SLEEPY EYES TODD ATTEMPTS TO BECOME SECOND HORSE FROM 2019 OKLAHOMA DERBY TO CAPTURE THE RICH PEGASUS CUP
The Grade 1, $3,000,000 Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational is the main event on a loaded program of stakes races at Gulfstream Park in south Florida this Saturday, Jan. 23. Sleepy Eyes Todd, runner-up in the 2019 Grade 3 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park, will attempt to become the second straight horse out of that race to prevail in the Pegasus.
Owendale won the 2019 Oklahoma Derby, 1-3/4 lengths ahead of Sleepy Eyes Todd. Finishing fourth in that derby, just a quarter-length behind Sleepy Eyes Todd was Mucho Gusto, the beaten favorite at 4-5 odds. Mucho Gusto made his next start after the Oklahoma Derby a winning one, scoring by 4-1/2 lengths in the 2020 Pegasus World Cup.
The Pegasus World Cup Day card from Gulfstream Park is available to watch and wager, via simulcast, at Remington Park on Saturday with the first race set for 10:30am.
North America’s richest race not affiliated with the Breeder’s Cup World Championships, the Pegasus World Cup is contested at 1-1/8 miles. A field of 12 has entered the fifth edition of the race, to be run as the 12th and final race on the program, at approximately 4:44pm. All times are Central.
Sleepy Eyes Todd, owned by Thumbs Up Racing of Scottsdale, Ariz., and trained by Miguel Silva, drew the number one post position for the Pegasus World Cup. Jockey Jose Ortiz, ninth in the Gulfstream rider standings with 13 wins, will have the mount on Sleepy Eyes Todd who is 8-1 in the morning-line odds.
Sleepy Eyes Todd is a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred gray horse by Paddy O’Prado from the Wild Rush mare Pledge Mom. His dam’s sire, Wild Rush, won the 1997 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park.
A versatile runner who can compete with front-running speed or come from off the pace, Sleepy Eyes Todd won his career debut, breaking his maiden at Remington Park as a 2-year-old in October 2018. After his runner-up effort in the Oklahoma Derby, he faced older horses in December 2019, winning the $100,000 Jeffrey Hawk Memorial by a half-length for his second local victory.
Sleepy Eyes Todd has scored a pair of graded stakes races in his career, both in 2020. He won the Grade 2, $600,000 Charles Town Classic by 7-1/2 lengths in August, leading the 1-1/8 miles from start to finish. His 4-year-old campaign concluded with victory at Gulfstream Park in December, taking the Grade 3, $100,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes at seven furlongs, coming from off the pace to win by a half-length.
Sleepy Eyes Todd has made 15 career starts with eight wins and a pair of second-place efforts. His total earnings stand at $744,825. At Remington Park, he has won two of three starts with one second, earning $159,545 in Oklahoma City.
Remington Park offers daily simulcast racing from across North America. Guests are reminded to enter through the Casino entrance at Remington Park where parking and admission are always free.
Tracked by more than 164,000 fans on Facebook and 10,400 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $257 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District, Remington Park is open daily for casino gaming and simulcast horse racing. Live racing returns with the start of the 2021 American Quarter Horse, Paint and Appaloosa Season on March 4. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.
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