Tom Pedulla offers takeaways from Pegasus World Cup day at Gulfstream Park and the $1 million Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, both on Jan. 25. The Southwest awarded the top five finishers Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis.

BEST YET: Few people know White Abarrio as well as Irad Ortiz Jr. He has been aboard for the 6-year-old son of Race Day’s last seven starts. He was in the irons when White Abarrio dominated the 2023 Whitney Stakes and followed that with a one-length score in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic. He also was helpless when his mount weakened badly to be 10th in the $20 million Saudi Cup last February. So where does his 6 ¼-length score – a record winning margin for the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes – rank among his performances? “I think [Saturday] was the best race ever. ... To see him back, I’m happy for him. He’s a fighter,” said Ortiz Jr.

OVER AT START: The beginning of the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus was always going to be critical for favored Locked after he drew post 11 in a full field of 12. That meant the break from the starting gate was critical if jockey John Velazquez was to hustle him into the top flight of horses. When the 4-year-old son of Gun Runner had his head turned while the gate snapped open, Velazquez’s heart sank. “If you don’t break on this track,” Velazquez said, “you have no chance.” Locked did well to come on to snag second place in a race that suggested he will benefit from greater distances.

Gaffalione won Pegasus World Cup Turf on Spirit of St Louis. (Eclipse Sportswire)

SWEET RIDE: Trainer Chad Brown did not hesitate to replace Tyler Gaffalione with Flavien Prat after Sierra Leone missed by a nose to Mystik Dan in last year’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. But that did not mean the end of his working relationship with one of the nation’s top young riders as he continued to give him opportunities. Gaffalione rewarded him when he guided Spirit of St Louis to a 1 ¼-length victory in the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes presented by Qatar Racing. “Tyler’s just been in the right spot at every pole in every race, at least for my horses,” Brown said. “Just phenomenal riding. He’s in career form.”

BENEFICIAL CHANGE: There is no better way for a trainer to thank an owner for an opportunity than by winning a major stakes race for him or her. Saffie Joseph Jr. did exactly that when Be Your Best, sent to him by owner Mike Ryan last summer, captured the $500,000 TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes presented by SirDavis American Whisky. The 5-year-old mare has responded to Joseph’s training regimen as Ryan hoped she would. She owns a three-race winning streak. “I thank Mike Ryan for giving her to us,” Joseph said. “He’s been a big supporter of me from very, very early.”

Sandman rallied for second in Southwest, above. (Coady Media)

ON THE RISE: If the Southwest Stakes is any indication, runner-up Sandman is one to watch as the Derby prep races increase in significance. He broke in a tangle, costing him several lengths. He then lost precious ground when he went four wide around the first turn and five wide entering the far turn. Still, the Tapit colt launched a determined late run that left him only one left short of gate-to-wire winner Speed King in the 1 1/16-mile contest, a scenario that bodes well for longer distances to come. Sandman, trained by Mark Casse, was purchased for $1.2 million as a 2-year-old in training by West Point Thoroughbreds, D.J. Stable, and CJ Stables. Griffin Johnson, an influencer with more than 14 million followers, is a minority shareholder in racehorse Sandman via West Point Thoroughbreds and America’s Best Racing’s “A Stake in Stardom” influencer ownership initiative.