Pegasus World Cup Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary

[Wandering Eyes]

It seems like just yesterday the announcement was made that Gulfstream Park would host the inaugural Pegasus World Cup Invitational. However, a lot has happened over the course of the past 10 years.

While the present-day Pegasus format doesn't look much like it did when it was first launched in 2017, the primary directive of getting the best older horses in the country to come to Southern Florida for the third week in January has remained constant. And the history of past winners certainly reflects that. Beginning with its first two winners, Arrogate and Gun Runner in 2017 and 2018, the 9-furlong test instantly established itself not only a stomping ground of champions but also a venue for forging the next generation of top sires.

Starting from the very first edition, Arrogate, Champion 3-year-old Male of the 2016 season, won for a pair of Hall of Famers–Bob Baffert and Mike Smith. Baffert would win two more renewals with Mucho Gusto in 2020 and four years later with National Treasure, who also earned the Champion Older Dirt Male title in 2024.

Gun Runner was already a Horse of the Year when he annexed the 2018 renewal of the race for Steve Asmussen and Florent Geroux. However, it was after his racing days were over that he truly began to shine, with a dozen Grade I winners and two champions–Sierra Leone (3yo Male) and Echo Zulu (2yo Filly)–already to his credit.

Knicks Go, winner of the 2021 Pegasus for trainer Brad Cox and Joel Rosario, concluded the season with the Horse of the Year title, and finished second behind victorious Life Is Good when returning to Gulfstream for the 2022 renewal. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Life Is Good was ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., who previously won with Mucho Gusto. Ortiz Jr. holds the distinction of the most Pegasus wins after collecting his third Pegasus in 2025 with the Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained White Abarrio.

City of Light, who currently stands at Lane's End, concluded his sparkling career on the track, highlighted by a win in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile with a victory in the 2019 Pegasus, the first victory for Michael McCarthy and Javier Castellano. At stud, he's also achieved success, most notably with 2023 Champion 2-year-old Male Fierceness.

Hall of Famer Bill Mott, who just garnered his fifth Eclipse Award as the leading trainer of the 2025 season, won Gufstream's marquee race in 2023 with the ill-fated Art Collector, piloted by Junior Alvarado. The duo teamed up to win last season's Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes with the 2025 Champion 3-year-old Colt and Horse of the Year, Sovereignty (Into Mischief).

Juddmonte Hoping to Book-End Pegasus Wins with Disco Time

It was a sparkling homebred grey son of Unbridled's Song that stole the show for Juddmonte in the inaugural Pegasus World Cup 10 years ago. For its anniversary edition, the operation brings forth another homebred, Disco Time (Not This Time), who may not possess the towering credentials of his predecessor, but certainly has the class.

Sparingly raced, the colt marked his career debut at Churchill Downs in the fall of his juvenile season, winning by 3 3/4 lengths and made it two straight with another win at that venue, this time going a mile in optional claiming company, one month later. In his sophomore bow, he closed from well off the pace to take the Lecomte Stakes in the Fair Grounds slop last January but didn't reappear until romping in the St Louis Derby at Fairmount Park in September. Favored for the fifth-straight time in his career, the colt blasted home a 9 3/4-length winner over Crudo (Justify) in the one-mile Dwyer Stakes on Nov. 8.

Trained by Brad Cox, the colt clearly has talent. But how much?

“We'll know more Saturday,” Cox said, “but he's been very good…He always trained like a talented horse before he ever ran. He was able to start his career off a nice three-for-three.”

Of the long gap between races last season, Cox explained, “We hit a little bump in the road last winter with him. He got some time off and came back a bigger, stronger version of himself. We think he has a really big future.”

Disco Time, who will break from post 1, will be ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat, who earned his second Eclipse Award as outstanding jockey Thursday evening.

“I'm OK with it, as long as he breaks well and gets good position and is comfortable,” Cox said of the colt's inside draw. “I don't think he necessarily needs to be on the lead. He can lay off it. That'll be up to Flavien and how he breaks.”

Cox will also saddle WinStar Farm's, CHC Inc., Cold Press Racing and Qatar Racing's Tappan Street (Into Mischief), winner of the GI Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream last season. In that race, he quite notably defeated Sovereignty.

Sidelined for much of his sophomore year because of a condylar fracture, the $1-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase returned off a nine-month layoff to score in a one-mile optional claimer at Gulfstream last month.

Preparing for the Pegasus World Cup at Payson Park Training Center, the bay most recently worked five furlongs in a bullet 1:01 3/5 (1/16) on Jan. 17.

“His work on Saturday morning was one of the best works we've seen from him…period,” said Cox.

Stacked Pegasus Turf

Saturday's Pegasus races also features a pair of oversubscribed turf events–the nine-furlong GI Pegasus World Cup Turf and the 8 1/2-furlong GII Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

A trio of Grade I winners highlight the Turf, including Program Trading (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), a three-time winner at the highest level earlier in his career although winless in three starts in 2025. Runner-up in the Bernard Baruch and GI Turf Mile at Keeneland last season, the Klaravich Stable runner finished 10th in his 5-year-old finale in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar. Bagging his second Eclipse Award on Thursday, Flavien Prat returns on the 6-year-old.

Last summer's GI Arlington Million winner Fort Washington (War Front) tries to improve on a fifth-place finish in this race last year, while GI Belmont Derby hero Test Score (Lookin At Lucky) will line up for Amerman Racing and Graham Motion. The 4-year-old most recently won the GII Twilight Derby before finishing a close-up third in the Nov. 29 GI Hollywood Derby.

“He was really unlucky last time out. He had a brutal trip. I think you could definitely make the case to say he was the best horse,” trainer Graham Motion said. “I said to Mr. Amerman, if things went well, we would point him for this race, but if he needed more time we would give it to him. He seems to have handled everything very well. He's such a classy horse and if he was doing well, I wanted to take a shot in this race.”

He continued, “After this I'll probably freshen him up for the spring, but he's here and I thought this was a good opportunity for him. He was always a classy horse. I think he really hasn't done much wrong, to be honest, but this is going to be a big step up against older horses for the first time.”

Looking like the sole major source of bonafide speed in Saturday's Turf, Cabo Spirit (Pioneerof the Nile) enters the fray off a win in Santa Anita's GIII San Gabriel on Dec. 28.

Several horses with Canadian connections are worth a look in filly and mare division earlier on the card, including King's Plate heroine Caitlinhergrtness (Omaha Beach), winner of the GIII Ontario Matron on the synthetic in September before finishing runner-up in the GII Dance Smartly and GIII Bessarabian later in the fall. Victorious in Turfway's My Charmer Stakes on Dec. 1, the Kevin Attard trainee receives the services of Hall of Famer Johnny Velazquez for her 5-year-old debut.

“There was a possibility after the last race that would be the end,” Attard said. “We've elected to give this race a stab, and she's been in good form and I'm happy with the way she's settled in.”

Caitlinghergrtness, a model of consistency in her last six starts, uncharacteristically finished fifth in last fall's 1 1/4-mile GI E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine.

“She's been very honest,” Attard said. “The E.P. Taylor–10 furlongs–is beyond what she wants. The one turn mile, she's not fond of [either]. Two turns is what she likes.”

Mark Casse offers up a pair of runners with GI Natalma winner And One More Time (Omaha Beach) and Classic Q (Classic Empire), a last out third in Keeneland's GII Mrs Revere.

Also representing team Canada, GII Canadian scorer Ready for Shirl (More Than Ready) tries to improve on a pair of thirds, including last time out behind Breath Away (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) in the Dance Smartly.

Likely to garner the lion's share at the windows, Alpha Delta's Whiskey Decision (Into Mischief) won Aqueduct's Athenia Stakes last September, however, the $1.5 million Keeneland November purchase hasn't lined since. Trained by Chad Brown, she will be piloted by Prat, who was aboard for her latest win.

Saffie Joseph Jr. also saddles a pair with GI Matriarch second In Our Time (Not This Time) and SW Movin' On Up (Accelerate).

Last summer's front-running GII Yellow Ribbon winner Heredia (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) was sixth while getting beat less than two lengths in the GI First Lady at Keeneland in October. She most recently finished fifth in the Matriarch.

“This will definitely be her last race,” confirmed Graham Motion. “I kind of talked the team into running her here a little bit after her last start. I don't think she had any excuses in the Grade I last time, but I think on her best performance she can be competitive on Saturday.”

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