In Pegasus World Cup, Cyberknife looks to accomplish a feat his daddy did

Like father like son?

The connections for Cyberknife sure hope so when the 4-year-old colt races for the final time in Saturday’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park.

Cyberknife is the 5-2 favorite in a high-level race that his daddy, Gun Runner, won in 2018. The Pegasus World Cup headlines a 13-race card that includes nine stakes worth $5.4 million.

“It’s a very, very good day of racing,” said Cyberknife’s trainer, Brad Cox. “It has the atmosphere of Breeders’ Cup, Kentucky Derby or a Triple Crown event.”

The $3 million total purse for the Pegasus World Cup ranks third — tied with the Kentucky Derby — for richest race in North America. Only the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic and $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf are more lucrative.

Just like his sire, Cyberknife is using the Pegasus as a final springboard to stud duty following a career in which he was a cut below top contemporaries Taiba and Epicenter yet still managed to amass more than $2 million in earnings with key wins in other major stakes. And as was the case with Gun Runner, Cyberknife will be ridden by jockey Florent Geroux.

While Cyberknife has raced 12 times in six different states, with his most prominent victories coming in last year’s Haskell at Monmouth Park and Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, Saturday’s race will mark his first appearance at Gulfstream Park.

“Obviously, we’re taking the show on the road,” said Cox, who saddled Knicks Go to victory in the 2021 Pegasus. “But I’m very happy with the way he’s training. I think as long as he can get away well and get involved in the race in the early part, he’ll be effective. I think he’ll like the configuration of the mile-and-an-eighth at Gulfstream.”

One top Pegasus contender that is no stranger to Gulfstream is White Abarrio, last year’s winner of the Florida Derby. White Abarrio is undefeated in four career races at Gulfstream for his South Florida-based trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr. By contrast, White Abarrio has never reached the winner’s circle in any of his six races outside Florida.

“He’s a horse for course,” Joseph said. “He’s 4 for 4 at Gulfstream, so it gives you a lot of confidence. Any time you can run on your homecourt, it’s always an advantage.”

Joseph is also sending out two other horses in the Pegasus; Skippinglongstocking, who was third in last year’s Belmont Stakes, and O’Connor, a recent Chilean import who will be seeking his first U.S. stakes win.

Trainer Bob Baffert will be searching for his third win in the Pegasus when he sends out Defunded. Baffert won the Pegasus in 2017 with Arrogate and 2020 with Mucho Gusto.

“Basically, he’s a one-dimensional kind of horse,” Baffert said of the front-running Defunded, who registered wins in each of his past two races, the Grade I Awesome Again at Santa Anita and Grade III Native Diver at Del Mar. “It’s going to be a tough race.” Everything has to go right for him.”

Proxy is another horse worth watching. The 5-year-old is coming off a win in the Grade I Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs. Meanwhile, Simplification — another locally based horse — will be trying for his first Grade I stakes victory after coming up short in five such races last year, including a fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby.

Other races to watch Saturday’s stakes-packed card:

▪ The $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, in which Ivar is the 5-2 favorite.

▪ The $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational. Shantisara is the 2-1 favorite.

Post time for Saturday’s first race is 10:50 a.m.