The $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) is Saturday (Jan. 27) at Gulfstream Park. The 1 1/8-mile race is for 4-year-olds and up. usracing.com will publish profiles of all the contenders.
IL MIRACOLO
His outstanding young sire, Gun Runner, was the 2017 Horse of the Year and the 2018 Pegasus winner. His damsire, Tapit, is a world-class stud. Despite $518,000 in earnings, with that pedigree, Il Miracolo has been a serious underachiever.
He needed four starts to break his maiden and is 1-for-9 in graded stakes, winning only the Smarty Jones Stakes at Parx. Trainer Antonio Sano admitted he went there because the field wasn’t as tough as what he would have faced in the Travers.
After the Smarty Jones, Il Miracolo was aimed for the Pennsylvania Derby. Sano was upbeat, saying, “He is a confident horse. He’s getting better and better.” Il Miracolo was a distant third, 6½ lengths behind, making $81,000 for his owner but nothing for his bettors.
Il Miracolo flopped in the Remsen (sixth) as a 2-year-old and in the Holy Bull (fifth), Fountain of Youth (sixth), Florida Derby (sixth) and Belmont Stakes (seventh) last year. He was a non-threatening third (beaten 5½ lengths) last time out in the Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs.
There’s no superstar in this edition of the Pegasus, but Il Miracolo still looks like a longshot with little chance.
2024 Pegasus World Cup Contender: Il Miracolo
Betting advice: Il Miracolo means “the miracle” in Italian, which is what it would feel like if he won the Pegasus. Throw him out.
Post position: 1o
Odds: 20/1
Jockey: Javier Castellano
Trainer: Antonio Sano
Owner: Alexandres, LLC
Age: 4
Career record: 16-3-5-2
Career earnings: $518,375
Most recent race: Clark Stakes (G2), third
Top Equibase speed figure: 104
Pedigree: Gun Runner-Tapit’s World, by Tapit
Color: Chestnut
Running style: Frontrunner/stalker
Notes: Sano, 60, the winningest trainer in Venezuelan history, emigrated after being kidnapped in 2009. He was held for 36 days before paying a ransom of $70,000 … Earned his first U.S. win at Gulfstream Park in April 2010. He’s also the all-time leading Venezuelan trainer in the U.S. … Best horse was Gunnevera, the 2017 Fountain of Youth winner who earned more than $5.5 million.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
