FORT LAUDERDALE — With the wind blowing on a chilly and cloudy day in Hallandale Beach, preparations are underway for this year’s Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes.
Elite horses have trained extensively for the mile-and-an-eighth dirt race this weekend — that’s just two turns around the Gulfstream Park — working towards a $3 million payout.
One of those horses is Mystic Dan, last year’s Kentucky Derby winner. He arrived at Gulfstream about a few weeks ago, with his team hopeful he can redeem himself after a rough performance in last month’s Malibu stakes.
“We’re gonna wash that race away because a lot of it was involved with traveling and he had vanned over to California,” explained Robby Albarado, a 2-time Preakness winner, retired as a jockey just a few years ago and has since become Mystic Dan’s exercise rider.
“He goes out at the same time every day, they’re creatures of habit so they’re used to doing that,” Albarado said. “He goes out at 7:30 every day, he walks around a couple of times, I get on him, walk him a couple of times and we go to the track and he’s all business.”
With their legs wrapped to prevent injuries, fed with food, love and attention, there’s no question about it – these horses get the best treatment as athletes.
“That’s how we train them like we train athletes,” Albarado said. “Like he’s a young college student getting ready for the pros. He’s 3 years old, he’s still young, ya know? They treat him really, really well. Horses get treated exceptionally well, especially the good ones – they get a little extra.”
Training 6 days a week, the young horse puts in the work.
“In football terms, he’d probably be a running back or a fullback or something like that,” Albarado explained. “With the quickness, he’s sharp, he can make moves how you saw in derby, how he went through spots like running backs, he’s an offensive lineman. He’s a good horse and I couldn’t be happier with him.”
While he’s a few years removed from being a jockey, Albarado says he still gets those race-day jitters.
“I get nervous with big races still,” he admitted. “I get nervous but if you’re not nervous, you’re not ready, so it means you’ll have a chance. I’m nervous for this weekend because I think he’s doing really well and he can win… I’m expecting him to win.”
