Paul Callaghan’s Gulfstream Park Racing Tips – Saturday 23rd January

Paul Callaghan takes a look at two feature races at Gulfstream Park on Saturday night.

9.59 – Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (Grade 1) (Turf) over 1 mile 1 furlong & 110 yards.

It’s a short run from the gates into the first bend, so the high numbers will have their work cut out from the start.

Todd Pletcher has three representatives and it is Colonel Liam, drawn in stall 5 and partnered by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr, who gets my vote. He was a nice winner of a listed contest over course and distance on the 26th of December on his last start and I think he can improve again to get involved here.

A slight concern would be, that this is his first run against older horses, so he will need to find a bit more but this is just his sixth career start, so there should be more to come and he’s representing a top team.

Largent is also worth a mention from stall number 6, also trained by Todd Pletcher, he’s 4 victories from 6 starts and is partnered by Paco Lopez.

10.44 – Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (Grade 1) (Dirt) over 1 mile 1 furlong.

Knicks Go bids to follow Arrogate, Gun Runner and City Of Light in completing a Breeders’ Cup/Pegasus World Cup double. He’ll be a tough nut to crack from stall number 4.

It looks like there will be plenty of pace on upfront in the early stages and for that reason, I’m going to look at a hold up horse who I fancy to be mowing them down at the finish.

I think Kiss Today Goodbye is a huge price and a cracking each way bet, trained by Eric Kruljac and ridden by “Big Money Mike” Smith, who is drawn in stall 6. He came late to take a Grade 2 contest at Santa Anita on his last run on December 26th, and he had the 2020 winner of this race, Mucho Gusto comfortably held back in third.

The fact that connections are taking their chance here, shows how much confidence they have in the horse. I think his price is too big to ignore and I would love to hear commentator Peter Aiello, as they approach the final half furlong that “Kiss Today Goodbye, kisses his rivals goodbye”!

It promises to be a cracking evening’s racing from Gulfstream Park.