The Pegasus World Cup (G1) is the first important event offering quality horse racing odds of 2022 for the older dirt route division! The one and one eighth-mile race is scheduled for Saturday, January 29 at Gulfstream Park, and it drew a field of nine runners. The purse is one of the richest of the American horse racing year: $3 million!
The Pegasus World Cup has been run since 2017 and is named after the 100-foot tall Pegasus and Dragon statue that looms over the racetrack. Greats like Gun Runner and Arrogate have won the race in its short history. Knicks Go, who won the race in 2021, will try to become its first two-time winner before he retires to stud at Taylor Made Farm immediately after the race.
Can he repeat? Who are his toughest contenders? Let’s find out!
This is the official field for the 2022 Pegasus World Cup including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
The morning line is Gulfstream Park’s best guess about what the odds will look like come post time. However, if you bet the race at the track, you will not be guaranteed the best Vegas odds. Your best bet is to make an account at a trusted online sportsbook that allows you to lock in true Vegas odds the moment you place your wager.
 |  |  |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Knicks Go | +125 | -130 | +125 |
| Life Is Good | +135 | +150 | +135 |
| Chess Chief | +1600 | +3300 | +1600 |
| Sir Winston | +1600 | +2800 | +1400 |
| Stilleto Boy | +2000 | +2000 | +2500 |
| Endorsed | +2200 | +2800 | +2500 |
It used to be that you had to go to Las Vegas, or to a casino, to lock in the best odds when you bet a horse. Not anymore! You can now get the best odds from home, or anywhere with an internet connection. Online sportsbooks put Las Vegas into the palm of your hand!
There are many choices for online sportsbooks, so choosing one can feel daunting at first. Our expert guide to online sportsbooks gives you the information you need to pick the right site for you! Our online betting experts have done their homework, and can show you which trusted online sportsbook gives you real Vegas odds and the most profitable bonuses for your betting style.
Once you have created your online betting account, it’s time to get handicapped. Let’s get to know the best horses in the 2022 Pegasus World Cup.
Short-priced horses typically win the Pegasus World Cup; it has only ever been won by the betting favorite or second favorite. Two horses stand to dominate the betting in the 2022 Pegasus World Cup.
Take a stand against the favorite, #1 Knicks Go. Though he won the race last year and bears good form into the race, he is mired on the rail inside #4 Life Is Good — a horse who not only has the class, but also has sharp miler-type speed. Running into that kind of speed too early in the race has been Knicks Go’s kryptonite before. And, he is a feast-or-famine type horse: when he does not win, he typically runs off the board.
Instead, back to the second favorite, Life Is Good. In six starts he has never run a bad race, and he comes out of a score in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, the source of two of the last three Pegasus World Cup winners. Though he has not tried a mile and an eighth yet, he has the pedigree to make that possible, especially with his speed so likely to carry beautifully at Gulfstream Park.
Even though shorter-priced horses usually win the Pegasus, a longer shot has always hit the board: at least one of the top three horses in the Pegasus World Cup has always been 10/1 or more on the tote, and there are instances in which two of the top three have been such longshots. This year, it is likely for a pair of longshots to complete the exacta, trifecta, and superfecta underneath Life Is Good.
#8 Endorsed has done most of his work over sprint distances, but has run second in stakes races at Saratoga both times he tried the mile and an eighth distance. He has never missed the board in four starts at Gulfstream Park, and he has the ability to show tactical speed, something that should keep him involved for a piece of the Pegasus all the way around.
#3 Stilleto Boy was one of the unsung heroes of the three-year-old class of 2021. Though his biggest win came in the Iowa Derby, he hit the board in a pair of Grade 1 races out west after that, including the Awesome Again (G1) at a mile and an eighth. He has enough speed to think Gulfstream Park will suit him, and is consistent enough to run in the money again.
#5 Empty Tomb rounds out the group of the most interesting longshots in the Pegasus. Though his winning efforts tend to come when he makes the lead, something he will not likely do against the favorites, he can run in the money from off the pace. He gets high-percentage local rider Paco Lopez in the irons, and the mile and an eighth suits perfectly, as he has hit the board in five of seven tries over the trip.
Here are your best bets for the 2022 Pegasus World Cup!
