American superstar Gun Runner is set for a return to action later this month in the richest race anywhere on the planet, the Pegasus World Cup. The five-year-old established himself as the leading middle distance dirt horse in the United States when he landed the Breeders Cup Classic back in November and a victory at Gulfstream Park would help him to develop his legacy even further.

Steven Asmussen’s runner has now won his last four starts on the track in a run that started at Churchill Downs back in June in the Grade One Stephen Foster Handicap. Further top graded victories followed at Saratoga as his reputation increased with each outing.
Gun Runner’s biggest test of his career was at Del Mar in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, as he was facing the defending champion Arrogate, a horse who had beaten him on both of their previous clashes. On this occasion, his jockey Floren Giroux chose to take up the running, which proved to be a wise move as the pair made all in the most prestigious race at the Breeders’ Cup meeting.
This year is likely to be Gun Runner’s last on the track so connections will be keen to land the Pegasus World Cup, where they will repeat the feat managed by Arrogate 12 months ago in the inaugural running of the invitational contest in Florida.

If Gun Runner is successful at Gulfstream Park, his next assignment could be abroad in the Dubai World Cup. He finished second in the race in 2017 but he has much more experience than when he travelled to the UAE last March. A trip to Royal Ascot in June is also a possibility, where he could meet Australian superstar mare Winx.
Gun Runner is the bookmakers’ favourite at 4/6 in the betting for the 2018 Pegasus World Cup. If you are looking to have a bet on the contest, you can find racing tips from Timeform on the card and daily racing each day of the year. Asmussen’s runner is likely to be a popular tip with horse racing pundits as he has won his last four races by a combined distance of 25 lengths.

Collected Gets Second Shot At Classic Winner Gun Runner
Collected was the horse that got the closest to Gun Runner in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, as he came home in second place, just over two lengths behind the champion in California. Bob Baffert’s runner disputed the lead with the son of Candy Ride inside the final 400 metres; however, he just couldn’t overtake him.
Before his defeat at Del Mar, Collected won four consecutive races in 2017. Three of his wins came at Santa Anita, including in the Grade Two California Stakes, where he was very impressive when justifying odds-on favouritism.
Collected won the biggest prize of his career to date last August in the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar, which featured the former highest rated horse in the world, Arrogate. Martin Garcia opted to take the lead from the gates on Baffert’s runner and he asked his mount to kick clear 400 metres out. The four year kept on gamely and held on ahead of Arrogate by half a length.
Unfortunately, for connections, 2017 ended with defeat in the Grade Two San Antonio Stakes at Santa Anita as he could only come home third of five runners. Baffert will be hoping his horse shows the form he produced in the middle of last year when he returns in the Pegasus World Cup.

West Coast To Open Four Year Old Campaign At Gulfstream Park

West Coast was one of the most impressive three year olds last season as, not only did he capture two Grade One races, he finished in the placings in the Breeders’ Cup Classic to prove he is going to be able to mix it with the best dirt horses in the world in 2018.

Baffert’s colt will be one of the most inexperienced runners in the Pegasus World Cup as he has only raced seven times so far in his career. He made his debut at Keeneland last April, where he finished second of 10 runners. He did not have to wait long to break his maiden though as he did so a month later at Santa Anita.
West Coast’s first Grade One success came last August in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga, a race won by Arrogate in 2016. Although Baffert’s horse was not quite as dominant as when Arrogate was victorious 12 months earlier, he was three lengths clear of the rest of the pack when crossing the line, which included Good Samaritan and Irap.

A win in the Pegasus World Cup would see West Coast more than double his career prize money and also help to try to rise to the top of the ratings as the leading dirt horse in the United States.

Sharp Azteca Ready For Step Up In Trip Against World’s Best

Sharp Azteca was one of the leading milers in the USA in 2017, where he won on four occasions over the distance. The five year old went very close to winning the biggest race of the season in his division in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile as he finished second, just under a length behind Battle Of Midway.

Jorge Navarro’s runner ended 2017 in fantastic style as he claimed the Grade One Cigar Mile Handicap at Aqueduct. Under the hands of Javier Castellano, Sharp Azteca tracked the leaders and then disputed the lead inside the home straight at the New York track. The leading miler soon went clear and was able to put over five lengths between himself and the rest of the field, which was headed by Mind Your Biscuits.

The Pegasus World Cup will be the first time that Sharp Azteca will encounter 2400m. When he started his career back in December 2015, he did so as a sprinter over the distance of 1200m. The way he stayed on strongly in his recent success at Aqueduct suggests he may be as equally effective at the middle distance triple.

The $16 million Pegasus World Cup will take place on January 27 where the winner will be the second name added to the honours’ board for what is now the richest race in the sport