Tom Pedulla offers five takeaways from Pegasus World Cup day on Saturday at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. The blockbuster 13-race card was headlined by the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational presented By Baccarat, the $1 million 1/ST BET Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational and the $500,000 Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes Presented by TAA in addition to an intriguing 3-year-old debut.

National Treasure held off Senor Buscador, outside. (Eclipse Sportswire)

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE: National Treasure atoned for his nose defeat to eventual Horse of the Year Cody's Wish in a roughly run Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile by opening his 4-year-old campaign with a neck victory against Senor Buscador in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational. Trainer Bob Baffert thinks the Preakness winner, sent hard to the front by jockey Flavien Prat, could be sitting on a big 4-year-old campaign. “I’ve always thought he was that good of a horse,” Baffert said. “He was just very immature and he’s getting better and better, the way he’s been training. He trained much better than he was going into the Breeders’ Cup.”

TOO MUCH TO DO: One of the most impressive performances of the sun-splashed afternoon involved a horse that did not win. Senor Buscador, trained by New Mexico-based Todd Fincher, launched a furious rally from far back in a taut defeat on a fast surface that favored speed. Jockey Junior Alvarado was encouraged, even after a heart-breaking defeat for the deep closer. “It’s very hard to come from way back on this track,” he noted. “I was happy when he was picking it up and I’m excited. But I could feel the last sixteenth of a mile he was getting tired from making that huge run from the back.”

GOING OUT IN STYLE: Warm Heart, a 4-year-old daughter of Galileo, could not have closed her career in a better fashion. She became the first filly to defeat males in the brief six-year history of the Pegasus World Cup Turf while setting a course record of 1:44.45 for the 1 1/8-mile contest. Trainer Aidan O’Brien, on a conference call from Europe, indicated that mating plans call for the first international winner of the Pegasus Turf to be sent to 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. “We’d love to have her and be racing her, but the lads’ business [Coolmore] is breeding these horses and she’s an absolutely incredible broodmare to be going to Justify, who looks probably the most incredible stallion that ever was based on what he’s done so far,” O’Brien said. “It’s so exciting, really.”

Scenes from Pegasus World Cup day. (Eclipse Sportswire)

CHAMP ON TARGET: Newly-crowned champion 2-year-old male Fierceness remains on course for the Holy Bull Stakes after putting in what trainer Todd Pletcher described as a “maintenance work” on Saturday at Palm Beach Downs. Owned by Repole Stable, the City of Light colt was clocked in :49.33 for a half-mile. He had done his serious preparation the week before, blazing five furlongs in a bullet :59.48. “Knock on wood, he’s done everything super this winter. We’re excited getting him going again,” said Pletcher. Fierceness comes off a 6 ¼-length rout in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by TAA for jockey John Velazquez, who will again be aboard for the Holy Bull.

AUSPICIOUS DEBUT: The father and son training team of Gustavo Delgado and Gustavo Delgado Jr. used a race on the Pegasus day undercard to start Mage on the road to a 2023 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve victory. They hoped to take the same path with Victory Avenue this past Saturday but he was second best to Pletcher-trained Speak Easy in a seven-furlong maiden special weight contest. Still, there was much to like about the debut of the son of the late Arrogate in the speed and determination he displayed for jockey Luis Saez. “When you get beat, that’s the best way to get beat,” said Delgado Jr., adding that they are unsure about what might be next.