As the sun began to set and darkness slowly crept in at Gulfstream Park, there was one clear sight as the horses barreled through the stretch: National Treasure digging down deep to edge a closing Senor Buscador under the wire.
The memorable sight saw 2-1 favorite and 2023 Preakness Stakes (G1) hero National Treasure battling the lovable underdog in the eighth running of the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) Jan. 27. The problem for Senor Buscador was that National Treasure again proved to be a fighter in the final furlong. The 4-year-old son of Quality Road had already showcased to the world his tremendous will to win with his gritty Preakness score last spring and his heartbreaking nose defeat to Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1). Look National Treasure in the eye, and be prepared for a fight.
Reaching for the wire, National Treasure prevailed by a neck. “He’s a gutty little horse and that’s the way he wants to run,” Bob Baffert’s longtime assistant Jimmy Barnes said after the race. “We knew it was going to be a hot pace but he stepped up. He had been running against good horses. We knew how good he was.”
“I knew they were flying but when I saw :23 and change I said ‘well that’s manageable.’ Good horses, they keep running,” Baffert said after clinching his third Pegasus title following Arrogate in 2017 and Mucho Gusto in 2020.
“This colt, what he did today, sitting off a horse, he showed us a new dimension,” said part-owner Tom Ryan of SF Racing. “Bob has already said whatever he’s done at 2, he’ll do more at 3, and there’ll be a lot more at 4. So we’re feeling pretty good right now.”
Ryan had indicated to BloodHorse earlier in the week that major targets like the Feb. 24 Saudi Cup (G1) or March 30 Dubai World Cup (G1) could be on the radar for National Treasure. While the colt already collected a major stallion-making race in capturing the Pegasus, he also appears an ideal candidate for another stud-churning gem, the $1 million Metropolitan Handicap (G1) in New York.
Wherever the colt runs next, he figures to be a force in the older male division.