The handicap division begins in earnest with the 2023 Pegasus World Cup (G1) at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, January 28! This $3 million race drew a field of 12 of the best handicap-division stars heading into this season, as well as two also-eligible entrants who will get spots in the field if anyone scratches.
The Pegasus World Cup is one of the most important horse race betting events of the year! Though the tradition only began in 2017, its winners’ list already reads as a list of modern greats: Arrogate, Gun Runner, Knicks Go, and Life Is Good have won the race in its short but illustrious history.
Who will join them on this list in 2023? Keep reading to find out, and to see the best places to bet the Pegasus World Cup online!
As fun as it would be to travel to Florida for the Pegasus World Cup, we cannot all make it there. Fortunately, you can avoid the crowds and enjoy the best betting experience from wherever you are by betting the Pegasus World Cup online! All you have to do is create your account at one of the best online sportsbooks, and you’ll be on your way.
Every sportsbook our experts recommend offers what you need: a great user interface, market-leading odds, and trustworthy deposit and cash-out features. They also offer lucrative Pegasus World Cup betting bonuses like rebates, referral incentives, and sign-up benefits. Take a few minutes now to find the best one for your betting style, and enjoy hundreds or even thousands of dollars in bonuses as you bet!
This is the official field for the 2023 Pegasus World Cup including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
Remember that the morning line is just the racetrack’s best guess about the post time odds. Your best bet is to play the race at an online sportsbook. Top online sportsbooks give you the advantage of fixed-odds betting. That way, when you see a great price on your Pegasus horse, you can lock it in by placing a bet, instead of waiting until post time to know your odds.
Betting the Pegasus World Cup online gives you an advantage, so make sure to watch the odds and get ready to place your bets!
 |  |  |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberknife | +175 | +175 | +150 |
| Defunded | +500 | +500 | +375 |
| Proxy | +600 | +600 | +500 |
| Art Collector | +700 | +700 | +600 |
| Skippylongstocking | +750 | +750 | +700 |
| White Abarrio | +800 | +800 | +750 |
Now that you know the best places to bet the Pegasus World Cup online, it is time to get to know the horses in the field.
Well-bet horses typically win the Pegasus: in fact, no horse who was not either the first or second betting choice has ever won the race. This year looks like more of the same, as Cyberknife will be favored and he also looks like the real goods.
Cyberknife ran well in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, a great source of Pegasus winners, but the 1 ⅛-mile distance of the Pegasus suits him even better. He has the tactical speed to succeed at Gulfstream, and his trainer Brad Cox has already won a Pegasus World Cup. He is an in-form horse who fits the profile well.
Skippylongstocking also shapes as a top contender for the race. He has never looked better than he did winning the Harlan’s Holiday (G3), the local prep for the Pegasus, and he has already proven he can win at 1 ⅛ miles. He has tactical speed and strong Gulfstream Park form, and should be primed for a big four-year-old season.
White Abarrio is already a Grade 1 winner at 1 ⅛ miles at Gulfstream, winning the Florida Derby in 2022. Though he has tables to turn on Get Her Number from the Cigar Mile last out, the extra distance and the switch to White Abarrio’s home track of Gulfstream Park should move the eye-catching grey horse forward. He should find a way to the exotics.
Proxy snapped a long streak of only finishing underneath in stakes races with a win in the Clark in November. Though this is a deeper field, something that may relegate Proxy back to his pattern of finishing underneath, he should be able to run well enough for a piece. He can take his form to different tracks, and is tactical enough not to be left with too much to do.
Stilleto Boy has built an entire career on being a tactically versatile long shot who outruns his price and gets pieces in big races.No race has been bigger than the 2022 Pegasus World Cup, where he finished third behind Life Is Good and Knicks Go. Though a win would be a surprise, his consistency and his one race over the local course are enough to endorse him for the exotics again.
Once you have made your accounts on the best online racebooks and taken a look at the contenders, here are the bets to make on the biggest race of the year.
About the Author
For a decade, Rowan Ward has been making horse race predictions and wagers in Chicago, and has been writing about horse racing for nearly just as long. Understanding the various factors that influence a race's outcome, they often find that the age-old saying "the pace makes the race" can uncover worthwhile betting opportunities. When it comes to handicapping, their favorite races are those held locally in Chicago, major stake races across the country, and two-year-old maiden races with intriguing bloodlines.
Read Rowan's ProfileAsk Rowan about this guide:
