The Pegasus World Cup – Grade I
GP Race #14 1 1/8m Dirt Graded Stake
Purse $3,000.000 For Four Year Olds And Upward.
This series or World Cup Races is just what we need to shake Christmas from our stables and this race brings together a stellar field to wet the appetite for 2026. With 14 runners the draw will play its part with some looking for a suicidal pace to bring their closers into it and others hoping for a soft lead to see their on pacers home. Here is the field for another world cup from America that is a world cup in name only.
1 Star Vault Mb Stables Centeno D E 124
We start the field off with the ace draw and the fairly lightly raced five-year-old from Mb Stables. One big thing we know about this one is that it handles an off track and with the weather unpredictable at this time of year it could turn out to be an important trait. Last time out this one ploughed through the muddy conditions to take the Cigar Handicap in impressive fashion, a form line which may be questionable with the weather conditions that day but only if todays track is fast. With the stable mate drawn in the car park I do wonder whether one of the other stable runners will be going hard to give them their best chance so you have to take that gamble if you decide to take odds on this one.
2 Fried Chicken Angelos Stable Elliott S 124
The six-year-old is looking to break the $1000.000 mark in this race, and what a way it would be to achieve that if he wins this prestigious race. I have always liked this one and loved the way he came from a mile back to win the Whitney last year, but his deep closing style produced more hard luck stories than win,s and he will need all favours from this draw to find a passage through them. The gate may see him a little closer than he has been, but it is doubtful, unless the trainer jabs the gaming buttons, that he will be able to stay in the top six early on. His works are great as always, and we know that with the right speed, the right luck, and a fair wind, he can finish over the top of them, but that will be a tough ask against this quality of opposition.
3 No Real Drama Asgar Curtis B 124
He had a stellar season last yea,r winning the Preakness and PA Derby and running stylish races in defeat in the Haskell and the BEL. There is no doubt he was underrated all year, but ran very close to being the best three-year-old of the year, and you can’t ignore that. I always find the fours can struggle when coming off a big three-year-old campaign and especially at this early part of the season, before the improvement curve catches up so for now, at least I will be taking notes rather than expecting a win.
4 Charlie Jace Mb Stables Santana R Jr 124
The second stable runner, he is certainly more accomplished than the inside runner and with the stable entries in an order which may make the champion trainer a little frustrated he may be one of the three that represents the best value. He was only beaten a length in the BC Classic and had previously won the grade one Woodward so it is safe to assume that he is up to winning this and with a more conducive running style, from a decent draw, I do like his chances. His works have been sharp after the BC so we may be seeing that five-year-old magic occurring and if he has improved even a little, I can see him being at least the stable pick today.
5 General Zod Royalty Stables Ortiz I Jr 124
This versatile entire went from the BC Sprint to winning the grade two Clark in the space of 27 days so one can safely assume that he is as effective over this nine furlongs as he is over six. He went on speed and lasted home strongly that day but this race will be tougher to get the front and his race may be decided by how the first four furlongs is run. I think he may be a little under rated coming into this as he was making his mark as a sprinter last year but he has a good route record and I think he could be a dark horse here.
6 All Take Alydar Stables Zayas E J 124
The seven-year-old went on a stellar winning rampage at this time last year, rekindling his old form and looking like he was going to march all the way to BC success. Though the winning streak came to an end and he could only finish seventh in the BC there is no doubt that he is an early-season type and that can be important when we are looking for tiny advantages. His works suggest he has lost no sparkle in turning seven and if yoy are looking for one to upset the apple cart it could be him.
7 Fawkes Delta Farms Pennington F 124
The three-year-old that broke his maiden in the Wood Memorial and went on to a thrilling win from an impossible draw in the BC Classic will be many peoples favourite to make a winning start to his season. It wasn’t all sunshine and roses for him, though, as he failed in the KYD and the Preakness and though he won the Haskell could only finish third in the PA Derby. We have got used to those sorts of inconsistencies in form here at HRP and are left with the usual puzzle as to whose turn is it is today but he is one of the top chances, of that there is no doubt.
8 Without Warning TwinTowersRacing Geroux F 124
Well, I usually talk about this stable’s runners in terms of shock winners but this admirable four-year-old is certainly no outsider in this field. Only beaten a half length in the BC Classic from a draw as tough as the one he faces today, he was also just beaten in the BEL when a head second. On his day he is good enough to beat this field but like the other four-year-olds, that do tend to have a slight disadvantage at this time of year, I am putting him on my watch list today as one for the future.
9 Quiet Return John Henry Bridgmohan S X 124
Who can believe this one has turned six years old. It seems only yesterday he was coming from the car park to win the KYD and here he is heading into the twilight years of his stellar career. In truth, at times, it has been a tough watch as he fell out of form only to have a resurgence as a sprinter and then returned to be a dual grade one winning router last season. If you look at his career, even if you only concentrate on the BC you can see just how unreal it has been. The winner of the BC Juvenile on the turf over a mile and sixteenth, he was then beaten a nose in the BC Classic over a mile and a quarter and then last year he was back to the BC in the BC Sprint over six furlongs and ran a head third. Crazy good or just crazy HRP, well we have come to accept that is one and the same. He wasn’t at his best when taking on the BC Classic last year, even though he was made the favourite after two grade one wins, eventually finishing eighth. I am not sure where to place him in the finish for this race, he could easily win or he could languish in mid pack so take your pick as to which one it will be because I can’t be confident about either.
10 Berlin The Sidley Stud Lopez P 124
Make no bones, this eight-year-old has been one serious race horse winning 12 races for nearly $4000.000 in prize money. He was beaten a neck into third in last years BC Classic and had a great year winning the CT Classic along the way so on form alone he is a big contender. The question mark is can we trust that at eight he still retains that sort of ability? Well, the 1.13 and 4b public work he had in December says no but I have a sneaking suspicion that this top trainer has been giving him a long rest since his last start in November 2025 and that may have been his first work for a while. He could well go and win today but I am always wary of the older horses when they throw a work like that so today, I will be watching and hoping there are some more miles on the clock.
11 Eight West Party TwinTowersRacing Franco M 124
Well, I am totally thrown again as the stable saddles their second runner and it is another big chance. The winner of the BC Dirt Mile last time and an encouraging work in December suggests this late blooming eight-year-old is still ready to give them something to think about. Beaten a length when third in the Whitney over this trip he has proven class and as we have seen he is not far off the best if produced on song today. He stalked from gate 12 to win the BC Mile last time so will need the same sort of trip from todays gate and whilst it may be unlikely that lightening strikes twice, he has proven he can do it.
12 Doc Rivers D J C Racing Stables Rodriguez Jam 124
The thing I love about this stable is that they give a horse every chance at proving themselves great. This five-year-old had a fairly consistent year last year and as a four-year-old can be expected to improve a bit this year especially if he finds some of the five-year-old fairy dust. In truth he will need it because his form and recent works leave him needing to find a length or two but he has been given his chance today and though he has a tough gate I wouldn’t rule him out.
13 Heart Of Genghis Night Rider Stables Carmouche K 124
Claimed from the free track he was one of the phenomena last season that saw a lot of free track winners suddenly find success in stakes race on the pay side. When he took the Woodward last season and was handed a great draw in the BC Dirt Mile it looked like one of those free track types would win the ultimate prize but he got buried at the back that day and never got in a shot. His best efforts came with him coming from off the pace so this wide draw isn’t so much of a hindrance as long as the pace is strong and there seems no reason why he can’t take another giant leap after running for claims at free level.
14 Extreme Jet Mb Stables Velazquez J R 124
Many felt after this one took two legs of the triple crown last year that his run in the Preakness proved no horse would ever win the TC. He won the KYD in the wet and the BEL in the dry both times coming with a swooping late run to blaze home to glory. So, what happened in the Preakness? Well for some reason he more or less stalked a fast pace, one that would’ve certainly seen a repeat of his late runs in the KYD and BEL but ended up with him tiring from his early effort. To this day I am mystified about that run but he used a similar tactic to win the Travers, which further muddied the form pundits waters and the TC remains un won.
Beaten just a head by Fawkes in the BC Classic he will be one of the favorites for this race despite his car park draw but I do wonder whether that draw may actually work in his favor. If the pace is forced we could see a late run, like those we saw in the TC and if that eventuates there is no better finisher than this one.
SUMMARY
Well, we have the two winners of the three legs on the TC here, as well as the first six home in the BC classic and the BC Mile winner so you really don’t get a better field than this. The result however is never as straight forward as to who is the best overall because just about any of this field has winning claims it is more about the timing of the race, the conditions its run in and the early pace and tactical positioning with regards to that pace.
So, first things first, timing. Four-year-olds very often do not have an all-conquering three-year-old season and then come straight out and win a race like this in January unless they are the types whose improvement curve moves early. You can see from works that they struggle to match the older horses but that can often be misleading depending on the other factors which is where the other points I made come in. The weather will play a part so that’s the second factor, if it’s wet then half the field will have no chance, so be sure to check the weather before having a bet. Finally, pace, which may be the key thing, especially when compared to the draw. With a fast early pace, we often see leaders coming back to the field and back markers closing hard. Traffic is the only leveller when this happens and very often a wide drawn horse can run down the wide outside, avoiding all the weakening horses and grab the win.
So, to pick our winner here we will have to take all those things into account. I feel the ex three-year-old with the best chance in the speed maps I can see is Extreme Jet. If he is ridden back, I can see him coming fast and wide to take the win in spite of his age disadvantage. If the pace is more average and even then, that would bring on pace horses into it and in that case, Fawkes would certainly have his best chance.
All that said I still shy away from four-year-olds at this time of year and tend to look at the older horses and with that in mind my selections for top three would be Charlie Jace, General Zod and All Take. They are all proven, drawn well and working strongly.
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES