Be Your Best Hangs On to Win $500,000 TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G2)

Irish-bred mare makes it three straight with another close victory in Saturday’s Grade II turf stakes at Gulfstream Park

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Michael J. Ryan’s Be Your Best never wins by much. She just wins.

The 5-year-old mare notched her third straight victory with Saturday’s close call win in the $500,000 TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G2), barely reaching the wire first ahead of Sacred Wish in the 1 1/16-mile grass stakes.

Her winning margin: a neck.

The mare’s winning margins in her two previous races, which included the Suwannee River (G3) at Gulfstream on Dec. 21: a length and a nose.

With Edgard Zayas back in the irons on Saturday, Be Your Best stalked frontrunning In Our Time for much of the race before accelerating in the stretch and crossing under the wire just ahead of fast closing Sacred Wish.

In Our Time held on for third, 2 ½ lengths ahead of Pounce.

“It set up perfect, absolutely,” Zayas said. “Once [In Our Time] got in, I knew she was the speed of the speed. The plan was to get covered up behind her and it worked out perfect. The pace was quick, but they've been going quick all day. The track is pretty fast and they keep on going. At the end, she never quit, she kept on steady, steady, steady.”

Sacred Wish jockey John Velazquez said he knew he had no chance to catch Be Your Best at the quarter pole.

“When I got to the quarter pole, I said, ‘(Darn), I’ve got to be superman to get there,” Velazquez said.

Be Your Best started her career with just two wins in her first 15 races but has since found her winning stride since moving to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr’s. barn in August. Her three-race winning streak have all come against Graded stakes company.

“Thank God she hung on,” said Joseph, who also trains In Our Time. “I thank Mike Ryan for giving her to us. He's been a big supporter of me from very, very early. He fired me once, and then he hired me back. I've never been able to really repay him the way he's helped me. And I know this filly, it's a special moment for him, because it's a homebred.”

Be Your Best completed the trip in 1:39:06.

$500,000 TAA Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G2) Presented by SirDavis American Whiskey Quotes

Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. (Be Your Best, 1st; In Our Time, 3rd): “They were in a good spot. They were setting fast fractions. And I thought Edgard kind of moved a tad soon. I know he won, but he kind of opened the race a lot to set up for the closers. Thank God she hung on. She's a very good filly. I thank Mike Ryan for giving her to us. He's been a big supporter of me from very, very early. He fired me once, and then he hired me back. I've never been able to really repay him the way he's helped me. And I know this filly, it's a special moment for him, because it's a homebred.”

“I didn’t think she wants to go that far. I thought she wanted to cut back. But he was right, because we won. So I give him full credit. I said, ‘Mike, you were right.’ The mile last time was probably a cut back a little too short, because you don't know, that's a big drastic cut back. When she won there, you always felt confident going a mile and a sixteenth. She's got so much speed in the morning, you think that this shouldn't be a problem. I think this is probably her best, from mile and a sixteenth to a mile and a quarter.”

“[In Our Time] ran big. Very big effort. Big step up in class. It was a true-run race. They were on the lead but they weren’t getting easy fractions. Be Your Best was keeping her honest. I was proud of her effort. For her to pick up a Grade 2 placing was huge. “

Jockey Edgard Zayas (Be Your Best, 1st): “It set up perfect, absolutely. Once [In Our Time] got in, I knew she was the speed of the speed. The plan was to get covered up behind her and it worked out perfect. She has a lot of stamina. The pace was quick, but they've been going quick all day. The track is pretty fast and they keep on going. At the end, she never quit, she kept on steady, steady, steady.”

Trainer George Weaver (Sacred Wish, 2nd): “She ran very well, just second-best today. Hats off to [owner] Mike Ryan and [trainer] Saffie Joseph, their filly ran great. She was up close to the pace and we just couldn’t run her down.”

“It looked like both Saffie’s horses had speed on paper and we figured they would show it. It looked like there was enough pace on paper and we were just looking to get a good spot and give her a chance to have free run when she needed to go. I don’t have any complaints about the trip. We just got beat today.”

Jockey John Velazquez (Sacred Wish, 2nd): “I got a good trip. I just had to wait two or three jumps around the turn. When I got to the quarter pole, I said '[Darn], I've got to be superman to get there.”

Jockey Edwin Gonzalez (In Our Time, 3rd): “My filly, she tried really hard. There were some good horses running today and he was right there. I didn’t want to use her too much to put her right there because I know she always breaks running, so I didn’t have to use her much. She tried so hard.”

Jockey Dylan Davis (Pounce, 4th): “I thought it was a great trip. Ideally I thought I was in a perfect spot, but the way the track’s been playing speed’s been holding really strong. She gave me a good effort. She gave me a good, strong run down the lane, but those guys up front they just kept rolling. They were tiring late but it just kept carrying them. I thought she ran a great race. She came back great and everything was good, so I think she’ll be fine.”