Six millionaires, four Grade 1 winners and a trio of Hall of Fame trainers chasing history ensure Saturday’s Pegasus World Cup Turf will once again stand as one of the most compelling grass races of the winter at Gulfstream Park. The $1 million Grade 1 contest, run over 1⅛ miles, brings together proven American stars, accomplished international runners and rising talents eager to measure themselves at the top level.
Introduced in 2019, the Pegasus World Cup Turf has quickly built a roll of honour befitting its purse. Bricks and Mortar, Warm Heart and dual winner Colonel Liam have all left their mark, and this year’s eighth running promises to add another high-class name to that list. It sits prominently on a blockbuster card featuring 10 stakes races worth $5.675 million, headlined by the $3 million Pegasus World Cup on dirt.
Post time for the first of 13 races is 11 a.m. ET, with the Pegasus World Cup Turf scheduled as Race 12 at 4:54 p.m. ET. NBC will carry live national coverage during the latter stages of the program.
Pegasus World Cup Turf: Depth, Class and Proven Winners
Trainer Graham Motion seeks his first victory in the Pegasus World Cup Turf and saddles a formidable pair in Test Score and One Stripe. Amerman Racing’s homebred Test Score enjoyed a breakout campaign last season, capturing the Belmont Derby (G1) among three graded wins and earning more than $1.3 million. Consistent throughout the year and never beaten far, the classy four-year-old now takes on older rivals for the first time.
Stablemate One Stripe brings international credentials. A dual Group 1 winner in South Africa, he has been gradually finding his footing in North America and arrives off a confidence-boosting allowance victory over the Gulfstream turf in December.
Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey is also double-handed as he hunts a first Pegasus Turf success. Millionaire Fort Washington, a Grade 1 winner of the Arlington Million, returns fresh after a brief layoff, while Cugino comes in razor-sharp following a narrow second in the Fort Lauderdale (G3), the traditional local prep for this race.
The likely favourite is Chad Brown’s Program Trading, a three-time Grade 1 winner whose résumé includes elite performances on both sides of the Atlantic. Lightly raced and immensely talented, the six-year-old has finished first or second in eight of 10 starts and represents formidable opposition if back to his best.
Mike Maker and Todd Pletcher both bid to become the first trainer to win the Pegasus Turf three times. Maker relies on the durable Chasing the Crown, unlucky in defeat in last year’s renewal, while Pletcher sends out Major Dude, a model of consistency who tends to produce his best when fresh.
Depth is further enhanced by proven graded performers Cabo Spirit, Call Sign Seven, Almendares, Astronomer and Beach Gold, each bringing a different profile and running style to a field where tactical speed and finishing punch will be at a premium.
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