There was a lot of variety among the first six winners of the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1). The classiest were Bricks and Mortar and Warm Heart. Chad Brown’s Bricks and Mortar began his 6-for-6 Horse of the Year campaign in the 2019 race. Then came last year’s heroine, Aidan O’Brien’s globetrotting mare Warm Heart, a three-time Grade 1 champ.
A cut below those two was repeat winner Colonel Liam (2021, 2022), whose career-best performances for Todd Pletcher came in Gulfstream Park’s marquee grass race.
Nations Pride. NYRA/Coglianese Photo.
Back from Bahrain, Nations Pride seeks another turf win on American soil
In the outlier category were Zulu Alpha and Atone, both from the barn of Mike Maker. Zulu Alpha’s 11-1 upset in 2020 was his only Grade 1 victory in five tries. Atone was 1-for-7 at the top level in a 7-for-36 career that ended with 13 consecutive losses. Each picked the perfect day for his brief shining moment.
What all the Pegasus champions had in common was a standout trainer with a magic touch with turf runners. Let’s try to figure out who will earn the trophy in Saturday’s $1 million event in South Florida on a loaded stakes card featuring the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1).
Post time for the 1 1/8-mile World Cup Turf is 4:55 p.m. ET.
2025 Pegasus Contenders: Experience at Grade 1 Level Could Be Key
Whenever you handicap a Grade 1 race, always look for horses who have finished first at that level. Only three in the field of 12 have done that, and Nations Pride, the 2-1 morning-line favorite, stands out after winning three of his last four Grade 1s and four overall.
Formidable Man (15-1) and Win for the Money (12-1) each has a Grade 1 win, but Formidable Man did it against a so-so field at Del Mar, and Win for the Money scored in a one-turn mile at Woodbine. Second favorite Integration (3-1) is 5-for-10 on grass and 3-for-5 at the Pegasus’ 1 1/8-mile distance, but he’s 0-for-4 in Grade 1s. He was second to Nations Pride last year in the Arlington Million.
Nations Pride is 10-for-19 for Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby, who dominated the North American turf with European shippers in recent years. English superstar William Buick, his regular rider, has the mount, and he rarely makes mistakes.
“He’s a fantastic horse, very classy,” said Chris Connett, Appleby’s assistant trainer. “He’s a high-end horse, and this [9-furlong] trip will be ideal.”
If Nations Pride is his usual self, the battle will be for second, and maybe Formidable Man can inflate the exacta. He’s 3-for-4 at the distance, has won three in a row and is working brilliantly for the shrewd Mike McCarthy.
Integration should contend but he’s been a disappointment since opening his career 3-for-3 for Shug McGaughey. He might make another late move that falls short and takes third.
For those who bet horse racing …
The picks: 1 Nations Pride 2 Formidable Man 3 Integration
The field for the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1), from the rail out, with jockey, trainer, odds:
1 Siege of Boston (Junior Alvarado, Jimmy Toner), 20-1
2 Formidable Man (Umberto Rispoli, Michael McCarthy), 15-1
3 Mi Hermano Ramon (Luis Saez, Mark Glatt), 8-1
4 Win for the Money (Dylan Davis, Mark Casse), 12-1
5 Integration (Frankie Dettori, Shug McGaughey), 3-1
6 Major Dude (Irad Ortiz, Jr., Todd Pletcher), 6-1
7 Nations Pride (William Buick, Charlie Appleby), 2-1
8 Spirit of St. Louis (Tyler Gaffalione, Chad Brown), 20-1
9 Balnikhov (Oisin Murphy, Phil D’Amato), 15-1
10 Battle of Normandy (Jose Ortiz, Shug McGaughey), 20-1
11 Grand Sonata (John Velazquez, Todd Pletcher), 20-1
12 Chasing the Crown (Edgard Zayas, Mike Maker), 20-1
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AE: Fort Washington (Jose Ortiz, Shug McGaughey), 20-1
AE: Paros (Javier Castellano, Mike Maker), 30-1