Pegasus World Cup Predictions, Odds, Top Picks (Gulfstream Park)

Pegasus World Cup Post Position and Odds

Check out our predictions and odds for the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park!

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Best Bets for the Pegasus World Cup

Here are my plays ($60 in total)

$10 Trifecta part wheel – Life Is Good over Knicks Go over Sir Winston, Stiletto Boy, Endorsed and Title Ready = $40

$5 Trifecta part wheel – Knicks Go over Life Is Good over Sir Winston, Stiletto Boy, Endorsed and Title Ready = $20

Top Pick – Life Is Good (7/5).

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In a showdown with fellow Breeders’ Cup winner, Life Is Good, Knicks Go will look to defend his crown when he tops a field of nine older males set for Saturday’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park.

An authoritative wire-to-wire winner of last year’s Pegasus World Cup, the 6-year-old son of Paynter continued on to an excellent 2021 season which will undoubtedly earn him the title of Horse of the Year. Coming off his biggest career victory in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar, Knicks Go is riding a four-race winning streak, which includes victories all over the nation. The Brad Cox-trainee will look to end his stellar racing career by becoming the first horse to win the Pegasus twice. He will begin his new career as a stallion soon after this final test.

Standing in the way of a Knicks Go repeat is the formidable presence of Life Is Good. A 4-year-old son of Into Mischief, he has won five of six career starts, and like Knicks Go, brings a heavy dose of early speed into Saturday’s 9-furlong showdown. Trained by Todd Pletcher, he was in full command when last seen, rolling to an impressive 5 3/4-length victory in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. This will be the first time beyond 1 1/16 miles for the four-time graded stakes winner.

Of the rest, Sir Winston, the Belmont Stakes winner of 2019, comes into the race with the best overall credentials. Now a 6-year-old, the Mark Casse-trained son of Awesome Again won the Grade 3 Valedictory at Woodbine in his most recent start.

Pegasus World Cup Predictions

Knicks Go

Knicks Go is ready to defend his title in the $3M G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes!

Stay with TVG this Saturday as we will be closely following the @BreedersCup Classic Winner as he prepares for race day @GulfstreamPark! @korearacing pic.twitter.com/fIS0UVdWHm

— TVG (@TVG) January 26, 2022

The soon-to-be Horse of the Year will break from the rail as he makes his swan song in defense of one of America’s richest races. Other than Life Is Good, the veteran completely stands over the field. His main rival, though, is extremely talented and also possesses impressive early speed. With two top horses, at different points in their respective careers, and with similar running styles, I am inclined to go with the younger horse in their first and only meeting. Having said that, Knicks Go is the more proven horse and the defending champion. It will be interesting to see how the early part of the race unfolds to see if either horse tries to get a breather early. More likely than not, however, it will be a two-horse battle from gate to wire. The son of Paynter certainly could do it again, but I am siding with his main rival in what should be a great match-up.

Life Is Good

To say that the resounding winner of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile has done nothing wrong in his career would be a big understatement. After dominating his competition in his first three career starts in Southern California, including two big wins over the Kentucky Derby first-place finisher Medina Spirit, an injury knocked him off the Triple Crown trail. Transferred to the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, he came back in a very difficult spot, sprinting against Jackie’s Warrior and was narrowly defeated after the long layoff. Since that only career defeat, he was untouchable in the Grade 2 Kelso at Belmont and the Dirt Mile at Del Mar. His potential seems limitless as he stretches out to 9 furlongs and faces his toughest competition yet. Sitting to the outside of Knicks Go early, I believe he will prove to be up to the challenge. He is the top pick.

Chess Chief

A nice rallying winner of his last, he is the first of two from the Dallas Stewart barn. Like Life Is Good, this 6-year-old is a son of leading sire Into Mischief, but unlike his rival, he is not blessed with early speed. On occasion, his late run has been effective in graded stakes, but unfortunately, all five of his career victories have come at the Fair Grounds. He is 0-for-20 everywhere else and Gulfstream Park does not strike me as a track that will suit him. He is the third choice on the morning line, but I am looking elsewhere.

Sir Winston

This son of Awesome Again has proven to be tough at longer distances, as both of his graded stakes wins have come at 1 ½ miles, including the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes. That was more than 2 ½ years ago, though, and he has only won a single-stakes race since. The good news is that the stakes win came in his most recent start eight weeks ago. In fact, he looks like he is rounding back into top form again for trainer Mark Casse, with several good performances turned in the second half of the year at Woodbine. Those races were solid, but against much lesser than the top two here. If any horse comes with one big run to threaten one of the top spots on Saturday, he is the most likely candidate.

Stilleto Boy

This son of Shackleford quietly turned in a very nice 3-year-old season, highlighted by a win in the $250,000 Iowa Derby and a second-place finish behind Medina Spirit in the Grade 1 Awesome Again. Fifth behind Knicks Go in the Breeders’ Cup Classic two starts back, he was sharpened up when third behind Flightline last time in the Grade 1 Malibu at 7 furlongs. He might be the one who sits in third behind the top two early. Perhaps that will be a good spot if they duel, but more than likely, he will only get tired trying to keep up. Still, he seems like one of the bigger threats to run to third money on Saturday.

Endorsed

This 6-year-old son of Medaglia d’Oro was once thought to be a horse of major potential, but his career never really got going near those high expectations. In the barn of Mike Maker the last five starts, he has shown some signs of coming around lately, without winning any of them. They all came in sprints, so maybe the stretch-out will help the well-bred veteran. Like Stilleto Boy, he is capable of at least staying in touch early, but will need a career-best to be anywhere near the top two when the race is decided.

Empty Tomb

Another 6-year-old, this one has been knocking around back and forth between allowance races and stakes with moderate success. His last two, both at Aqueduct were pretty good, but it looks pretty clear from his past performances that anytime he takes on quality competition, he tends to back up pretty badly in the stretch. Given that this will be his toughest test yet, I have little faith that he will be going in the right direction down the stretch of the Pegasus World Cup.

Title Ready

The second from the barn of Dallas Stewart, this 7-year-old has had his moments over a racing career which has seen him win nearly $700,000, but the good performances seem to be fewer and farther between of late. At his best, he can come with a pretty solid late run, like when he won the Grade 3 Louisiana one year ago. His last race inspires little confidence, but it was on a muddy track, so perhaps he can bounce back with something better. He’s a threat to rally up into the bottom of the exotics, but I do like others better.

Commandeer

The longest shot on the morning line is an improving gelded son of Street Boss. He did not break his maiden until April and has never before even run in a stakes race, but he has been coming around of late for trainer Jimmy Toner. In fact, he’s won his last two on different track conditions at Churchill Downs and Laurel Park. Still the bump up in class from those allowance races to Saturday’s test is quite extreme. We might hear more from this one down the road, but this looks like too much at this point of his career.

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