Virginia-bred Largent, winner of the Edward P. Evans stakes last summer at Colonial Downs, will compete in Saturday’s (January 23) prestigious Grade I, Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes, which has a purse of $1 Million. The stakes will be held on the same card as the $3 Million Pegasus World Cup Invitational and five additional graded stakes at Miami’s Gulfstream Park.
Largent (#1) en route to a tight victory in the Bert Allen Stakes. Photo by Jim McCue.
The 5-year-old Into Mischief gelding is the second early favorite at 9-2, behind only Colonel Liam, another Pletcher trainee, who is 7-2. A total of 12 horses will compete 1 3/16th miles in Gulfstream’s 11th race, scheduled for 4:59 PM.
Largent is a Todd Pletcher trainee and was bred by Lazy Lane Farms in Upperville, Virginia. After breaking his maiden in 2019 and winning two allowance races at Gulfstream early in 2020, Largent captured the stakes win on Colonial’s Secretariat Turf Course last summer. He followed that with another Virginia-bred stakes triumph in the Bert Allen Stakes at Laurel last October and most recently, authored a come from behind win in the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale Stakes at Gulfstream after being sent off at odds of nearly 17-1.
Largent wins the 2020 Edward P. Evans Stakes at Colonial Downs July 29. Photo by Coady Photography.
Overall, Largent has six wins and three runner-up finishes from nine career starts, good for purse earnings of $314,470. He is owned by Twin Creeks Racing Stables, LLC and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and was purchased for $460,000 at the 2017 Keeneland Yearling Sale. He is out of the Unbridled mare, Life in Seattle.
Fans can wager the race at any Rosie’s Gaming Emporium in Richmond, Hampton, New Kent, Vinton and Dumfries, at any VA-Horseplay OTB in Henrico (Breakers Sports Grille), Chesapeake (Buckets Bar & Grill) and Collinsville (Windmill OTB Sports Grill), and online at TVG.com, Xpressbet.com, Twinspires.com and NYRAbets.com. Both Pegasus stakes can be seen on NBC between 4:30 – 6:00 PM.
Largent is shown after winning the Bert Allen Stakes at Laurel. Photo by Jim McCue.
Colonial Downs opens its third season of pari-mutuel thoroughbred racing under the ownership of the Colonial Downs Group on July 19, and will continue a seven week meet every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday through September 1. The track’s signature race — the Grade 3 Virginia Derby — will be held on August 31.