2023 Pegasus World Cup Turf Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

The Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) is a $1 million race for older horses on the lawn going a mile and an eighth. The race drew a classy field of 12, plus two also-eligible entrants. Though two-time winner Colonel Liam will not return for a third chance at the race, some of the leading lights and most promising young stars of the division do appear, promising a great betting race.

The top contenders leading into the race include Grade 1 winner Ivar and local prep winner City Man. However, with overseas shipper Hurricane Dream and promising four-year-olds like Wit and Speaking Scout, there is a lot to dive into. Keep reading to find out about the contenders and see how to bet the Pegasus World Cup Turf online!

Pegasus World Cup Turf 2023 Information

Race Date: Saturday, January 28, 2023
Track: Gulfstream Park
Post Time: 4:40 p.m. Eastern
Distance: 1 1/8 miles on the turf
Age/Sex: four-year-olds and up
Where to Watch: FanDuel TV, NBC, Peacock
Where to Bet: TVG.com and FanDuel Racing

Pegasus World Cup Turf Odds

This is the official field for the 2023 Pegasus World Cup Turf in post-position order. It includes the jockeys, trainers, and morning-line odds for each entrant.

Keep in mind that King Cause and Steady On are also eligible; they need a scratch from the main field to get into the race.

As the race gets closer, stay tuned to FanDuel TV all the way until post-time. Horse racing is a game of information, and having the latest updates on odds and on how the horses are coming into the race will help you make a smarter bet on the event. With on-site reporters and horse racing experts, we are here to keep you informed!

Pegasus World Cup Turf Prep Results

The first place to look for prep candidates in a race this time of year is the Breeders’ Cup, and three of the horses come from that festival. However, the three Breeders’ Cup horses all come from different races. Morning-line favorite Ivar ran a close fourth behind Modern Games in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) last out. Lady Speightspeare also ran an excellent race that November day at Keeneland, with a close third behind Tuesday in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Master Piece cuts back from an 8th-place run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

The Fort Lauderdale (G2) is the local prep race for the Pegasus World Cup Turf, and four of the horses in that field return for the big feature. City Man looked confident in his victory by a length and a half over stablemate Decorated Invader, and both of those runners press on to the Pegasus. Fourth-place Good Governance drew into the main field as well, while ninth-place King Cause is on the also-eligible list.

The only other race that feeds more than one horse into the Pegasus is the Hollywood Derby (G1), a final hurrah for three-year-olds against their own age group on Dec. 3. Speaking Scout, who has soared in class since last fall, won the race by ¾ length and now tries older foes for the first time. Third-place Wit, a multiple graded stakes winner on dirt as well, has found a home on grass in his last four starts and represents leading Pegasus Turf trainer Todd Pletcher.

Three of the other runners come from graded or group company as well. One More Bid beat three-year-olds in the Santa Anita Mathis Mile (G2) last out, his first start against winners. Who’s the Star has won three straight graded races in Canada, most recently in the Valedictory (G3). Hurricane Dream, making his first American start in the Pegasus, last ran seventh in the Prix Dollar (G2) at ParisLongchamp.

The other two entrants come out of ungraded company. Atone, in the main field, most recently won a third-level allowance on the lawn at Aqueduct. Steady On, two deep on the also-eligible list, comes out of a close second-place finish in a rained-off Tropical Park Derby against three-year-olds last month.

Pegasus World Cup Turf Contenders

Wit: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Todd Pletcher sends out a newly-turned four-year-old against older stakes horses for the first time … he did that in 2021 when Colonel Liam won his first Pegasus Turf, and now he makes that move with Wit. A two-time graded winner sprinting on dirt, he has hit the board in three two-turn stakes on grass, including a late-running third in the Hollywood Derby. The inside post could be thorny, as may the lack of a sharp pace in front of him, though.

Good Governance: He made good account in his first start since moving from the Chad Brown barn to the Anna Meah barn, rallying for fourth in the Fort Lauderdale. The pace probably won’t be as fast in this race, but earlier in his career, he showed more tactical speed than he did last time out. Any improvement second off the layoff makes him an attractive candidate for a piece of the action at a price.

Atone: He found the Breeders’ Cup a little too tough, but got back on track with an allowance win last out. He has run well in both of his tries at Gulfstream Park so far, including a credible fourth in the Pegasus Turf last year. The question is the layoff, since he tends to step forward second off a break. However, the distance suits, and his best could get a piece of the minors again.

Hurricane Dream: Horses who often find the frame in European group-level races often find success in American Grade 1s. Hurricane Dream hit the board in four Group-level races in France last year out of six starts, at distances ranging from a mile to a mile and a quarter. One of those came with Frankie Dettori, who takes the ride in this. Trainer Graham Motion does well with layoff horses and international shippers, too. The biggest concern is the ground; his form has been over softer going, though he won his last start over good ground.

One More Bid: It took him eight starts to break his maiden, but he stepped up right off of that first win to get up in the Santa Anita Mathis Mile by a nose. However, he needs to find a lot in this spot. He needs a major improvement in terms of speed figures, and he has also never tried anything longer than a flat mile. His pedigree could get him that distance, but the class jump may prove too much, too soon.

Lady Speightspeare: Queen of the graded races in Canada last year, she held her own against truly top-level horses in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf last year with a close third. Her tactical speed should play well, and the race she ran last out suggests she should have no trouble with a mile and an eighth at this point in her career. Especially reuniting with Luis Saez, who rode her last out, she should hold her own.

Speaking Scout: He looked a little adrift through last summer, but in the autumn he found his mojo again. He has run good races at 1 ⅛ miles in his last three starts, including wins in the ungraded Hawthorne Derby and the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby against his age group. He needs to take a sharp step forward off of those efforts, as the speed figures tend to be on the slow side compared to what he needs against these top older horses. But, he is still young enough to take a step forward, the distance suits, and he ran a good second in a turf stakes at Gulfstream a little over a year ago.

Who’s the Star: Canada’s major turf star on the males’ side last year, he comes into the Pegasus Turf with three straight victories and wins in five of his last six starts. However, that only loss came in his one trip out of Woodbine. That said, the race was at Kentucky Downs, meaning that he just may not have liked that quirky track. He is versatile enough in terms of distance to make it the mile and an eighth, though he may not find enough pace in front of him to get up from so far off the pace.

Decorated Invader: Laid off from mid-2021 to mid-2022, Decorated Invader has come back into his own. He was no match for City Man when second in the Fort Lauderdale, the local prep for this race, but he should get a better trip here: the pace was a little sharp early in the Fort Lauderdale, and he has a chance to be up near something a little slower this time around. This gives him an upside at a big price.

Ivar: His crowning win so far is still the 2020 Keeneland Turf Mile (G1), though he continues to hold his own over and over again against top turf horses in America. The mile and an eighth is a question—he has only tried the trip once, and he finished sixth behind truly top-level grass horses of the time like Colonel Liam and Domestic Spending, though he was only beaten two lengths for all of it. However, he is a late-running type, and with the lack of front-end gas, his best hope may be yet another underneath piece at a short price.

Master Piece: He had a fruitful fall campaign for trainer Michael McCarthy last year, winning the Eddie Read (G2) and capturing a few other graded shares. However, west-coast-based turf horses often fall short out east, and earlier in his career, when he did run out east, he was a cut below the best of the division. The distance suits, as he is perfect in three starts over the trip, though he has yet to face horses this good going that distance, and the lack of early speed plays against him.

City Man: The winner of the local prep over course and distance, City Man sticks to what works. This New York-bred proved over and over again last year that he can win in good open company, and he has the tactical speed to carve out a good trip. The biggest challenge is the parking lot post; he has been able to win from fairly-outside posts before, though it will be a balancing act to find him a good spot without using him too much early.

King Cause: First on the also-eligible list, he needs a serious step forward from a flat ninth in the Fort Lauderdale last out. Though the mile and an eighth is one of his better distances, and the early speed he shows at times can be helpful, both of his races at Gulfstream have been poor, and he will have to overcome an extremely wide post if he draws into the race at all.

Steady On: This lightly-raced four-year-old has only made five starts, including none in graded company and none at longer than a mile and a sixteenth. All of his two-turn races have been good, and he has enough early speed to get a good position in this race that lacks early gas. However, he needs to take a sharp step up against the toughest company he has ever seen, and do so from an extremely challenging post.

Pegasus World Cup Turf Past Winners Past Performances

The Pegasus World Cup Turf has been run just four times, so the trends are still evolving. Its first winner, Bricks and Mortar, won an allowance race before stepping up to the Pegasus, though he was a Grade 2 winner earlier in his career, giving him a similar profile to Decorated Invader in the 2023 edition.

2020 winner Zulu Alpha came into the Pegasus Turf after a fourth-place run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Though the Pegasus was his first Grade 1 victory, he had won multiple graded stakes already and even placed at the Grade 1 level before. Colonel Liam won the race in both 2021 and 2022. In 2021 the Pegasus Turf was his graded debut; he had won the Tropical Park Derby in his previous start. He won the 2022 Pegasus Turf in his first start since the previous June, when he had run eighth in the Manhattan (G1).

Pegasus World Cup Turf Undercard

The Pegasus World Cup Turf is the 12th of 13 races at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. The day’s feature is the 13th race, the $3 million Pegasus World Cup; the card also features the $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Other graded races on Saturday’s blockbuster card include the La Prevoyante (G3), Inside Information (G2), William L. McKnight (G3), and the Fred W. Hooper (G3). The card features big fields all day, and it will be a preview of the top echelon of the older horse divisions, so make sure to watch and wager with FanDuel and TVG all day long!

Gulfstream Park

Gulfstream Park is the historic racetrack that hosts the Florida Derby each year. It is the only American racetrack that offers all three racing surfaces: conventional dirt, turf, and a synthetic Tapeta surface. The outer track is a dirt course measuring 1 1/8 miles around, complete with a chute that allows for classic one-turn dirt mile races. The next track inward is a one-mile and seventy-yard Tapeta track that opened in 2021. The inner course is a seven-furlong turf track.

Gulfstream Park has hosted many major races over the years, including the Breeders’ Cup in 1989, 1992, and 1999. In 2017, the race ran the rich Pegasus World Cup Turf for the first time, which was at one time the world’s richest horse race. But the Florida Derby, run along the road to the Kentucky Derby, remains Gulfstream Park’s most established and famous race.

Pegasus World Cup Turf FAQ

Q: When is the Pegasus World Cup Turf?
A: Saturday, January 28, 2023, at 4:40 p.m. EST.

Q: Where is the Pegasus World Cup Turf?
A: The race happens at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Pegasus World Cup Turf?
A: Todd Pletcher has won two of the four runnings, with Colonel Liam in both 2021 and 2022. Pletcher entered Wit in the 2023 edition, and also has Steady On on the also-eligible list. The two other trainers who have won this race before are Chad Brown and Mike Maker. Brown has no entrant this year, but Maker trains Atone in the main field and King Cause on the also-eligible list.

Q: Who is the best Pegasus World Cup Turf jockey?
A: Irad Ortiz, Jr. is the only jockey who has won the Pegasus World Cup Turf more than once, and he has won three of the four editions. He took the inaugural running in 2019 with Bricks and Mortar, then won in both 2021 and 2022 with Colonel Liam. He is named on Atone, though he is also named on Steady On two deep on the also-eligible list. Tyler Gaffalione, who won in 2020 with Zulu Alpha, has the call on Master Piece.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Pegasus World Cup Turf?
A: Ivar, most recently fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile for trainer Paulo Lobo and jockey Javier Castellano, is the likely favorite for the Pegasus World Cup Turf.

Q: Who won the Pegasus World Cup Turf in 2022?
A: Colonel Liam won the 2022 Pegasus World Cup for trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. Colonel Liam was going to try for a third win in the race, but was instead retired to stud.