Trainer Ed Moger Jr. gave a glowing report on Stilleto Boy some 48 hours from Saturday’s 86th running of the $500,000 Grade I Big ‘Cap at Santa Anita.
“He’s doing great. He’s been training awesome,” Moger told the Southern California News Group. “He went to the Pegasus (at Gulfstream Park) and it was actually kind of hard on him, but he actually came out of it great. He’s got good weight on him. He’s ready to roll. He looks like a million bucks. He’s ready to run.”
If that’s the case, the other 10 horses in the Big ‘Cap might be in a little bit of trouble. Stilleto Boy might not be the best horse in the race, but the fields he’s run against have been mostly top notch.
Consider: In last year’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park, Stilleto Boy finished third behind a couple of horses you might have heard of – Life Is Good and Knicks Go.
“The only horses that have beaten him are great horses,” Moger said. “Life Is Good, Flightline, Knicks Go … those are the horses that have beaten him. Country Grammer. Those are the only horses that have ever beaten him. No slouch horses on the list.”
This year, the 5-year-old gelded son of Shackleford finished third in the Pegasus behind Art Collector and Defunded, the latter which is also running in Saturday’s Big ‘Cap. The race drew its largest field since 13 went postward in the 2015 running when the late Shared Belief won the race.
Moger believes both runnings of the Pegasus were the best races Stilleto Boy has run since his brother, Steve, bought him for $420,000 at a horse sale shortly after he won the Iowa Derby in 2021.
“I think they were both really good,” he said.
This year, Stilleto Boy broke from the 11th post in a 12-horse field, severely hindering his chances for victory with Mike Smith aboard. But the third-place finish this year raised his career earnings to $1.4 million, the top figure among the Big ‘Cap starters. He also recorded the fastest Beyer…
Read the full article here
