Only 4 entered in the Pegasus

Ralph Siraco

Friday, Sept. 19, 1997 | 9:02 a.m.

Trainer James Bond was slicker than his same-name movie character 007 when entries were taken for Saturday night's Grade II $1 million Pegasus Handicap at the Meadowlands. Bond, the trainer, led most to believe that he was entering Mr. Groush along with his stablemate Behrens for the 1 1/8-mile race. But when entries were taken, only Behrens made the box. So the Pegasus will have a select field of four for a million. In addition to Behrens, Frisk Me Now and Anet will have the task of upsetters to the prohibitive favorite Touch Gold.

Belmont Park stages its Super Weekend of Stakes, and six graded stakes are on tap for a trio on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's centerpiece feature is the $500,000 Woodward Stakes, and a field of five is set to battle the 1 1/8 miles of Belmont tan. Horse racing's handicap three amigos -- Skip Away, Will's Way and Formal Gold -- will square off against last year's Belmont Stakes winner Editor's Note and longshot Pacific Fleet. Six times, two or more of the "amigos" have competed against each other during their careers, and they have managed to beat each other in the process.

In 1996, Will's Way beat Skip Away (third) while winning the Travers at Saratoga. This year, the three-way rivalry began at Gulfstream Park, when Formal Gold won the Donn Handicap, beating Skip Away (second). Then came the Massachusetts Handicap with Skip Away first, Formal Gold second and Will's Way third. Next was the Suburban Handicap with Skip Away winning over Will's Way (second) while Formal Gold finsihed third. Following that came the Whitney Handicap with Will's Way prevailing over Formal Gold (second) and Skip Away (third). The last chapter was in the recent Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park, where Formal Gold outran Skip Away (second) to win. Now, they go at it again and the only sure bet would seem a trifecta box on the amigos.

Of the three, Formal Gold has certainly proved to be the bargain find. Sold as a 2-year-old for $75,000, he has earned more than $1.2 million competing at 10 different racetracks in three different countries. He will make his 16th career start on Saturday and, if all goes well, his next stop will be at Hollywood Park for the Nov. 8 Breeders' Cup Classic, where he is likely to face one or both of his career-rival amigos.