Despite the fact Spun to Run won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and finished second in the Grade 1 Cigar Mile behind likely 3-year-old champion Maximum Security in his last two starts, trainer Juan Guerrero suddenly finds himself in need of a rider for his horse a week in advance of the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational.

Guerrero confirmed Saturday he was informed that morning by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who rode Spun to Run in both the Dirt Mile and Cigar Mile, that he has accepted the mount on Mucho Gusto in the Pegasus World Cup. That left Guerrero in a state of shock as well as in search of a replacement for Ortiz, who is expected to be named the Eclipse Award winning jockey for a second straight year later this week.

“Today he trained super and I said to myself everything is perfect going into this race,” Guerrero said. “Then I get the call from Irad telling me he was going to take off Spun to Run to ride Much Gusto instead. Needless to say it was both upsetting and surprising since I had the call and now I’m left without a rider a week before the race.”

Guerrero said he has already spoken to the agents for at least two other riders, both of whom are currently committed to other horses in the race, to see if they can get out of their calls to ride Spun to Run in the Pegasus World Cup.

Spun to Run has worked three times since shipping to the Palm Meadows training center earlier this winter, the first of those two breezes coming without the bleeding medication Lasix.

“So far he’s been perfect, scoped clean every time, including Friday following a strong gallop when he got a little tough with my rider and went faster than we had planned,” said Guerrero. “He had an easy work last Monday and I’ll probably do the same thing again with him this Monday as well.”