Connections Weigh Options for G2-Placed Anna’s Promise
Sovereignty in Jim Dandy (G2) Saturday, Next Mandatory Rainbow 6 Payout Aug. 3
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – A pair of upcoming Group 1 turf stakes at Goodwood Racecourse in England will earn the winners an automatic berth on the 2026 Pegasus World Cup Day program January 24 at Gulfstream Park.
The one-mile Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes for 3-year-olds and up July 30 will serve as a qualifier for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1), while the 1 ¼-mile Visit Qatar Nassau Stakes for fillies and mares 3 and older is a qualifier for the $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G2).
Held in late January on a card headlined by the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) for older horses on dirt, the Pegasus Turf is contested at 1 1/8 miles and the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf run at 1 1/16 miles.
Among 26 entries for the Sussex is millionaire Carl Spackler, a winner of eight of 12 races in the U.S. including three Grade 1 stakes before being sold privately to China’s Yulong Investments to race overseas. Carl Spackler made his first two career starts at Gulfstream, the second a maiden triumph in February 2023. He was sixth in the June 17 Queen Anne Stakes (G1) in his European debut.
The Nassau drew 22 horses including Crimson Advocate, who parlayed a win in Gulfstream’s 2023 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies to a next-out triumph in the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot. She has remained in Europe since returning to Royal Ascot last summer, winning the Conqueror Stakes May 3 at Goodwood and most recently finishing third in the Falmouth Stakes (G1) July 11 at Newmarket.
European-based horses have made their mark in the Pegasus Turf since its debut in 2019. Magic Wand ran second in both 2019 and 2020 before Warm Heart captured the 2024 edition in a track-record time of 1:44.45 in the finale of her esteemed career. Both Irish-bred mares were facing males for trainer by Aidan O’Brien.
Connections Weigh Options for G2-Placed Anna’s Promise
Bell Racing’s Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) runner-up Anna’s Promise, scratched as the program favorite from the July 12 Azalea, is being brought along slowly as trainer Carlos David seeks the next spot for his star 3-year-old filly.
Claimed out of a Feb. 5 maiden win at Gulfstream, Anna’s Promise has worked twice since her most recent start, when she was third of four horses behind Grade 1-placed Take Charge Milady and 2024 champion 2-year-old filly champion Immersive in the 1 1/16-mile Monomoy Girl June 14 at Churchill Downs.
Most recently, Anna’s Promise went a half mile in 49.10 seconds July 6 on the main track at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County. David opted to give her some more time before breezing her back this weekend.
“She worked the week before [the Azalea] and I didn’t like the way she came out of it,” he said. “She left some feed and she wasn’t 100 percent, so we took a step back. It was the right thing to do. She’s doing good now.”
Bell Racing’s William Belford spent $50,000 to claim Anna’s Promise after she finished second twice in five prior starts. She stretched out to two turns to win a March 6 optional claiming allowance next time out and earn her a shot in the Gulfstream Park Oaks, where she ran behind front-running Five G.
From there Anna’s Promise took on the country’s best in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), running fifth at odds of 29-1 as millionaire Good Cheer extended her unbeaten streak to seven races. Among the horses finishing behind Anna’s Promise were multiple graded-stakes winners La Cara and Quietside; Grade 1-placed subsequent Iowa Oaks winner Quickick; Virginia and next-out Delaware Oaks (G3) winner Fondly; Gazelle (G3) winner Ballerina d’Oro; Take Charge Milady and Fantasy (G2) runner-up Simply Joking.
“She ran a respectable race,” David said. “It was definitely a great experience. I was there with my family and we had a great time. The owners were happy to be there, so it was all good.”
Anna’s Promise stayed in Kentucky for the Monomoy Girl, finding herself on the lead through six furlongs in 1:12.10 until being overtaken by the top two entering the stretch and tiring through the lane under jockey Luis Saez, who had been up for both her allowance win and the Gulfstream Park Oaks.
“The last race it was a four-horse field and I felt like Luis just kind of forgot there was only four horses and when they loaded the fourth horse, he was still getting ready when they opened the doors,” David said. “She missed the break a little bit and kind of rushed up and ended up getting tired at the end. She’s good. She’ll be back.”
David has nothing picked out yet for Anna’s Promise but is keeping an eye on the calendar. David entered her in a Thursday allowance at Parx that serves as a prep for the one-mile, 70-yard Cathryn Sophia there Aug. 19, but said he was unlikely to run.
A strong possibility is the seven-furlong Audubon Oaks Aug. 10 at Ellis Park, David said. Among other upcoming spots are the Test (G1) Aug. 2 at Saratoga and Charles Town Oaks (G2) Aug. 22, both also at seven furlongs, and six-furlong Prioress (G2) Aug. 30 at Saratoga.
“We’ve been trying to look at our options. It’s kind of limited with 3-year-old fillies right now here,” David said. “We were thinking about running her [in the Azalea] and then going back up north, but that didn’t work out so now we have to go back to the drawing board.
“There’s the Test in Saratoga but that’s a Grade 1 and it might be a little too tough for her,” he added. “I like her going seven-eighths, but there’s other options. Some of these tracks have those Oaks races around so we might go in one of those again.”
Sovereignty in Jim Dandy (G2) Saturday, Next Mandatory Rainbow 6 Payout Aug. 3
Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner, Sovereignty, winner of the Fountain of Youth (G2) and second in the Florida Derby (G1) this winter, faces four others Saturday in Saratoga’s Jim Dandy (G2). Fans can watch and wager on all of Saratoga’s races at Gulfstream throughout the summer…The next mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 will be Sunday, Aug. 3…Gulfstream’s weekend begins with Edgard Zayas leading all jockeys with 80 wins. Emisael Jaramillo is 20 wins behind…Saffie Joseph Jr. leads all trainers with 43 wins. Jose D’Angelo is second with 36 and Carlos David is third with 34…Ken Ramsey is currently the leading owners with 11 victories, followed by Amaty Racing with 10 and Arindel with nine. Arindel is leading all owners in money won…
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