Before a trio of Pegasus World Cup Invitational-named races grab attention Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park, four other graded stakes precede them during the afternoon at the South Florida racetrack.
The graded action begins in the sixth race with the $150,000 La Prevoyante Stakes (G3T) before continuing a couple of races later with the $200,000 Inside Information Stakes (G2). Those two races are for fillies and mares, with the La Prevoyante at 1 1/2 miles on turf and the Inside Information at seven furlongs on the main track.
Older males then race in the $200,000 William L. McKnight Stakes (G3T), a 1 1/2-mile test on grass, and in the one-mile, $150,000 Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3) —the ninth and 10th races on the card, respectively.
Favorites in those races include Godolphin's Adventuring (La Prevoyante), Juddmonte's grade 1-winning Obligatory (Inside Information), Channel Maker (William L. McKnight), and Peter Brant and Bob LaPenta's Miles D (Fred W. Hooper).
Miles D, named for the jazz legend Mile Davis, makes his first start in 11 months. His campaign was cut short last year, with his lone start being a third-place finish behind eventual grade 1 winner Olympiad in the Feb. 19 Mineshaft Stakes (G3) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Earlier in his career, the Chad Brown emerged as a stakes horse in the summer of 2021 at Saratoga Race Course with a second in the ungraded Curlin Stakes, named for his sire, and later by finishing third in the Travers Stakes (G1). He followed that Saratoga success with an allowance win at Belmont Park and a victory in the Discovery Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack. The rail-drawn colt has been recording weekly breezes at Payson Park leading up to this return. Joel Rosario rides.
One of his leading rivals is Stonehedge's Dean Delivers, a homebred 4-year-old Cajun Breeze gelding coming off five consecutive top-two finishes. Dean Delivers drew post 11 in the 12-horse lineup and is a 10-1 chance on the morning line in pursuit of his first graded stakes victory.
"It looks like a pretty competitive field," trainer Michael Yates said, "but he's training well, and I think he will run very well."
His last race was a runner-up finish at seven furlongs in the Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) last month.
"He ran second going a mile already and he came out of his last race and has been training very forward," Yates said. "So we decided to run him while he was doing well."
Gulfstream's leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. will saddle four in the Hooper: Mish, Picking Up Pennies, The Reds, and Twelve Volt Man.
At 6-1 odds on the morning line, C2 Racing Stable's Mish is the shortest price on the morning line of those stablemates. The grade 3-placed runner set the pace and settled for third when returning from a layoff in an allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream in December.
Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 28, 2023, Race 6Entries: La Prevoyante S. presented by Don Julio (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Lisheen (MD) Jorge Ruiz 118 H. Graham Motion 8/1 2 2Personal Best (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Claude R. McGaughey III 7/2 3 3Bow Draw (KY) Jose E. Morelos 118 James I. Mardis 30/1 4 4Beside Herself (KY) Luis Saez 118 Todd A. Pletcher 5/1 5 5Adventuring (KY) Joel Rosario 123 Brad H. Cox 7/5 6 6Transient (GB) Tyler Gaffalione 118 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 4/1 7 7Soul of an Angel (KY) Shaun Bridgmohan 118 Gerald James 30/1 8 8My Candy Girl (MD) Paco Lopez 118 Jeff A. Hiles 12/1
Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 28, 2023, Race 8Entries: Inside Information S. presented by Brightline (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Famed (KY) Florent Geroux 120 Brad H. Cox 5/1 2 2Miss Speedy (ON) Luis Saez 118 Mark E. Casse 20/1 3 3Colorful Mischief (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Todd A. Pletcher 6/1 4 4Obligatory (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 120 William I. Mott 7/5 5 5Fire On Time (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 118 Dale L. Romans 20/1 6 6Jag Warrior (KY) Junior Alvarado 118 Dale L. Romans 20/1 7 7Maryquitecontrary (FL) Luca Panici 120 Joseph C. Catanese, III 5/1 8 8Diamond Wow (KY) Mike E. Smith 118 Patrick L. Biancone 15/1 9 9Last Leaf (KY) Miguel Angel Vasquez 120 Ronald B. Spatz 12/1 10 10R Adios Jersey (FL) Paco Lopez 120 Gerald S. Bennett 8/1
Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 28, 2023, Race 9Entries: William L. McKnight S. presented by Davidoff Cigars (G3T)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Time for Trouble (KY) Emisael Jaramillo 119 Jeff A. Hiles 20/1 2 2Shawdyshawdyshawdy (KY) Paco Lopez 119 Jorge R. Abreu 15/1 3 3Pao Alto (FR) Lanfranco Dettori 121 H. Graham Motion 8/1 4 4Abaan (KY) Luis Saez 121 Todd A. Pletcher 5/1 5 5Agitare (IRE) Julien R. Leparoux 121 Keri Brion 20/1 6 6Temple (KY) Florent Geroux 121 Michael J. Maker 9/2 7 7Channel Maker (ON) Tyler Gaffalione 121 William I. Mott 3/1 8 8Harlan Estate (ON) Joel Rosario 121 D. Whitworth Beckman 20/1 9 9Value Engineering (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 121 Michael J. Maker 8/1 10 10Reigning Spirit (KY) Javier Castellano 119 Brian A. Lynch 20/1 11 11Red Knight (NY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 124 Michael J. Maker 9/2 12 12Wicked Fast (KY) Miguel Angel Vasquez 119 Michael J. Maker 20/1 13 13Barberini (KY) Jorge Ruiz 119 Arnaud Delacour 15/1
Gulfstream Park, Saturday, January 28, 2023, Race 10Entries: Fred W. Hooper S. presented by Whispering Angel (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Miles D (KY) Joel Rosario 118 Chad C. Brown 3/1 2 2Noble Drama (FL) Emisael Jaramillo 120 David Fawkes 20/1 3 3Mish (FL) Edgard J. Zayas 118 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 6/1 4 4Octane (FL) Mike E. Smith 120 Carlos A. David 20/1 98 5Hoist the Gold (KY) SCRATCHED 0 UNKNOWN - 6 6Black Belt (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Peter R. Walder 6/1 7 7Picking Up Pennies (FL) Jose L. Ortiz 118 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 8/1 8 8Doc Amster (KY) Javier Castellano 118 Jena M. Antonucci 20/1 9 9Endorsed (KY) Luis Saez 120 Michael J. Maker 5/1 10 10The Reds (KY) Junior Alvarado 118 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 12/1 11 11Dean Delivers (FL) Miguel Angel Vasquez 118 Michael Yates 10/1 12 12Prevalence (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 122 Brendan P. Walsh 15/1 13 13Twelve Volt Man (KY) Lanfranco Dettori 118 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 8/1
