Pegasus World Cup 2025: Distance, post favor Stronghold
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The year’s first top-level race for older dirt horses happens Saturday, January 25: the Pegasus World Cup (G1) at Gulfstream Park! The race drew a full field of the best horses in the country, hand-picked and invited to compete for a colossal $3 million purse. The race covers 1 ⅛ miles on the dirt, and its large, classy field ensures that it is one of the one of the best betting races at Gulfstream Park or any track all year long!
The Pegasus will be run for just the ninth time in 2025. However, even with such a short history the race already has an illustrious history. Hall of Fame inductees Arrogate and Gun Runner won it the first two years, and major horses like Knicks Go, City of Light, Life Is Good, and National Treasure have won it in the following years.
Keep reading to find out who is most likely to join this illustrious list, and to see the best places to bet the 2025 Pegasus World Cup online.
Betting the 2025 Pegasus World Cup Online
Picking a winner is important, but the first think you should do is choose the best place to bet the Pegasus World Cup online. After all, choosing the right betting site helps you build your bankroll now and for years to come. There are many online racebooks, but reading our expert racebook reviews will help you find your options and choose the best one quickly, easily, and with utmost confidence.
All of our recommended sites have market-leading odds and trusted payouts. Since each site also offers horse racing bonuses that benefit different kinds of bettors, taking a few minutes to read our reviews and find out which signup and deposit bonuses, referral incentives, and horse racing rebates will benefit you most means you can build your bankroll by hundreds or even thousands of dollars as you bet the Pegasus World Cup and more.
The Best Online Racebooks
These are the best online racebooks for playing the 2025 Pegasus World Cup:
| Rank | Racebook | Bonus | Review | Link to site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 |  | $250 Free Bet on Props + Head-to-Heads | VISIT RACEBOOK! | |
| #2 |  | 100% Sign Up Bonus - Up to $500 | VISIT RACEBOOK! | |
| #3 |  | 50% up to $1,000 + $25 Risk Free Bet + 7% Rebates | VISIT RACEBOOK! | |
| #4 |  | 50% sign-up bonus up to $1000 + 8% rebate | VISIT RACEBOOK! | |
| #5 |  | Up to 13% Weekly Loyalty Rewards | VISIT RACEBOOK! | |
| #6 |  | 50% sign-up bonus up to $250 | VISIT RACEBOOK! | |
| #7 |  | $100 Free Bet on Props + Head-to-Heads! | VISIT RACEBOOK! |
Pegasus World Cup Handicapping
Once you have created your betting account, the next step is to get to know the field for the race.
Pegasus World Cup 2025 Field
This is the official field for the 2025 Pegasus World Cup including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
- Mixto (Doug O’Neill / Frankie Dettori) - 10/1
- Saudi Crown (Brad Cox / Florent Geroux) - 9/2
- Newgrange (Jose D’Angelo / Emisael Jaramillo) - 20/1
- White Abarrio (Saffie Joseph, Jr. / Irad Ortiz, Jr.) - 3/1
- Crupi (Todd Pletcher / Luis Saez) - 15/1
- Stronghold (Phil D’Amato / Antonio Fresu) - 10/1
- Steal Sunshine (Bobby DiBona / Dylan Davis) - 30/1
- Vitality (Harold Ladouceur / Rajiv Maragh) - 50/1
- Mystik Dan (Kenny McPeek / Brian Hernandez, Jr.) - 8/1
- Skippylongstocking (Saffie Joseph, Jr. / Tyler Gaffalione) - 10/1
- Locked (Todd Pletcher / John Velazquez) - 5/2
- Power Squeeze (Jorge Delgado / Javier Castellano) - 30/1
The morning line is a useful guide to which horses are expected to take money or not as the race draws closer. However, it is no guarantee of a price at the windows. After all, if you bet at the track, prices will fluctuate until post time.
Betting the Pegasus World Cup at an online racebook is better. Since online racebooks offer fixed-odds betting on major horse races like the Pegasus World Cup, you can lock in the best price on your horse simply by placing a bet. Then, when it is time for the race, you can watch with full confidence of what you’ll be paid when you win, even if odds shorten late on track.
Pegasus World Cup Best Bet
The best bet in the Pegasus World Cup is Stronghold. Though he is facing older horses for the first time, he is a consistent horse who can take his best with him all around the country. The only time he has missed the board was in the chaotic Kentucky Derby. He is a Grade 1 winner at the Pegasus distance of 1 ⅛ miles, he has tactical speed, he can improve second off the lay, and he drew a nice middle gate.
Pegasus World Cup Favorites
Locked is the favorite for the Pegasus World Cup but there is good reason to be skeptical. Not only did he draw a difficult outside post, but he has something to prove against older horses at two turns. He comes in off of a strong win in the one-turn Cigar Mile (G2), but he has yet to ever race past 1 1/16 miles and horses in these far outer posts can struggle. He has talent, but as the favorite, he will be a serious underlay.
More appealing among those near the top of the market is White Abarrio, who looks to be rounding back into his best form. Though he was defeated in his final prep, he started slowly and was only going seven furlongs. Now he stretches out to 1 ⅛ miles, a distance at which he is a Grade 1 winner. If he breaks well from his favorable post, he should be a strong contender.
Saudi Crown also deserves a long look. Speed is good to have at Gulfstream, and Saudi Crown looks like the speed of the speed. He does his best work on the front end, and though many others can show speed, no one is quite as sharp and no one really needs the lead. So, Saudi Crown may get to the front early and run off for good.
Pegasus World Cup Exotic Horses
Crupi is a closer who has already shown he can make up some ground at Gulfstream. He isn’t a horse to lean on for the win, but he finished credibly for third last year in the Pegasus World Cup and continues to be a horse who fires regularly and keeps picking up checks against top company.
Even though she is in the outside stall, Power Squeeze has enough upside to consider as a surprise for exotics. She ran a strong race at one turn last out, narrowly missing on the win end but still beating out Soul of an Angel for place. She is well proven at Gulfstream, she is better at two turns than one, and she has the tactical speed to make the best of her challenging draw.
2025 Pegasus World Cup Free Picks
Now that you have set up your betting account and met the field, it’s time for the most fun part of all: placing your bets on the 2025 Pegasus World Cup! Here are the expert best bets on the race:
- $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
Pegasus World Cup Post Time
The scheduled post for the 2025 Pegasus World Cup is 5:40pm Eastern, 2:40pm Pacific, on Saturday, January 25. It is the 13th and last race on Gulfstream Park’s showcase card, which also features the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) and the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G2).
