Pegasus World Cup 2023: Cyberknife is sharp for career finale
There is no better day for betting Gulfstream Park than Saturday, January 28 for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1)! Twelve horses, plus two also-eligible entrants, are ready to race in one of the most important races of the year. With a distance that draws both milers and Classic horses, the race is truly a showdown of the older-horse dirt route division!
Though the race is one of horse racing’s newest traditions, first run in 2017, the winner’s list is already a who’s who of the modern horse racing greats! Horses like Arrogate, Gun Runner, Knicks Go, and Life Is Good have already won the Pegasus World Cup. Though Life Is Good does not return to defend his title, he will no doubt have a worthy successor this year.
Who will add his name to the list, and what is the best place to get in on the betting action? Keep reading to find out!
Betting the 2023 Pegasus World Cup Online
Before you start to handicap the Pegasus World Cup, is it important to make your account on the best online racebook. This make sure that you will have the best experience and the best profits in both the Pegasus and races in the future. Our online racebook reviews will help you make an educated and profitable decision quickly!
All of our expert-endorsed racebooks have the basics for a great experience: market-leading odds, a great user interface, and trustworthy money management features. In addition, or experts know which racebook bonuses pay the most for your betting style! These incentives include sign-up and deposit bonuses, referral benefits, and horse racing rebates that can put hundreds or thousands of dollars in your pocket!
The Best Online Racebooks
These are the best sportsbooks for playing the 2023 Pegasus World Cup:
Pegasus World Cup 2023 Field
This is the official field for the 2023 Pegasus World Cup including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning lines:
- Proxy (Michael Stidham/Joel Rosario) - 9/2
- Simplification (Antonio Sano/Paco Lopez) - 15/1
- Ridin with Biden (Robert Reid/Emisael Jaramillo) - 20/1
- White Abarrio (Saffie Joseph, Jr./Tyler Gaffalione) - 10/1
- Defunded (Bob Baffert/Irad Ortiz) - 6/1
- Art Collector (Bill Mott/Junior Alvarado) - 10/1
- Skippylongstocking (Saffie Joseph, Jr./Jose Ortiz) - 5/1
- Get Her Number (Peter Miller/Luis Saez) - 15/1
- Last Samurai (D. Wayne Lukas/Frankie Dettori) - 20/1
- Cyberknife (Brad Cox/Florent Geroux) - 5/2
- Stilleto Boy (Ed Moger, Jr./Mike Smith) - 30/1
- O’Connor (Saffie Joseph, Jr./Javier Castellano) - 10/1
- Hoist the Gold (Dallas Stewart/Brian Hernandez, Jr.) - Also Eligible
- Endorsed (Michael Maker/Julien Leparoux) - Also Eligible
Keep in mind that these morning line odds are just the Gulfstream Park handicapper’s best estimation of the odds on each horse. At the track, you cannot know your price until after the race starts. Your better bet is to play the race online, where you can lock in your odds at the time you make your wager.
These are the Pegasus World Cup odds at the top of the market.
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyberknife | +175 | +175 | +175 |
| Defunded | +500 | +500 | +500 |
| Proxy | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Art Collector | +700 | +700 | +700 |
| Skippylongstocking | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| White Abarrio | +800 | +800 | +800 |
Pegasus World Cup Handicapping
Now that you have set up your account at a trusted online sportsbook, these are the top contenders for the 2023 Pegasus World Cup.
Pegasus World Cup Favorites
Though some races are known to be friendly to long shots, favorites tend to run extremely well in the Pegasus World Cup. In fact, every Pegasus winner has been either the favorite or the second favorite on the tote board.
Cyberknife will probably be the favorite, and his form backs it up. Though he ran an excellent second to true miler Cody’s Wish in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), Cyberknife is a two-time Grade 1 winner at the same 1 ⅛ miles of the Pegasus. With tactical speed and the ability to run his race at multiple tracks, expect Cyberknife to finish his career on a winning note.
Skippylongstocking also merits a good look in the Pegasus. He has never looked better than he did when he won the Harlan’s Holiday (G3), the local prep race for the Pegasus. He loves Gulfstream, he can work another good stalking trip, and he has already won a graded stakes at the same 1 ⅛-mile distance as the Pegasus World Cup.
Take a shot against Defunded. Though he may take some betting interest, he is not yet proven against as deep a field as he faces in the Pegasus, and he may have a tough time up front with the likes of Art Collector to battle with early. With such good horses lying in wait, it’ll be tough for him to stick around.
Pegasus World Cup Value and Exotic Horses
Fortunately, even though favorites tend to win the Pegasus, value horses do often find their way into the exotics, with double-digit longshots frequently finishing second or third in the race.
White Abarrio comes into the race off of a third-place finish in the Cigar Mile (G1). Though that leaves him with tables to turn on Pegasus longshot Get Her Number, White Abarrio should do much better with the stretch out to two turns. He should also love the move back to Gulfstream; as he won the Florida Derby over this course and distance last year.
Proxy snapped a run of underneath finishes in stakes company with a victory in the Clark (G1) at Churchill back in November. This is a deeper field, suggesting that Proxy may return to his underneath ways again. But, the distance suits, and he has snagged several shares against fields of this approximate quality. Expect this consistent horse to do so again.
We cannot depend on Stilleto Boy to win, but he has built his entire career on snagging underneath shares as a longshot. He did that in the Pegasus last year, chasing on for third behind Life Is Good and Knicks Go. He looks strong coming into the Pegasus again, and if he brings one of his better races he should be able to fill in the lower fringes of a trifecta or superfecta again.
2023 Pegasus World Cup Free Picks
Now that you know where and how to bet the race online, here are the best bets for Saturday’s 2023 Pegasus World Cup:
- $20 to win - #10 Cyberknife
- $1 exacta key - #10 Cyberknife with #4 White Abarrio, #7 Skippylongstocking
- $0.50 trifecta key - #10 Cyberknife with #1 Proxy, #4 White Abarrio, #7 Skippylongstocking
- $0.20 superfecta - #10 Cyberknife with #1 Proxy, #4 White Abarrio, #7 Skippylongstocking, #11 Stilleto Boy
Pegasus World Cup Post Time
Post time for the 2023 Pegasus World Cup is scheduled for 5:40pm Eastern, 2:40pm Pacific, on Saturday, January 28. It will be run as the 13th and final race on Saturday’s Gulfstream Park card.
