Rowan Ward
The best handicap horses in the country line up Saturday, January 29 at Gulfstream Park for the Pegasus World Cup! The race covers a mile and an eighth on the dirt track at Gulfstream Park, and a field of nine will be fighting for one of the biggest purses of the American horse racing year: $3 million!
Originally known as the Donn Handicap, the race became the Pegasus World Cup in 2017, after the installation of a 100-foot-tall Pegasus statue at Gulfstream Park. Since becoming the Pegasus, it has been won by top-class horses like Arrogate and Gun Runner. 2021 winner Knicks Go, who also won the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2021, will be favored to become the first ever repeat winner.
Where to Bet the Pegasus World Cup
Though it is important to pick a winner in the Pegasus World Cup it is also important to bet the Pegasus World Cup online at the right place. Though there are many online sportsbooks to choose from, our betting experts can help you find the right one. Their insight on the top online sportsbooks can help you make a quick, confident, and profitable choice!
Every sportsbook we represent has the basics of a great online betting site: a smooth user experience, trusted deposit and cash-out features, and real Vegas odds. Many also offer great online betting apps, and they also offer a range of lucrative bonuses and incentives, so our expert analysis can help you choose the sportsbook with the best bonus for the way you like to bet. Then, just sign up!
The Best Online Racebooks
Take the time now to learn about the best sportsbook sign-up bonuses in the business. Once you’ve signed up for one or more sportsbooks that give you what you want, get ready to have a profitable weekend betting the Pegasus World Cup!
Pegasus World Cup Horses and Odds
This is the official field for the 2022 Pegasus World Cup including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
- Knicks Go (Brad Cox/Joel Rosario) – 6/5
- Chess Chief (Dallas Stewart/Reylu Gutierrez) – 10/1
- Stilleto Boy (Ed Moger, Jr./Kent Desormeaux) – 20/1
- Life Is Good (Todd Pletcher/Irad Ortiz, Jr.) – 7/5
- Empty Tomb (Robert Falcone, Jr./Paco Lopez) – 20/1
- Sir Winston (Mark Casse/Edwin Gonzalez) – 12/1
- Title Ready (Dallas Stewart/Tyler Gaffalione) – 20/1
- Endorsed (Mike Maker/Umberto Rispoli) – 20/1
- Commandeer (James Toner/Julien Leparoux) – 30/1
On track, odds will fluctuate until the moment horses spring out of the gate. Fortunately, if you bet the race at an online sportsbook, you can lock in your odds the moment you bet. That way, if you see appealing odds on a horse you think can win the race, you can make sure that you get the best odds no matter how the betting unfolds later.
 |  |  |
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| Knicks Go | +125 | -130 | +125 |
| Life Is Good | +135 | +150 | +135 |
| Chess Chief | +1600 | +3300 | +1600 |
| Sir Winston | +1600 | +2800 | +1400 |
| Stilleto Boy | +2000 | +2000 | +2500 |
| Endorsed | +2200 | +2800 | +2500 |
Free Pegasus World Cup Picks
Now that you have your account at a great online sportsbook, you are ready to handicap the 2022 Pegasus World Cup!
Pegasus World Cup Favorites
#1 Knicks Go will be the favorite in the Pegasus World Cup. He won the race last year, so he has already shown that he can go a mile and an eighth at Gulfstream well. And, he comes in from the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which is typically one of the live Pegasus World Cup prep races.
However, Knicks Go is a feast-or-famine kind of horse: he typically either wins or runs off the board. And, last year in the Met Mile (G1), he got into trouble when he was confronted early by other speed.
Even with speed being so good at Gulfstream, Knicks Go will have his hands full with #4 Life Is Good, likely the second choice on the board. Life is Good drew better than Knicks Go, and should get the tactical advantage. He has true miler speed, and comes in from another live Pegasus prep race, the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Life Is Good has never run a bad race, and he has the speed and the tools to upend the favorite in the Pegasus World Cup.
Intriguing Price Horses
Though longshots have not yet won the Pegasus, there is always one horse (and sometimes two!) who finish in the top three at double-digit odds.
#8 Endorsed gets a class test here, but there are several reasons he can run well enough to get a piece of the money. Though he has mostly been sprinting, his two mile and an eighth tries both resulted in money finishes in stakes at Saratoga. He has tactical speed, and has never run off the board in four tries at Gulfstream Park.
#3 Stilleto Boy was the plucky three-year-old of last year who kept showing up in big races and kept getting pieces underneath top-level horses. He has tactical speed, and though he won’t outjump Knicks Go or Life Is Good, he should be close. Though he has never run at Gulfstream, he is consistent enough to be able to run well at many tracks, and his running style suits Gulfstream well.
#5 Empty Tomb is another who has speed, though not quite the speed of the two favorites. Even so, he can keep on when close to the pace, a style that should produce good effects at Gulfstream. He also gets Paco Lopez in the irons; Lopez is a high-percentage jockey with a lot of experience winning races at Gulfstream Park. He has also hit the board in five of seven races at a mile and an eighth.
Pegasus World Cup Free Picks
Now that you know the best horse racing betting sites and how to bet the race online, here are the best bets for Saturday’s 2022 Pegasus World Cup:
- $20 to win – #4 Life Is Good
- $1 exacta key – #4 Life Is Good with #8 Endorsed and #3 Stilleto Boy
- $0.50 trifecta key – #4 Life Is Good with #8 Endorsed, #3 Stilleto Boy, #5 Empty Tomb
- $0.20 superfecta – #4 Life Is Good with #8 Endorsed, #3 Stilleto Boy, #5 Empty Tomb
