By Ben Massam
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – As was the case in 2017 prior to the inaugural GI Pegasus World Cup, Wednesday morning represented a calm before the storm of sorts, with a number of contenders slated to arrive in the ensuing 24 hours. Of the horses already present in Hallandale, race favorite Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) was early to hit the track, galloping under the cover of darkness around 5:30 a.m. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen arrived in town ahead of Thursday evening's Eclipse Awards, where Gun Runner is expected to be crowned Horse of the Year of 2017.
Others to get their work in prior to sunrise were champion mare Stellar Wind (Curlin), who arrived from trainer Chad Brown's Palm Meadows base Tuesday, and the hard-knocking veteran War Story (Northern Afleet).
As the sun rose behind a dense layer of clouds, the muggy Florida morning revealed a collection of last minute preparations being made ahead of race day Saturday. At the north end of the track, horses galloped past a newly constructed concert stage, which will play host to performances by rappers Ludacris and Post Malone Saturday (see more from Joe Bianca in Friday's TDN), while finishing touches were made on The Stronach Group V.I.P. Cabana, a venue built uniquely for Pegasus day. Later in the morning, it would play host to the race's post position draw.
Back on the track, training resumed after the renovation break with the sun breaking through the clouds. Pegasus contender Sharp Azteca (Freud) was easy to spot donning the bright red bridle customary of Jorge Navarro trainees, galloping an up-tempo circuit of the track soon after it opened. Some familiar faces frequented the track's frontside, with trainer Ralph Nicks overseeing workouts sporting a Caledonia Road (Quality Road) Breeders' Cup hat and The Stronach Group CEO Tim Ritvo surveying the property.
The morning wound down with a relatively quiet third training window which included Stronach Stables' Singing Bullet (Hard Spun), the latest and final addition to the Pegasus field for trainer Dale Romans.
Thursday morning is expected to see an uptick in activity with the arrival of the Bob Baffert-trained pair of West Coast (Flatter) and Collected (City Zip) later in the day Wednesday.
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