![]() ![]() Congratulations to Todd Pletcher, one of the best to ever live. He was a lot better horse today than us,” Knicks Go trainer Brad Cox said. He settled into third place in the early going, battled the whole way but never could put a scare into Life Is Good. It was already determined that he would be retired to stand stud after this race, and the second-place finish denied him a chance to push his career earnings past the $10 million mark. “I can’t think of one that’s better than him.” “We’ve had a lot of great ones,” Pletcher said. It was Pletcher’s first Pegasus World Cup win, and afterward, the seven-time Eclipse Award winner as the game’s top trainer heaped enormous praise on Life Is Good. ![]() “It was a tremendous effort,” Pletcher said about Life Is Good. Stilleto Boy, a 25-1 shot behind the 4-5 co-favorites, paid $2.80 to show. Knicks Go - the likely Horse of the Year for 2021 after winning, among other things, the Pegasus and the Breeders’ Cup Classic - returned $2.10 and $2.10. The victory capped a huge day for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who also teamed up to win the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf with Colonel Liam just before the main event. The 4-year-old - who may have been the Kentucky Derby favorite last year if not for an ankle injury - flashed his speed from the moment the gate opened, drawing five lengths clear after just a quarter-mile and was never challenged. ![]() – Life Is Good went to the lead right away and stayed there, winning the $3 million Pegasus World Cup with ease Saturday and denying Knicks Go what would have been a storybook finish to his career. Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. is a great rider but he needs to reflect on his tactics going forward.” “Upon reflection, and further viewing, I think there should have been a DQ in the Remsen. “Aggressive riding is one thing but constantly riding the edge, and sometimes crossing it, is another,” NYRA's Andy Serling wrote on Twitter after the Remsen. Social media took notice of the rides by Ortiz, who is often accused of “herding” other riders. Crossing the wire a nose in front of Zandon ( Upstart), he came over, bumped with that rival in deep stretch and put him in tight quarters. Saturday at Aqueduct, which he won with Mo Donegal ( Uncle Mo), also resulted in controversy. Irad Ortiz won three races on the Camerero card. He was not at Aqueduct Sunday and was instead was riding at Hipodromo Camerero in his native Puerto Rico, as was his brother, Jose. The suspension came on the same day that Ortiz wrapped up the riding title at the 15-day Aqueduct fall meet with 21 wins from 76 mounts. David Grening of the Daily Racing Form reported that Ortiz will not appeal the ruling. The stewards apparently agreed with the chart caller, handing Ortiz a suspension that went well beyond the normal five or seven-day penalty usually given to jockeys for careless riding.Ĭalls to Ortiz's agent Steve Rushing were not returned Sunday. Gran Casique was disqualified and placed last. The infraction was so egregious that the Equibase chart caller wrote: “Gran Casique angled in with reckless abandon and bumped Ragtime Blues at the five-eighths and bumped him hard which caused that foe to lose his rider…” Moreno was not seriously hurt. McKenna said the suspension would begin “some time this week.”Īboard Gran Casique, Ortiz came over several paths toward the rail on the run down the backstretch and cut off Ragtime Blues ( Union Rags) and apprentice jockey Omar Hernandez Moreno. News of the suspension was confirmed late Sunday by NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna. ![]() has been handed a 30-day suspension by the Aqueduct stewards for his ride aboard Gran Casique (Algorithms) in the eighth race on Friday. ![]()
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