Tuscan Sky returned to the winner’s circle on Saturday, taking charge in the stretch and rolling to a 6 ¼-length over Domestic Product in the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park.
The gray 3-year-old son of Vino Rosso was ridden aggressively from the rail by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano and won for the third time in four starts.
Tuscan Sky. Monmouth Park Photo.
Tuscan Sky will now point to the Haskell, Jim Dandy and/or Travers
A contender for the Kentucky Derby (G1) after winning his first two races, Tuscan Sky finished seventh in the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher gave him a break, and the 1 1/16-mile Pegasus was a good sign for the future, which could include the top 3-year-old races such as the Jim Dandy (G2), the Haskell (G1), and the Travers (G1).
“All Todd told me was to get position and save ground,’’ Castellano said. “That’s what I was able to do. I think this horse deserves a shot in the Haskell the way he won this race. The pace was quick, and he was chasing and still finished good. That’s a good sign going forward.”
Domestic Product, the slight favorite over Tuscan Sky, was a distant second for trainer Chad Brown in his first start since running 13th in the Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 4.
Hades, the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) winner who finished fifth in the Florida Derby (G1) and seventh in the Lexington Stakes (G3) on April 13, was third in the field of six.
Willy’s D, who held the lead early before Tuscan Sky took over after a half-mile, was fourth, followed by Sea Steak and Otello. Just Step on It and Uncle Heavy were scratched.
Tuscan Sky returned $6.80 on a $2 win bet. Winning time was 1:43.31.
“The only thing Todd told Javier is to ride him aggressively and get on him a little bit because he can be lazy at times,’’ Pletcher assistant Anthony Sciametta said. “That’s probably why he was hustling him early. The trip was golden on the rail, but he was being hustled as well, so I was thinking `is he going to finish?’ ‘’