2026 Pegasus World Cup Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

The year’s first major goal for older dirt route horses happens Saturday: the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup. Though the race is being run for just the tenth time, it has already earned a place as one of the flagship races of the Gulfstream Park racing season. It is named for the hulking Pegasus and Dragon statue that overlooks the track, and each year it draws a group of older dirt horses as imposing as its namesake behemoth.

Despite its short history, a pair of Pegasus winners have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame: Arrogate and Gun Runner. Other Breeders’ Cup winners, including City of Light, Knicks Go, Life Is Good, and White Abarrio, have also won the Pegasus, as has Preakness Stakes winner National Treasure.

Last year’s Pegasus World Cup winner, White Abarrio, will try to make history and become the first horse to win the race twice. It won’t be an easy task, however, as he has to topple an overflow field, 12 in the main group plus a pair waiting on the also-eligible list. His foes include undefeated Disco Time, 2025 Florida Derby (G1) winner Tappan Street, 2024 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner Full Serrano, as well as many others trying to make a splash on the biggest stage.

Pegasus World Cup 2026 Information

• Race Date: Saturday, January 24
• Track: Gulfstream Park
• Post Time: 5:39 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
• Distance: 1 ⅛ miles
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Pegasus World Cup Odds

This is the field for the 2026 Pegasus World Cup, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds for each horse:

Pegasus World Cup Prep Results

Only one runner in the 2026 Pegasus World Cup comes out of the Breeders’ Cup: Full Serrano, who was fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Defending Pegasus champion White Abarrio was supposed to run in the Breeders’ Cup, but was scratched from the Dirt Mile and has not raced since he crossed the wire a troubled fifth (then was justifiably placed fourth) in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga last year.

Other than Full Serrano and White Abarrio, the only runner coming out of a Grade 1 race is Madaket Road, who was fourth behind stablemate Goal Oriented in the Malibu (G1) last month, on Santa Anita opening day.

Five others in the main field were last seen in graded races. Skippylongstocking and Poster battled in the Harlan’s Holiday (G3) at Gulfstream on December 20, with Skippylongstocking winning a stretch battle by a head over Poster. Mika missed by a neck to run second in the Cigar Mile (G2) on December 6 at Aqueduct, British Isles was second by a half length in the Native Diver (G3) at Del Mar on November 22, and Captain Cook was a distant second to Barnes in the Perryville (G3) on October 18 at Keeneland.

Three other horses come out of quality efforts in ungraded stakes. Two most recently beat three-year-olds in late-season races last year: Disco Time won the Dwyer at Aqueduct on November 8 by 9 ¾ lengths, and Brotha Keny battled to a half-length score in the Zia Park Derby on November 25. Banishing chased on to finish second, beaten 2 ¼ lengths in the Ring the Bell, a six-furlong dirt sprint at Oaklawn on December 13.

The only runner whose last race was a non-stakes engagement is Tappan Street. He is a Grade 1 winner at Gulfstream, but he took his Pegasus prep in an allowance-level dirt mile on December 19 over the course, winning by a workmanlike length.

Both of the also-eligibles come out of stakes races at Gulfstream Park. Lightning Tones was last seen beating fellow Florida-breds in the Sunshine Classic. Catalytic lined up against Skippylongstocking and Poster in the Harlan’s Holiday last out, finishing a well-beaten third behind that pair.

Pegasus World Cup Past Winners Past Performances

Among the nine winners of the Pegasus World Cup, six have come directly out of the Breeders’ Cup. Arrogate (2017) and Gun Runner (2018), the first two winners, came out of Breeders’ Cup Classic wins the autumn before. City of Light (2019), Knicks Go (2021), and Life Is Good (2022) all came out of Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile wins, and National Treasure (2024) came out of a runner-up finish in the Dirt Mile.

The other three Pegasus winners all came out of graded stakes, though none of those horses coming out of races outside of the Breeders’ Cup won that final prep. Mucho Gusto (2020) was fourth in the Oklahoma Derby (G3) and came into the Pegasus first off of a freshening. Art Collector (2023) likewise won off a break after a fifth-place run in the Lukas Classic (G2) the previous October at Churchill Downs. White Abarrio (2025) came out of a troubled runner-up finish in the Mr. Prospector (G3), making him the only horse so far to win out of a prep at Gulfstream and also the only horse so far to win out of a sprint prep.

Pegasus World Cup Contenders

These are the contenders in the 2026 Pegasus World Cup, organized by post position:

1. Disco Time: This son of Not This Time has yet to set a hoof wrong on race day, winning all five of his races last year. One of those wins came in the Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds, but he missed the rest of the Kentucky Derby trail and only returned in the St. Louis Derby at Fairmount Park and the Dwyer at Aqueduct, a couple of ungraded races. He won both in blowout fashion, but now he steps all the way to the top level and has to deal with the fence in a big field in his first start against older horses. That’s a tough assignment at a too-short price.
2. British Isles: He has spent much of his career on the grass. Early dirt races in his career didn’t work out so well, but he switched back to the main last out for the Native Diver and finished just half a length behind Grade 1 winner Nevada Beach. It was a smart effort at the same distance as the Pegasus World Cup, but it was enough of a step forward to raise a risk of regression, especially since he’ll be up near a lot of other pace in this spot.
3. Full Serrano: He couldn’t seal the deal on his Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile repeat bid, but it’s always worth giving a look to horses out of the Dirt Mile coming into the Pegasus. He is one of many horses in this field who have a lot of early speed, but he has shown that he can battle on a hotly contested pace and run on to win top purse money. The field is deep enough in this spot to make it seem likely that someone will pip him for the win, but it’s easy to see him staying on for a piece of the exotics.
4. Banishing: He finished a troubled twelfth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint two back, but otherwise, he’s just a horse who keeps showing up. Short or long, whatever track he appears at, close to the pace or rallying from off of it—this son of Ghostzapper always seems to find the frame. He finished second in perhaps the most loaded photo finish of 2025: a neck behind Mindframe in the Churchill Downs (G1), dead heating with Nysos and a head in front of Book’em Danno. And, though he may be better in those sprinter-miler spots, he is a Grade 2 winner at 1 ⅛ miles and wouldn’t be a surprise for exotics here.
5. Skippylongstocking: The second-stringer for the Saffie Joseph, Jr. barn behind White Abarrio, Skippylongstocking is running in his fourth Pegasus. His best finish came last year when he was third behind that stablemate. He has won three graded races since that tilt, including a game effort over Poster in the local prep. Though he often seems to find someone too good at this level, he often runs into the exotics, and he has been finding many of his better recent efforts with Tyler Gaffalione in the saddle.
6. Madaket Road: It’s not unprecedented for Bob Baffert to win this race with a horse who looks like a head-scratcher; after all, Mucho Gusto looked like he was being thrown into the deep end in 2020, and he ended up posing in the winners’ circle. Even so, Madaket Road would be a surprise. He is one of many speed horses in this race, and even though sire Quality Road is a quality stamina influence, his best form so far has betrayed the Smoke Glacken underneath—as in, he has done his better work sprinting.
7. Tappan Street: With just four starts, Tappan Street cedes experience to all his foes. However, there’s still a lot to like. All four of those starts have come at Gulfstream, a track that can be love-it-or-hate-it. He defeated no less than Sovereignty in the Florida Derby (G1) last year, a race over the same course and distance. And, he got some experience against older horses in his allowance-level return on December 19 at Gulfstream. His form suggests that there’s plenty of room to build off of that return effort, and he’s got good tactical pace from a nice middle draw.
8. Poster: His form is a little muddled, given that he has raced on dirt, turf, and even all-weather. However, his dirt form has been solid: he won the 1 ⅛-mile Remsen (G2) as a juvenile, wasn’t disgraced in the Sam F. Davis when rallying for third, and comes into the Pegasus out of a narrow defeat behind the salty Skippylongstocking. With a ton of speed drawn into the Pegasus, he should get an excellent setup for his late-running style—and if the blinkers let him sit just a little closer, perhaps all the better at Gulfstream. Trainer Eoin Harty excels both with first-time blinkers and horses coming third off a lay, giving him plenty of appeal at a massive price.
9. Captain Cook: He turned some heads during the early stages of the Kentucky Derby trail last year, winning a maiden race by 9 ¼ lengths and then the Withers by daylight as well, but he hasn’t won in five starts since. The win in the Withers did come at 1 ⅛ miles, the same distance as the Pegasus, but he faces older foes for the first time in this spot, and he’ll have to deal with a lot of other speed.
10. Mika: In his last few starts, Mika has found his best game: hit the gas pedal and take the field as long as he possibly can. That’s great when there’s not a lot of other speed in the field, but given how the Pegasus came together in 2026, that running style is unlikely to get a great trip in this spot. He’ll help make pace in this spot, but even Gulfstream’s reputation as being a speed-friendly track is unlikely to carry him all the way home.
11. White Abarrio: The 2025 Pegasus winner comes into the 2026 edition with a live shot to become the first-ever dual Pegasus winner. Though he hasn’t raced since last summer, after a controversial scratch at the Breeders’ Cup and then a decision not to take a local prep like last year, White Abarrio has shown he can come in sharp off the bench. He is well proven to be able to come in off the pace, and he does much of his best work in Hallandale Beach—he is 10-for-24 lifetime but 8-for-10 at Gulfstream Park. Going 1 ⅛ miles, he is unlikely to leave himself too much to do, and should be in the frame late under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr.
12. Brotha Keny: He is interesting in that he has two stakes wins, each from completely different running styles: he wired the Bourbon Flight at Churchill Downs last September, but rallied from last to first to take the Zia Park Derby in November. However, he has yet to run a race fast enough to threaten the top contenders in this field, and he has yet to prove how well he can (or cannot) handle the Gulfstream dirt.
13. Lightning Tones: He is also eligible and needs one scratch to get into the field. He’s a hickory local horse, a 6-year-old gelding who has won seven times in 33 starts, with all but one of those outings coming at Gulfstream. He impressed in the Sunshine Classic last out, rallying from a few lengths off a slow pace to win going away, and he’ll get far more pace than that to chase if he draws into this race. He won’t be out of place in lower rungs of exotics if he draws in - after all, he ran a shocking third behind Mindframe in the Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) last year, so there’s some spoiler precedent.
14. Catalytic: He is cross-entered in the Fred W. Hooper (G3) earlier in the card, and needs two scratches to get into the Pegasus field. Should he draw, it’ll be an uphill battle, even with the fact that he is comfortable running on the Gulfstream dirt. He was third in the local prep, but losing significant ground behind both Skippylongstocking and Poster in that race. He’ll need a significant step forward to face an even deeper group in this.

Pegasus World Cup: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the Pegasus World Cup:

1. Tappan Street (6-1)

The Triple Crown season could have been even more exciting had Tappan Street not been injured just before the Kentucky Derby—after all, he is still the last horse to get his nose on a finish wire ahead of dual classic winner Sovereignty. He did that in the Florida Derby—the same course and distance as the Pegasus World Cup.

Though he comes out of an allowance race—the only horse not to have run in a stakes race last out—the prep did what it needed to do. It showed Tappan Street could still race, overcome a little early trouble, handle the Gulfstream footing, and show tactical speed. The latter is important with all the pace drawn into this race, but Luis Saez rode him from off the pace in all three of their races together last year, and that kind of a trip from a fine middle gate could very well be the winner at, shockingly, a much better price than the less class-proven favorite Disco Time, the lightly-raced four-year-old who has been tabbed as the morning line chalk.

2. Poster (20-1)

Poster looked like an exciting prospect going into the Kentucky Derby season last year, but didn’t do quite well enough in the Sam F. Davis and the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) to look like a serious Kentucky Derby prospect. A bit of time off did him well—he returned in November with a victory over older in a third-level allowance turf mile at Churchill, and then finished second in the Harlan’s Holiday (G3) last month. He was the beaten favorite in that effort, but was a relatively lightly-raced sophomore at the time, and the only horse who beat him was the much saltier Skippylongstocking, a class-proven older horse who loves Gulfstream. A head behind that one isn’t a bad prep if he’s got room to improve.

He can take that step forward here at huge odds. Trainer Eoin Harty’s charges continue to improve third off the layoff, and first-time blinkers is a good long shot angle for the barn. He doesn’t have the early pace to worry too much about him getting burned up in a battle with all the pace in this race, but if he can set a few lengths back and remain a little more focused through the finish, he could blow up the tote or at least sweeten up the exotics.

3. White Abarrio (4-1)

This 7-year-old son of Race Day does need to bounce back, as he has been no better than fourth in each of his last three starts. However, Gulfstream Park horses are a real thing, and he is as Gulfstream as it gets: eight wins and a second in ten starts over the course. That includes three wins and a troubled runner-up finish at the South Florida meet last winter, including a score in the Pegasus.

In addition to his affinity for the local course, he keeps high-percentage rider Irad Ortiz, who rode him from midpack to a runaway score in the Pegasus a year ago. The same kind of trip could work out sweetly this time around, with plenty of pace for him to sit behind and make a run into. He has been a regular on the work tab through the month of January, and if he looks good in the paddock and post parade, he can’t be counted out for a repeat over his home course.

Pegasus World Cup Undercard

The Pegasus World Cup is one of eight stakes races on the Gulfstream Park card, including seven graded stakes. Grass horses take the spotlight in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) and the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G2), both invitational races at two turns on the lawn. The William L. McKnight (G3) and Christophe Clement (G3) are both 1 ½-mile turf races for older horses, the former for open company and the latter for fillies and mares. There are also two graded races on the dirt: the Fred W. Hooper (G3) for older dirt milers and the Inside Information (G2) at seven furlongs for fillies and mares. There is also the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint, an oversubscribed five-furlong dash for older horses.

It is a full day of high-class racing at Gulfstream Park. You can watch all day at FanDuel TV and bet the whole card online through FanDuel!

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 for the first time, which was at one time the world’s richest horse race and still offers a $3 million purse and draws the best handicap-division horses in the country.

Pegasus World Cup FAQ

Q: When is the Pegasus World Cup?

A: The Pegasus World Cup happens Saturday, January 24. The 13-race card gets underway at 11:00 a.m. Eastern, and the Pegasus is set for race 13 with a post time of 5:39 Eastern.

Q: Where is the Pegasus World Cup?

A: The Pegasus World Cup happens at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Pegasus World Cup?

A: The only trainer who has won the Pegasus World Cup more than once is Bob Baffert, who won the first edition with Arrogate in 2017 and returned to the winners’ circle with Mucho Gusto in 2020 and National Treasure in 2024. Baffert goes for his fourth in 2026 with Madaket Road.

Q: Who is the favorite for the 2026 Pegasus World Cup?

A: Disco Time is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the 2026 Pegasus World Cup for trainer Brad Cox and jockey Flavien Prat. The son of Not This Time is undefeated in five starts but faces older horses and Grade 1 company for the first time ever.

Q: Who is the best Pegasus World Cup jockey?

A: Irad Ortiz, Jr. has won the Pegasus World Cup three times: with Mucho Gusto in 2020, Life Is Good in 2022, and White Abarrio in 2025. He partners with White Abarrio again in 2026.

Q: Who won the 2025 Pegasus World Cup?

A: White Abarrio won the 2025 Pegasus World Cup for trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. The same connections return with White Abarrio in 2026, and Joseph also trains Skippylingstocking, who will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione.

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