Knicks Go was installed Wednesday as the 5-2 morning-line favourite for the US$3-million Pegasus World Cup Invitational, which will be the 5-year-old’s first outing since winning the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in November.
Knicks Go, a winner of three consecutive starts, will break from the number four 4 post in tomorrow’s race at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida. With a victory, he’d more than double his lifetime earnings to date of US$1,348,995 — there’s about $1.6 million awaiting the connections of the Pegasus winner.
“We’re going to do the best we can with him,” trainer Brad Cox said. “And we’re optimistic that he’s going to show up and run a big race.”
Code of Honor, trained by Shug McGaughey, is the 9-2 second choice and will start from the number 10 post in the 12-horse field.
Tax, who stumbled at the start of last year’s Pegasus and finished only ninth, is back this year and is the 5-1 third choice out of the number 7 post.
“He’s such a big horse,” trainer Danny Gargan said. “When he’s in the gate, he takes the whole gate up...But he’s gotten used to it more.”
The field, from the rail out: Sleepy Eyes Todd (8-1), Coastal Defense (15-1), Independence Hall (20-1), Knicks Go, Jesus’ Team (8-1), Kiss Today Goodbye (10-1), Tax, Harpers First Ride (10-1), Last Judgment (20-1), Code of Honor, Mr Freeze (15-1) and Math Wizard (20-1).
The Pegasus is run on the dirt at 1 1/8 miles.
Also drawn Wednesday was the field for the US$1-million Pegasus World Cup Turf, with Colonel Liam starting from the number 5 post and installed as the 7-2 favorite.
The full field there, from the rail out with morning-line odds: Next Shares (20-1), Breaking the Rules (10-1), Storm the Court (12-1), North Dakota (10-1), Colonel Liam (30-1, Largent (9-2), Storm the Court (12-1), Aquaphobia (20-1), Anothertwistafate (5-1), Cross Border (15-1), Pixelate (15-1), Say the Word (6-1) and Social Paranoia (8-1).
