Accelerate Mid-Gate in Pegasus, Yoshida Favored From Gate 2 in Turf Counterpart

[Wandering Eyes]

Hronis Racing’s reigning GI Breeders’ Cup Classic hero and Horse of the Year candidate Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky) was assigned gate five in a field of 12 and was made the 9-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s $9-million GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park. Joel Rosario has the call for John Sadler, who was more than satisfied with the draw. He will try to become the third straight Classic winner swansong victoriously in the Pegasus.

“I’m relaxed, we’re settled in,” he told TVG. “I’m very happy to be in the middle, it’s where we wanted to be. We wanted to be outside of City Of Light (Quality Road), we’ll kind of just follow him, I like him being on the inside of us.”

City Of Light handed Accelerate his lone defeat of 2018 in a stirring renewal of the GII Oaklawn H., but cut back in distance for the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, in which he defeated fellow Pegasus entrant Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}) by a convincing 2 1/2 lengths. Javier Castellano has the call for trainer Mike McCarthy.

WinStar Farm, who will be represented in the Pegasus Dirt by last year’s course-and-distance GI Florida Derby winner Audible (Into Mischief), will send out Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}) in as the 5-2 favorite in the Turf. Winner of the GI Turf Classic on Derby Day last May, he defeated Gunnevera (Dialed In) in the GI Woodward S. and returns to the grass off a very respectable fourth to Accelerate in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He is one of two Japanese-breds in the race, as the filly Aerolithe (Jpn) (Kurofune), a Group 1 winner over a mile at home, adds a fair bit of intrigue to the race. Last year’s G2 Ribblesdale S. victress Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) invades for Team Ballydoyle off a solid fourth to Eclipse Award candidate Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) in the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf Nov. 3.

PEGASUS WORLD CUP INVITATIONAL S.-GI, $9,000,000, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m
1 Bravazo (Awesome Again), Lukas, Saez, 12-1

2 Something Awesome (Awesome Again), Corrales, Prado, 20-1

3 City of Light (Quality Road), McCarthy, Castellano, 5-2

4 Seeking the Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}), Stewart, Velazquez, 12-1

5 Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky), Sadler, Rosario, 9-5

6 Tom’s D’Etat (Smart Strike), Stall Jr., Bridgmohan, 20-1

7 True Timber (Mineshaft), McLaughlin, Bravo, 30-1

8 Gunnevera (Dialed In), Sano, Ortiz Jr., 8-1

9 Kukulcan (Mex) (Point Determined), Gutierrez, Dettori, 30-1

10 Audible (Into Mischief), Pletcher, Prat, 10-1

11 Imperative (Bernardini), Quartarolo, Gaffalione, 30-1

12 Patternrecognition (Adios Charlie), Brown, Ortiz, 10-1

PEGASUS WORLD CUP TURF-GI, $7,000,000, 3yo/up, 1 3/16mT

1 Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), O’Brien, Lordan, 9-2

2 Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}), Mott, Ortiz, 5-2

3 Channel Maker (English Channel), Mott, Castellano, 12-1

4 Aerolithe (Jpn) (Kurofune), Kikuzawa, Geroux, 8-1

5 Next Shares (Archarcharch), Baltas, Gaffalione, 15-1

6 Fahan Mura (English Channel), Cerin, Maldonado, 30-1

7 Bricks and Mortar (Giant’s Causeway), Brown, Ortiz Jr., 5-1

8 Delta Prince (Street Cry {Ire}), Jerkens, Dettori, 15-1

9 Catapult (Kitten’s Joy), Sadler, Van Dyke, 7-2

10 Dubby Dubbie (Ice Box), Hess Jr., Panici, 30-1

 

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