Richard Mandella to send out Champ Pegasus for the Del Mar Mile and Crown of Thorns for Pat O’Brien Stakes this weekend
Trainer Richard Mandella, 60, will be a busy man come this weekend as he has plenty of races on his plate, and to begin with it is the all important $1million Pacific Classic on 28 August where Setsuko will represent his trainer.
Mandella has got two other runners lined up for two different races. The trainer is bringing back Champ Pegasus, his turf specialist to run in the Grade 2 $200,000 Del Mar Mile on 27 August, 2011.
Another important stakes race is the Grade 1 $250,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes, run over a distance of 7 furlongs on 28 August, 2011.
The son of Fusaichi Pegasus, out of Salt Champ by Salt Lake, Champ Pegasus will run a race after March this year, after running at Meydan in the Grade 1 Dubai Sheema Classic on 26 March, 2011.
Under jockey Joel Rosario, Champ Pegasus took on a distance of 1 ½ miles on turf, but fail Mandella miserably when they couldn’t compete against international runners and fell back to finish 12th in the race.
Prior to running at Meydan, Champ Pegasus had a stellar record for the year 2011, with a win and a second place finish in two starts.
His first win in the 2011 season came in the Grade 2 San Luis Obispo at Santa Anita on 19 February 2011.
The 5-year-old horse, competed on a distance of 1 ½ miles on turf under jockey under jockey Joel Rosario and won the race in 2 minutes and 31.55 seconds.
Grade 2 $200,000 Del Mar Mile is expected to have a small field and it is also a part of the Breeders’ Cup Turf “Win and You’re In” series.
On the other hand Crown of Thorns will be facing an accomplished line up of sprinters with the likes of Don Tito, Victory Camp and Smiling Tiger as well as The Factor.
The six-year-old Crown of Thorns has no run since running in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs, where he finished seventh on 18 June, 2011, under jockey Tyler Baze.
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