Gulfstream Park: Pegasus Day Picks, 1/24/26

Saturday, January 24, is the first marquee race card of the year at Gulfstream Park: Pegasus World Cup day. Though this is only the tenth running, making it one of the newer traditions in horse racing, it has already become a major sporting and lifestyle event, drawing a big crowd to take in some of the top horses in the world.

The feature race of the day is the 2026 Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), a $3 million race at 1 ⅛ miles on the dirt. However, that’s only the beginning of the stakes action. The 13-race card features high-class company all day long, including a total of seven graded-stakes races. In addition to the flagship feature, there is also the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) for older grass horses, the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G2) for older turf route females, the Inside Information (G2) for filly and mare dirt sprinters, the William L. McKnight (G3) for long-distance older horses on the grass, the Christophe Clement (G3) for long-distance turf fillies and mares, and the Fred W. Hooper (G3) for dirt milers.

Racing gets underway Saturday at 11:00 a.m. EST. FanDuel TV broadcasts action at Gulfstream Park all day long, as well as up-to-the-minute news about contenders, and you can bet every single race on the card through FanDuel. Don’t forget to check the scratches on race day before placing your bets: Saturday is expected to be partly cloudy, but the weather can change, and scratches can happen for any reason.

The Pegasus World Cup, the day’s feature race, is an excellent betting race. But, there are great wagering opportunities in stakes races all day long. Here are the horses to have in focus while betting the Pegasus World Cup day card.

Gulfstream Park: 2026 Pegasus World Cup Day Best Bets

Race 5: Christophe Clement (G3), 1 ½ miles on the turf - No Show Sammy Jo and Weighted Average

FanDuel odds: 9-5 and 8-1

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It’s ironic that someone gave No Show Sammy Jo that name, because all this daughter of Lope de Vega does is show up again and again. She comes into the Clement off a dominant score in the Via Borghese, the 1 ⅜-mile local prep for this race. Though she was well beaten in her only try at 1 ½ miles, that was likely a function of the yielding ground that day—she prefers firmer footing, and firmer footing is what she’s going to get here. She is versatile enough to track in range and rally off the pace, and jockey Jorge Ruiz has ridden her to victory in both of those race shapes recently. Especially since Fionn stands to take a lot of money despite this being her first try against older foes, there is room for No Show Sammy Jo to go off at an overlaid price.

Weighted Average tries stakes company for the first time, and it’s the right time to make that move. It took this Chad Brown trainee eight tries to break her maiden, but after piling up runner-up finishes, she not only got off the mark two back at Churchill Downs, she won right back next out in a second-level allowance even though she was still eligible for a first-level condition. She has never stretched out this long before, but being by English Channel out of a Kitten’s Joy mare, she has every right to like it. And, with the outside draw, Weighted Average should get a perfect and cozy outside-stalking trip under Tyler Gaffalione.

Race 8: Fred W. Hooper (G3), one mile on the dirt - Knightsbridge and Nelson Avenue

FanDuel odds: 6-5 and 8-1

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There is a lot of speed in this race—but this is Gulfstream on a big day, after all, and if a horse is good enough, then a forwardly-placed horse can not only survive the battle but win the war. And, that looks to be the likely case with Knightsbridge. There are a lot of pace horses in the race, but most of them are not proven to hold on after battling on a crackling pace. Knightsbridge, on the other hand, set a swift and pressured pace over course and distance in an allowance win last year and drew off to win by nine lengths. He has battled and pulled clear in each of his last two starts at seven furlongs, and now third off the lay should be ready to stretch to the mile—and see it out—for trainer Bill Mott.

Nelson Avenue has some upside at a price in this race. Drawn to the outside of the nine-horse field, he should get a clean trip. And, though he has yet to try the Gulfstream dirt, he has plenty of experience at extended one-turn trips, with wins at both seven furlongs and the one-turn mile during his career. Though he tends to be forward, he has settled into a stalking role as opposed to a pacesetting one in his recent starts, and he switches to jockey Flavien Prat, who should be able to judge his ride impeccably.

Race 9: William L. McKnight (G3), 1 ½ miles on the turf - Zverev and Missed the Cut

FanDuel odds: 6-1 and 6-1

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Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Mike Maker, whose five wins in this race lead all trainers, claims a horse for the purposes of going long … and sure enough, the horse wants to run all day, and Maker’s got a new graded-stakes winner in the barn. He’s done it over and over again, and he has another shot with Zverev. Zverev tries 1 ½ miles for the first time in this start—but has won twice at 1 ⅜ miles and once at 1 ¼ since Maker and company dropped the $40,000 slip last July at Saratoga. Zverev is sired by Oscar Performance—a full brother to one of Maker’s McKnight winners, Oscar Nominated—out of Balance, a Grade 1-winning Thunder Gulch half to Zenyatta. That, Zverev’s pace versatility, plus Maker’s knack for knowing who wants to go this long all add up to a lot of confidence.

Missed the Cut came close last out in allowance company over the Gulfstream course, missing by three-quarters of a length. Now he steps up from that 1 1/16-mile trip to a more suitable 1 ½-mile distance. His tactical speed should play well over the course—though he showed last out that he can close over the Gulfstream lawn, giving him another way to victory. He has plenty of back class in longer-distance turf races at the Grade 2 and Grade 3 level, and any improvement second off the lay makes him a serious contender at a square price.

Race 10: Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational (G2), 1 1/16 miles on the turf - Proctor Street and Breath Away

FanDuel odds: 12-1 and 8-1

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The Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf drew an overflow field with no clear leaders, making it an excellent place to look for a price. Enter Proctor Street. She comes into the Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf with wins in three of her last four starts, and even the defeat was just a one-length miss in a stakes at Saratoga. She tried graded company for the first time in this race, but has run several races fast enough to make her a contender. Proctor Street can adapt to slower or quicker paces, and her record at the 1 1/16-mile distance shines: five starts, four wins, one second. She hasn’t run since November, but can go well fresh, and just might have her coming-out party here.

Breath Away loves Gulfstream, with five money finishes in six starts over the track. She has fallen short at a flat mile in her last two but not run badly—and three back, she won the 1 1/16-mile Dance Smartly (G2), run over two turns on the inner turf at Woodbine. She is a better horse at 1 1/16 miles than she is at the flat mile, anyway, and is versatile enough to sit a couple of lengths off the pace or get a real closing trip. She isn’t at much risk for ground loss from the 4 gate, either, and appears well placed for trainer Miguel Clement.

Race 11: Inside Information (G2), seven furlongs on the dirt - Beyond Belief and Indy Bay

FanDuel odds: 12-1 and 9-2

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Sometimes, you just need to strike while the iron is hot, and that appears to be Kelly Breen’s plan with Beyond Belief. She still has to prove herself at the graded-stakes level, as she was well beaten in the Forward Gal (G3) a year ago. But, she ended her sophomore season a much better horse than she was when she started it. In her last two starts, she has stalked the early pace and routed allowance foes—first-level, then a much tougher beaten condition. Both of those came in seven-furlong races at Gulfstream. Breen’s charges still have upside to improve at a price third off the lay, and her tactical speed and affinity for the conditions make her a strong price play in a competitive race.

Bettors can shy away from horses coming out of a race they did not finish, meaning Indy Bay stands to be overlaid. After all, there are plenty of reasons to think she can bounce back to form. She cuts back to seven furlongs, a distance she has already won at, including once at Gulfstream. She handled the fence in a big field two back in the Charles Town Oaks (G2), a race she won. She did so with high-percentage rider Irad Ortiz, Jr., who returns to the saddle for this. And, she should be fit to come back—trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. shines with layoff horses, and Indy Bay has been a regular presence on the work tab since early December, including some bullet moves.

Race 12: Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1), 1 ⅛ miles on the turf - Program Trading and Cabo Spirit

FanDuel odds: 5-2 and 8-1

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Since the Gulfstream Park Turf was recast as the Pegasus World Cup Turf, Chad Brown has won it twice: with Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar in 2019 and Spirit of St Louis in 2025. Brown looks strong for the repeat in 2026, this time with Program Trading. Though he has been defeated in all three of his starts since a long layoff, he came close in his first two and then had late trouble in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Not only is this a class drop, but it is a stretch out to the distance at which he is already a two-time Grade 1 winner. The race has some speed, though not an overwhelming amount, meaning his tactical pace should play well. And, perhaps best of all, jockey Flavien Prat keeps the faith.

Speed plays well on the Gulfstream lawn. And, though there are a handful who can track in range, Cabo Spirit is the controlling speed in the race. Though he has to prove he can handle Gulfstream—he’s a California horse spreading his wings a bit here—speed is his major weapon, and he sets the base virtually every time he runs. He can dig in if he is forced to stalk instead, as he did in the Shoemaker (G1) last year, suggesting he has some class and adaptability. But, he has his best shot here if Mike Smith does with him in the Pegasus Turf the same thing he did in the San Gabriel last out: hit the gas and dare the rest to catch him.

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