The Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) couldn’t have had a more auspicious beginning than it did in January 2017. Superstars Arrogate and California Chrome, who had run 1-2, respectively, in a thrilling Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), drew the racing world’s attention to Gulfstream Park.
The rematch was a mismatch as Arrogate cruised by 4¾ lengths and California Chrome plodded home ninth, nearly 30 lengths behind. The late, great Arrogate’s brilliance put the Pegasus on the map as a winter destination for older horses, and it lured America’s best.
Other distinguished Pegasus champions were Gun Runner (2018) and Knicks Go (2021), Classic heroes who like Arrogate and California Chrome (twice) would be voted Horse of the Year. In 2019, four-time Grade 1 winner City of Light scored, and in 2022 it was Life Is Good, a 9-for-12 lifetime with eight stakes victories. The other Pegasus winners, Mucho Gusto (2020) and Art Collector (last year), won’t make the Hall of Fame, but they totaled 11 trophies in graded stakes and more than $8 million in earnings.
This megabucks extravaganza began with a $12 million purse that ballooned to $16 million in 2018 and “dropped” to $9 million in 2019. In 2020, owners no longer had to pay entry and starting fees, and the race was worth $3 million, its value the past three years and for this one.
Arrogate’s Hall of Fame trainer, Bob Baffert, reflected last year on the first Pegasus.
“It’s amazing that they put the race together the way they did,” he said, “because when I first heard about it, I was like, ‘This can’t happen.’ But they pulled it off.
“I think it was very important for racing. To run for money like that, I think it brought more people into the sport.”
The draw was held Sunday for Saturday’s eighth edition of the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus. Unfortunately, the field is far from stellar, with no Eclipse Award contenders. Of the 12 invitees, only Hoist the Gold, O’Connor and Trademark won his last race. The marquee horse and 9-5 favorite is National Treasure, winner of last year’s Preakness. He has speed, a key at Gulfstream, and could give Baffert a third Pegasus to go with Arrogate and Mucho Gusto. National Treasure lost a photo in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile to Cody’s Wish, the likely Horse of the Year.
None of his opponents has won a Grade 1 in North America. (It’ll be the first try at the level for Nimitz Class and Grand Aspen; O’Connor took a Group 1 in 2022 in his native Chile.)
On the plus side, Pegasus 8 is “a good betting race.” Plenty of big prices are available beyond National Treasure and 7-2 second choice First Mission, which will keep hard-core horseplayers interested, as will the other six stakes on the card.
The draw, from the rail out, with morning-line odds:
| 1 | Nimitz Class | 20-1 | George Weaver | Edgard J. Zayas |
| 2 | O'Connor | 8-1 | Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. | Paco Lopez |
| 3 | Dynamic One | 15-1 | Todd A. Pletcher | Irad Ortiz, Jr. |
| 4 | Hoist The Gold | 12-1 | Dallas Stewart | John R. Velazquez |
| 5 | Trademark | 12-1 | Victoria H. Oliver | Fernando De La Cruz |
| 6 | Senor Buscador | 6-1 | Todd W. Fincher | Junior Alvarado |
| 7 | National Treasure | 9-5 | Bob Baffert | Flavien Prat |
| 8 | First Mission | 7-2 | Brad H. Cox | Luis Saez |
| 9 | Grand Aspen | 8-1 | Todd A. Pletcher | Jose L. Ortiz |
| 10 | Il Miracolo | 20-1 | Antonio Sano | Javier Castellano |
| 11 | Crupi | 20-1 | Todd A. Pletcher | Lanfranco Dettori |
| 12 | Skippylongstocking | 8-1 | Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. | Tyler Gaffalione |
| 13 | Castle Chaos | AE | Robert N. Falcone, Jr. | Tyler Gaffalione |
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
