HALLANDALE BEACH - Graded stakes-winners from the barns of trainers by Mark Casse, Graham Motion, Roger Attfield, Miguel Clement, Chad Brown, and Kevin Attard are part of a group of 19 fillies and mares invited to participate in the fifth running of the $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G2) Jan. 24 at Gulfstream Park.

    The $500,000 event, at 1 1/16-mile on the turf, is part of the 10th anniversary of Pegasus World Cup Day that will offer 10 stakes worth $5.55 million in purses. The 1 1/8-mile Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), the richest dirt race in the U.S. for older horses outside of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), and the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1), a 1 1/8-mile stakes for 4-year-olds on the turf, are among seven graded stakes on the program.

          The four previous winners of the Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf continued to excel, with three of the four winning Grade 1 races. Inaugural winner Regal Glory won the Jenny Wiley (G1) and Matriarch (G1), 2023 winner Queen Goddess was Grade 1 stakes placed, 2024 winner Didia won the New York Stakes (G1), while last year’s winner Be Your Best won the Gamely (G1).

          And One More Time is one of three Casse-trained invitees. The daughter of Omaha Beach won last year’s Natalma (G1) at Woodbine before returning from a year off and winning an allowance optional claimer at Woodbine in September and finishing second at Gulfstream Dec. 13 in the Tropical Park Oaks.

          Also invited from the Casse barn is Candy Quest and Classic Q.

          Classic Q was third in the Mrs. Revere (G2) at Churchill Downs in November and second in the Lake George (G3) at Saratoga and Valley View (G2) at Keeneland earlier in the year. Candy Quest won the Colleen (G3) at Woodbine in July and was second in the Dueling Grounds Oaks (G2) at Kentucky Downs in September and fifth in the Queen Elizabeth II (G1) in October at Keeneland.

          Breath Away earned her way into the Pegasus Filly & Mare by winning the ‘Win & In’ Dance Smartly (G2) at Woodbine Oct. 4. The mare has since finished second in the Goldikova (G3) and fourth in the Matriarch (G1), both contested at Del Mar.  Clement trains for Qatar Racing.

          Ready for Shirl, third in the Dance Smartly, has also earned an invitation. The Attfield-trained mare won the Canadian (G2) in July before finishing third in the E.P. Taylor (G1), both at Woodbine.

          Caitlinhergrtness, trained by Attard, had a successful campaign in 2025 winning the Ontario Matron (G2) and My Charmer at Turfway Park. The daughter of Omaha Beach was fifth in the E.P. Taylor (G1) and second in the Dance Smartly (G2) and Bessarabian (G3).

          Destino d’Oro, who defeated And One More Time in the Tropical Park Oaks, has been invited. Trained by Brad Cox, Destino d’Oro won the Pucker Up (G3) at Ellis Park over the summer.

          Crevalle d’Oro enters the race off a victory in the Suwannee River here Dec. 20. The Jose D’Angelo trained daughter of Constitution was fourth in the Goldikova in November.

          Gulfstream’s leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. could saddle two in Movin’ On Up and In Our Time. Movin’ On Up finished second Dec. 20 in the Suwannee River while finishing third earlier in the year in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2) and Mint Julep (G3), both at Churchill Downs. In Our Time, a daughter of Not This Time who comes off a pair of second place finishes in the Franklin (G2) at Keeneland and Matriarch. She finished third in last year’s Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf.

          Trainer Chad Brown, who won the inaugural Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf with Regal Glory, has two invitees in Whiskey Decision and Oversubscribed. Whiskey Decision won the Eatontown Stakes (G3) at Monmouth in June and most recently the Athenia at Aqueduct. Oversubscribed was second in November in the Pebbles (G3) at Aqueduct and second over the summer in the Lake George at Saratoga.

          Heredia, a daughter of Dark Angel trained by Graham Motion, won the Yellow Ribbon (G2) at Del Mar over the summer before finishing sixth in the First Lady (G1) at Keeneland and fifth in the Matriarch at Del Mar. Motion’s Warming, winner of the Autumn Miss (G3), also earned an invitation.

          Medoro, trained by Peter Eurton, would arrive from California where she finished second in the John Mabee (G2), third in the Goldikova and sixth in the Matriarch.

          Awesome Czech comes from the barn of trainer Horacio De Paz. Awesome Czech won the Yaddo at Saratoga and Ticonderoga at Aqueduct.

Other fillies and mares invited include Ramsey Pond, third in the Tropical Park Oaks, Cardinal winner Proctor Street, and Noble Damsel winner Aussie Girl.

    Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman’s Usha (Tiz the Law- Animal Appeal, by Leroidesanimaux) uncorked a powerful performance under jockey Juan Hernandez to prevail in her Gr. 1 debut in the $300,000 La Brea Stakes on opening day at Santa Anita Park, leading the slate of stakes-winning OBS graduates for the week.

    Usha raced in mid-pack down the backstretch, split horses near the quarter pole and then drew off in the stretch to romp by 5 ¼ lengths for trainer Bob Baffert, becoming the first Gr. 1 winner for her sire, Tiz the Law.

    “Usha showed up today,” Baffert said. “She came back here and that worked well. We expected this when I shipped her to Kentucky, and didn't win a race, but today she showed up.”

    Usha was purchased by her owners for $600,000 at the 2024 OBS April Sale from the On Point Training & Sales consignment after breezing in :9 4/5.

    The opening day card at Santa Anita also saw Nysos (Nyquist – Zetta Z, by Bernardini) edge stablemate and fellow Gr. 1 winner Nevada Beach by a head in the Gr. II, $200,000 Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes going 1 1/16 miles on dirt. Both are trained by Baffert.

    The victory added to a banner year for Nysos, who prevailed in last month’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar and now has won seven of eight career starts with $1,238,500 in earnings. He was purchased for $550,000 out of the Best A Luck Farm consignment by Donato Lanni, agent for owner Baoma Corp, at the 2023 OBS April Sale after breezing in :9 4/5. Also listed on the owner’s line for Nysos as lessee’s are Susan Magnier, Derrick Smith, and Michael B. Tabor.

    Also on the Santa Anita card, Kretz Racing’s veteran gelding Cabo Spirit (Pioneerof the Nile-Fancy Day (IRE), by Shamardal) earned the sixth stakes win of his career when rolling to a front-running victory in the Gr. III, $100,000 San Gabriel Stakes.

    Trained by George Papaprodromou, Cabo Spirit has earned five wins at the graded level and improved his career bankroll to $1,356,836. Cabo Spirit was consigned to the 2021 OBS April Sale by Eddie Woods, Agent, and purchased for $575,000 by Gayle Van Leer, Agent, after breezing in :20 4/5.

    At Aqueduct, Tristar Farm’s Doc Sullivan (Solomini-Queen Frostine, by Giant’s Causeway) earned a determined win over fellow OBS grad Quick to Accuse in the $125,000 Alex M. Robb Stakes for New York-breds.

    Trained by John Ortiz, the 4-year-old son of Solomini won the rubber match with multiple stakes-winner and fellow OBS grad Bank Frenzy, who finished third. Doc Sullivan has now won 3-of-5 matchups between him and Bank Frenzy, including last out in the seven-furlong NYSSS Thunder Rumble.

    Doc Sullivan was a $59,000 purchase by Glen Lostritto from the consignment of Omar Ramirez Bloodstock at the 2023 OBS June Sale after breezing in :21 1/5.

    At Oaklawn Park, West Point Thoroughbreds’ Counting Stars (Honor A.P.- Paynterbynumbers, by Paynter) wheeled back on short rest to score an eye-catching victory in the $150,000 Year’s End Stakes.

    Trained by dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, Counting Stars was running back in 13 days after earning a four-length win in the $135,000 Astral Spa Stakes at six furlongs. She was purchased by her owners at the 2025 OBS April Sale for $150,000 from the Wildheart Thoroughbreds consignment after breezing in :10 flat.

    OLDSMAR - The majority of bettors who came to Tampa Bay Downs yesterday to focus on the mandatory Ultimate 6 jackpot payout saw their hopes evaporate in the fourth race (the first race of the wager) when Noble Annie, the second-longest shot in the 10-horse field at 34-1, defeated 11-5 favorite Mistrial Wind by a nose in the 1-mile turf event.

    Those dreams out of the way, it is hoped investors got over their disappointment quickly enough to enjoy the latest in a series of picture-postcard afternoons that have postponed any signs of winter’s chill until at least next week.

    Others who used Noble Annie might not have paid as much attention to the weather. Things settled down for Ultimate 6 bettors sticking more closely to the form, with two of the remaining five races won by a betting favorite – Elusive d’Oro, who won the fifth race at odds of 9-5, and Real Savvy, who won the ninth at even-money – and two others by the second choice.

    Ultimately, 14 “survivors” selected the 2-1-1-5-4-4 combination on their tickets, earning $14,026 apiece.

    A pair of longshot winners made the early Pick-5 wager highly profitable for four bettors, including one on-track, who correctly nailed the 6/2/2/2/1, 7 combination to collect $27,564 each. The key longshots on the ticket were 5-year-old gelding St. Louie Louie, who paid $52 to win in the second race, and the aforementioned 2-year-old filly Noble Annie, who returned $71.20 for her victory in the fourth.

    Noble Annie was the only horse claimed from the race, with trainer Carlos Narvaez paying $16,000 for the juvenile lass for new owner Ladycaroly Stable.
In the featured seventh race, a 1-mile conditional allowance/optional claiming race on the turf, Britain’s Kitten, a 7-2 shot, overcame some bumping at the start to secure good position on the inside, then responded to jockey Israel Rodriguez’s urgings to post a head victory from betting favorite Tok Tok in a time of 1:35.24 for the distance.

    It was the first start in more than two years for Britain’s Kitten, a 6-year-old gelding who is owned by Bella Mia Stables and trained by Kevin Rice. The conditioner also won today’s third race with Kuku, a 3-year-old filly competing under his Rice Racing banner and ridden by Rosario Montanez.

    Leading jockey Samuel Marin won the final two races on Litigant and Real Savvy, surviving a claim of foul by Samy Camacho aboard runner-up Persisten in the finale.
Around the oval. The Oldsmar oval’s highly anticipated Calendar Giveaway Day is Friday. The gates will open at 11 a.m. The 2026 calendars, which celebrate the 100th anniversary season of Tampa Bay Downs, are free of charge (with paid admission) to the first 5,000 fans through the turnstiles.

    Friday’s nine-race card begins at 12:35 p.m. The first race is a $56,500, 6 ½-furlong allowance/optional claiming event, with trainer Gerald Bennett’s 5-year-old Florida-bred gelding Chrome Ghost the 6-5 morning-line favorite. Samy Camacho has the riding assignment.
Saturday’s program features the opening legs of the popular Tampa Turf Test starter handicap series, with both the fifth race for fillies and mares 3-years-old-and-upward and the seventh race for males 3-and-up being contested at a distance of 1 mile on the grass course. Full fields of 10 are expected for both races.

    The feature Saturday is the ninth, a $55,000, mile-and-a-sixteenth maiden special weight event on the turf for 2-year-old fillies. With two entries apiece from trainers Chad Brown and H. Graham Motion, the race should be a corker. Post time for Saturday’s first race is 12:35 p.m.

    As previously reported, Sunday racing at Tampa Bay Downs will begin on Jan. 4. Starting next week, there will be racing on a Wednesday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday schedule, with Thursday cards on Feb. 5 and Feb. 12 added to make up for the originally scheduled Sunday programs on Dec. 21 and Dec. 28.