakes race after making his first start less than a year ago. Irad Ortiz Jr., another Eclipse finalist, has the ride.

Neither of last year’s winners (Mucho Gusto on the dirt and Zulu Alpha on the turf) will make a run at a title defense, with Mucho Gusto retired and Zulu Alpha out with an ongoing ankle injury.

The Pegasus World Cup runs 1 1/8 miles on the dirt, and the Pegasus World Cup Turf runs 1 3/16 miles on the turf.

Since 2020, the two races run entirely medication free, including Lasix, a commonly used anti-bleeding medication. This year, the winner of the Pegasus World Cup will receive automatic entry into the $20 million Saudi Cup. Both races are for horses aged 4 years and older and are invitation-only.

$3 million Pegasus World Cup post positions and odds:

Sleepy Eyes Todd (8-1),
Trainer: Miguel Angel Silva
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Coastal Defense (15-1)
Trainer: Dale Romans
Jockey: Corey Lanerie
Independence Hall (20-1)
Trainer: Mike McCarthy
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Knicks Go (5-2)
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Jesus’ Team (8-1)
Trainer: Jose Francisco D’Angelo
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Kiss Today Goodbye (10-1)
Trainer: Eric Kruljac
Jockey: Mike Smith
Tax (5-1)
Trainer: Danny Gargan
Jockey: Luis Saez
Harpers First Ride (10-1)
Trainer: Claudio Gonzalez
Jockey: Angel Cruz
Last Judgment (20-1)
Trainer: Mike Maker
Jockey: Paco Lopez
Code of Honor (9-2)
Trainer: Shug McGaughey
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
Mr Freeze (30-1)
Trainer: Dale Romans
Jockey: John Velazquez
Math Wizard (20-1)
Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.
Jockey: Edgard Zayas

$1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf post positions and odds:

Next Shares (20-1)
Trainer: Richard Baltas
Jockey: Drayden Van Dyke
Breaking the Rules (10-1)
Trainer: Shug McGaughey
Jockey: John Velazquez
Storm the Court (12-1)
Trainer: Peter Eurton
Jockey: Julien Leparoux
North Dakota (10-1)
Trainer: Shug McGaughey
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Colonel Liam (7-2)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Largent (9-2)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Paco Lopez
Aquaphobia (20-1)
Trainer: Mike Maker
Jockey: Joe Bravo
Anothertwistafate (5-1)
Trainer: Peter Miller
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Cross Border (15-1)
Trainer: Mike Maker
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
Pixelate (15-1)
Trainer: Michael Stidham
Jockey: Edgard Zayas
Say the Word (6-1)
Trainer: Philip D’Amato
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Social Paranoia (8-1)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Luis Saez

Watch the 2021 Pegasus World Cup on Saturday, Jan. 23 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. ET on NBC, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

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.