Bricks and Mortar Crushes Rivals in Pegasus World Cup Turf
Bricks and Mortar winning the Pegasus World Cup Turf (gr. I) - Photo by Ashley Blum/Adam Coglianese Photography
January 27th, 2019
A yielding turf course, a huge jump in class, and a significant stretch-out in distance were among the obstacles facing Bricks and Mortar in Saturday’s inaugural running of the $7,000,000 Pegasus World Cup Turf (gr. I) at Gulfstream Park.
But in the manner of a budding star, Bricks and Mortar shrugged off the challenges to decisively defeat a strong field. Not bad for a horse whose racing future was once in serious doubt!Under the guidance of jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., Bricks and Mortar—running for just the second time since October 2017—settled perfectly in mid-pack during the early stages of the 1 3/16-mile event, about four lengths behind steady pace fractions of :22.94 and :47.93 set by the front-running fillies Fahan Muran and Aerolithe, the latter an international challenger from Japan.
A few runners made early moves, including Catapult and Delta Prince, but Ortiz was content to let Bricks and Mortar wait until late on the far turn, when the son of Giant’s Causeway crept into contention and took aim at the leaders. Delta Prince had seized a clear advantage by that point, but once Bricks and Mortar lengthened his stride, he rolled past the leader to win going away by 2 ½ lengths in 1:54.59 seconds, a solid time over the rain-soaked course.
Trainer was delighted with the results. “Irad [Ortiz Jr. rode him beautiful,” he told Gulfstream Park after the race. “The horse came ready and handled the course. Everything worked out perfectly.”
Commenting on an injury that kept Bricks and Mortar away from the races for more than year, Brown added “Ian Brennan at Stonestreet Farm did a terrific job rehabbing this horse. Dr. Larry Bramlage worked on this horse about 16 months ago when it looked like he might have a career-ending injury. He fixed him. There was a lot of teamwork, a lot of patience.”
Magic Wand, shipping in from Ireland for trainer , produced a late rally to edge Delta Prince for the runner-up spot, while Catapult flattened out to finish fourth. Race favorite Yoshida trailed the field early on, but never seriously rallied and came home sixth.
Bricks and Mortar races for the partnership of Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence. The Pegasus World Cup Turf marked his third stakes victory, but his first at the Grade 1 level, while the winner’s share of the hefty purse boosted his career earnings to $3,018,250. Clearly, patience is paying off with Bricks and Mortar, who appears poised to enjoy a huge season in a division that has lacked a clear standout for a couple of years.
Commenting on an injury that kept Bricks and Mortar away from the races for more than year, Brown added “Ian Brennan at Stonestreet Farm did a terrific job rehabbing this horse. Dr. Larry Bramlage worked on this horse about 16 months ago when it looked like he might have a career-ending injury. He fixed him. There was a lot of teamwork, a lot of patience.”
Magic Wand, shipping in from Ireland for trainer , produced a late rally to edge Delta Prince for the runner-up spot, while Catapult flattened out to finish fourth. Race favorite Yoshida trailed the field early on, but never seriously rallied and came home sixth.
Bricks and Mortar races for the partnership of Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence. The Pegasus World Cup Turf marked his third stakes victory, but his first at the Grade 1 level, while the winner’s share of the hefty purse boosted his career earnings to $3,018,250. Clearly, patience is paying off with Bricks and Mortar, who appears poised to enjoy a huge season in a division that has lacked a clear standout for a couple of years.
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