Pegasus World Cup 2025: Stronghold can score signature win

Rowan Ward
By , Updated on: Jan 21, 2025 12:00 AM
Pegasus World Cup Stronghold signature win

The dirt racing season for older horses gets real Saturday, January 27 with the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park. The race goes 1 ⅛ miles on the dirt course, and it drew a full field of exciting runners ready to jump to the lead in the division. It is also one of the best horse racing betting opportunities of the year, with such a big field of classy horses.

The Pegasus is one of the newest traditions in horse racing, with it being run for just the ninth time this year. However, it has already been won by some of the biggest names in the sport including Arrogate, Gun Runner, Knicks Go, and National Treasure. Who will join this list of illustrious winners?

Stronghold To win the Pegasus World Cup
Bovada
+1000

Keep reading to find out, and to see where to bet one of the most exciting events of the winter season!

Pegasus World Cup Field

This is the official field for the 2025 Pegasus World Cup including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:

  1. Mixto (Doug O’Neill / Frankie Dettori) - 10/1
  2. Saudi Crown (Brad Cox / Florent Geroux) - 9/2
  3. Newgrange (Jose D’Angelo / Emisael Jaramillo) - 20/1
  4. White Abarrio (Saffie Joseph, Jr. / Irad Ortiz, Jr.) - 3/1
  5. Crupi (Todd Pletcher / Luis Saez) - 15/1
  6. Stronghold (Phil D’Amato / Antonio Fresu) - 10/1
  7. Steal Sunshine (Bobby DiBona / Dylan Davis) - 30/1
  8. Vitality (Harold Ladouceur / Rajiv Maragh) - 50/1
  9. Mystik Dan (Kenny McPeek / Brian Hernandez, Jr.) - 8/1
  10. Skippylongstocking (Saffie Joseph, Jr. / Tyler Gaffalione) - 10/1
  11. Locked (Todd Pletcher / John Velazquez) - 5/2
  12. Power Squeeze (Jorge Delgado / Javier Castellano) - 30/1

The morning line can be a good guide to which horses are excited to take money or not. However, it is not a guarantee of a price on track. Maximize your betting profits by wagering on the Pegasus World Cup online. By betting online you can lock in your wager just by placing a bet, and then watch the race with full confidence of what you’ll win when your horse crosses the finish first!

These are the Pegasus World Cup odds for horses at the top of the market:

BovadaBetOnlineBetUS
Locked+250+250+250
White Abarrio+300+300+300
Saudi Crown+450+450+450
Mystik Dan+800+800+800
Mixto+1000+1000+1000
Skippylongstocking+1000+1000+1000
Stronghold+1000+1000+1000

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Pegasus World Cup Handicapping

With your betting account at the ready, it is time to: meet the field and pick the winner of the 2025 Pegasus World Cup!

Pegasus World Cup Favorites

The betting favorite in the Pegasus World Cup will likely be Locked, but he is worth betting against. He comes in off a good win in the Cigar Mile (G2), but he has never stretched out to 1 ⅛ miles. He also has to deal with a near-outside gate, which can prove tricky at Gulfstream Park. In short, the betting value is elsewhere.

White Abarrio, the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner, is on the upswing. He won an allowance two back, and though he was defeated in the Mr. Prospector (G3), that happened after a bad start and it was only a seven-furlong race. He drew well in the Pegasus, and a good start can get him a good tracking trip.

Saudi Crown also deserves a look in the Pegasus. The gate near the inside may be a little tricky, but if he can come away well he looks like the speed of the speed. At Gulfstream Park, especially from a decent non-outside post, that is a good place to be. Though he disappointed in the Breeders’ Cup, a prep at Fair Grounds built confidence and if he is on his best, he is a big threat.

Pegasus World Cup Best Bet

The best bet in the Pegasus World Cup is Stronghold. He comes off a good second in the Malibu (G1), a seven-furlong race, behind a serious sprinter. Though he faces older for the first time in this, he is in good enough form to face the challenge. He has good tactical speed, he drew a nice middle gate, and he is already a top-level winner at 1 ⅛ miles. This adds up to a real contender.

Stronghold To win the Pegasus World Cup
BetOnline
+1000

Pegasus World Cup Exotics Horses

You know what you’re going to get with Crupi. He is a closer. He usually doesn’t get all the way there unless there is a collapse, or he just outclasses the field. But, no matter what, he makes his run. He did that in the Pegasus last year, finishing third, and there is no reason that he shouldn’t be able to make a similar run again.

Power Squeeze is another who can invade the exotics. She has to handle a rough outside gate, but at the price there is enough upside to be forgiving about that, especially since she has tactical speed. She ran a great race last out at one turn over the local course, finishing second but beating Soul of an Angel, but all her graded-stakes wins have come over two-turn trips. That suggests upside over this course she knows well.

Free Pegasus World Cup Picks

These are your free expert picks for the 2025 Pegasus World Cup:

  • $10 to win/place - #6 Stronghold
  • $1 exacta box - #2 Saudi Crown, #4 White Abarrio, #6 Stronghold
  • $0.50 trifecta key - #6 Stronghold with #2 Saudi Crown, #4 White Abarrio, #5 Crupi
  • $0.20 superfecta key - #6 Stronghold with #2 Saudi Crown, #4 White Abarrio, #5 Crupi, #12 Power Squeeze
Stronghold To win the Pegasus World Cup
BetUS
+1000

Meet the author

Rowan Ward

Rowan has been a regular at the Chicago tracks for over a decade and has also been to some of the biggest racing events including the Breeders' Cup, Kentucky Derby, and Woodbine Mile. Since then their writing has appeared in their own blog and across the horse racing in...

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