Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem Jan. 27, 2025

A good Monday morning to you all! Hope everyone’s weekend went well, whether it was at the track or watching the football games at home. I feel like when it comes to football I go in and out as a fan, but this season I’ve been following it a fair bit more and enjoying the playoffs. Going into Sunday, I was rooting for the Commanders and the Bills to make it to the big game, so you can guess how that went. 

Saturday’s big event was of course the Pegasus World Cup (G1), and it was wall to wall a pretty fun afternoon, at least as a simulcast viewer. I have to admit that it’s not an event I’d really like to go to in person because it seems like it’s supposed to be more of a party and a show than a day of racing, so I’m happy to enjoy it via the television or my TwinSpires app like I did on Saturday. The big race was a huge performance by the winner, but as has been the case often in this race, the race itself was pretty much over at the top of the stretch. 

White Abarrio never looked a loser at any point in the race as he settled into a nice easy beat out in the clear by the time they worked through turn number one. I was on Saudi Crown and couldn’t have been more pleased with the easy lead he got and how he was traveling. But White Abarrio ran by him like it was nothing and drew away to win by six in impressive fashion. I actually thought Locked ran pretty well considering he missed the start and had to come from further back. 

It’s been quite a career for White Abarrio, who has now made just shy of $7 million in his 20-race career. He’s won nine of those races and also has run some complete no-shows. He’s had a few stages in his career, as early on it seemed like maybe he was a Gulfstream Park sensation before his bad Kentucky Derby (G1) race and his subsequent mediocre second half of his three-year-old season in 2022. Then he got so hot that summer of 2023 as a four-year-old and rode that to a win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). In the middle of last year, he switched back to original trainer Saffie Joseph's barn, and once again he’s back to the form and speed figures he showed when winning the BC Classic when he ran for Rick Dutrow.  

Speaking of Saffie, he had a monster day on Pegasus Saturday. Aside from running first and third in the big race, he also won the Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf (G2) with Be Your Best and Inside Information (G2) with Mystic Lake while getting beaten by a nose in the William L. McKnight (G3) with Cash Equity. I even thought he was going to win the Fred W. Hooper (G3) with Implementation before Little Vic dug in to hold him off. 

I saw someone say on Twitter before the Pegasus that the Pegasus World Cup is a top-five day on the racing calendar. I think it’s certainly in the running for a spot in the top five, certainly the top seven or eight. As I said in last Thursday’s column, it’s a day that’s evolved and changed since its inception eight years ago. It’s become much more an event, but the race itself now is kind of back to what it was as the Donn H. (G1), just a solid big race in January for the older runners. Even though this year’s race was kind of a blowout, it felt like one of the more competitive top to bottom editions of the race since its inception. And to me, that’s a win. 

Everyone have a great week!