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Pegasus World Cup Eclipse Award Winners 2025 Year in Review Santa Anita Opening Day Hong Kong Cup Results |
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 David Egan and Layabout after winning the 2026 W.L. McKnight Stakes (G3)
Pegasus World Cup results |
Pegasus World Cup (G1) day at Gulfstream Park was conducted under typical racing conditions for south Florida in late January with partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 80's, with the 1 1/8 mile main track rated fast and the turf course firm.
A field of 12 older horses contested the $225,000 William L. McKnight Stakes (G3) presented by Woodford Reserve Bourbon at 1 1/2 miles around 3 turns of the turf course. Knickerbocker Stakes winner Ohana Honor was sent off as the 2-1 favorite over 3-1 second choice Zverev, winner of the Boone County Stakes, and 11-2 third choice Missed the Cut, third in an allowance after finishing third in the Louisville Stakes (G3).
Jockey David Egan sent 6-1 fourth choice Layabout to the lead first time by through fractions of 22.93, 47.85, 1:12.73, 1:37.85, and 2:01.46 while pressed by 29-1 Act a Fool and stalked by 19-1 Summer Cause and 9-1 Divin Propos. Turning for home Layabout opened up a 2 1/2 length advantage and easily held off late-running 72-1 longest shot Padiddle to win by 1 1/4 lengths in 2:25.27. It was a neck back to 22-1 Balnikov third, while favorite Ohana Honor failed to rally and finished 9th beaten 9 1/4 lengths.
Left: Layabout in the winner's circle. Winning trainer Patrick Biancone said, "This is a fantastic horse. The distance we run him is his best. I said to David (Egan), ride him like we're sure that he'll stay. Don't try to finesse. Take the lead and make the other horses run, and that's what he did. He's much better when he's in front. That's why he (wears) the special goggles, because he's scared of the other horses. He's scared of everything."
Right: Layabout circles after the race. Winning jockey David Egan said, "I was able to get into a lovely rhythm and give him a nice breather at the half-mile pole. When he quickened up and changed leads at the bottom of the lane, he quickened up nice. He did lean a little bit to the rail, but he was able to fend them all off. I think the fact that I had to use a lot of gas early to hold on to the lead, at the half-mile pole I was able to just lean against him and not fully let him down until the quarter pole. In these long distance races, no matter how fast you go, if you're able to save a little bit in reserve you've got a little bit of a kick to the wire, which is crucial."
Kicking off the Saturday stakes action, the $175,000 Christophe Clement Stakes (G3) presented by Don Julio Tequila (formerly run as the La Prevoyante) featured a field of 9 older fillies and mares also going 1 1/2 miles on the turf. Jockey Club Oaks (G3) and Belmont Oaks (G1) winner Fionn was sent off as the 3-2 favorite over 5-2 second choice No Show Sammy Jo, winner of the Via Borghese Stakes after finishing second in the Long Island (G3), and 6-1 third choice Weighted Average making her stakes debut off back to back allowance wins at Churchill Downs.
Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. sent 15-1 Ayra Stark to the lead first time by through fractions of 24.76, 50.20, 1:15.05, 1:40.48, and 2:04.01 while pressed by Weighted Average and stalked by 7-1 fourth choice Speed Shopper. Ayra Stark continued to lead to the 1/8 pole by Speed Shopper under John Velazquez came through between horses to win going away by 1 3/4 lengths in 2:26.76. It was a neck back to Weighted Average third, while favorite Fionn failed to rally finishing 6th beaten 4 lengths.
Left: Speed Shopper heads to the winner's circle. Winning trainer Will Walden said, "It's kind of usually where she travels. The plan was to kind of get out of there, which Johnny did, and stick her to the rail. We drew there so we might as well stay there, and the rest was textbook. Christophe was an important in many people's lives, but he was especially important in mine. I grew up with his son, Miguel, our dads both trained at Payson Park [and] spent a lot of nights over at his house. Moreso when I started training, Christophe always looked out for the next generation. He wanted to see this sport continue and grow and he knew that the next generation was going to be the one to carry the backpack."
Right: Speed Shopper returns after the race. Winning jockey John Velazquez said, "Pretty easy, simple. Got behind the speed, which was pretty much what we wanted to do. Sat there, wanted to be careful how much I used her down the lane. It worked out perfect."
The $175,000 Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3) presented by Visit Lauderdale featured a field of 8 older horses going 1 mile around one turn of the main track. Mr. Prospector (G3) winner Knightsbridge was sent off as the 4-5 favorite over 8-5 second choice Life and Times, undefeated in 2 starts, and 13-2 third choice Nelson Avenue, second in the Forty Niner (G3) after winning the Parx Dirt Mile.
Jockey Junior Alvarado sent Knightsbridge to the lead out of the chute through an opening quarter of 23.64 while pressed by Life and Times and stalked by 26-1 Back Em Up. Life and Times gained a short lead through a half in 45.25 before Knightsbridge regained it through 3/4 in 1:09.33. Kept to task by Alvarado, Knightsbridge drew off late to win by 4 3/4 lengths over Back Em Up in 1:35.12. It was another 3 1/2 lengths back to Life and Times third.
Left: Knightsbridge heads to the winner's circle. Winning trainer Bill Mott said, "Our horse has more experience and more seasoning than [Life and Times], but that horse is obviously very talented and they wouldn't have brought him if they didn't think he was talented. Our horse was on his game today. He's had his third race in this cycle and finally up to showing what we thought he could do. He's showed signs of that before. Some of his races have been very easy wins, but today was against the better field and he drew away from them pretty handily. There's one more race here (Gulfstream Park Mile) and we'll see if that's on the docket for him."
Right: Knightsbridge in the post parade. Winning jockey Junior Alvarado said, "We've always thought very high of him. He was running every five, six, seven, eight months. Now it's getting where he's running more often. He showed up today. He ran a very good race today." My horse was traveling beautifully, and I could see the horse on my inside was kind of struggling. I was always very happy with what I had underneath me and when I asked him, [I thought] he should be able to put him away, and he did today."
A field of 11 older fillies and mares contested the $225,000 Inside Information Stakes (G2) presented by MyRacehorse at 7 furlongs on the main track. Grand Job, winless since an allowance in March at Gulfstream but last of 8th at a Churchill allowance last out, was sent off as the 2-1 favorite over 7-2 second choice Jody's Pride, 9th in the First Lady (G1) after finishing third in the Ladies Turf Sprint (G2), and 5-1 third choice Sterling Silver, winner of the Iroquois at Aqueduct and Rampart at Gulfstream.
Jody's Pride was quickest away through an opening quarter of 22.63 before jockey Junior Alvarado moved Grand Job to lead through a half in 45.06. Into the lane Grand Job opened up a 2 1/2 length advantage through 3/4 in 1:09.22, and drew off to win by 2 3/4 lengths over late-running Sterling Silver in 1:21.41. It was another 2 3/4 lengths back to 13-1 Claret Beret third.
Left: Grand Job heads to the winner's circle. Winning trainer Bill Mott said, "We always felt she had it in her. You could see from Knightsbridge's form and her form, when they won early on, they were probably uncontested. Coming out of maidens and one-other-thans, they looked pretty good. Now that they've had time, they've looked that good against stakes quality. It was good see. It's just had to do with her development."
Right: Grand Job in the post parade. Winning jockey Junior Alvarado said, "It's been an amazing day. I've been on very live horses, good horses that I've been riding. This filly today, she's been ready for quite a while She was ready for me today, and I was just a passenger."
A field of 11 older horses contested the $175,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint Stakes presented by Seminole Hard Rock at 5 furlongs on the turf. Janus Stakes 6th place finisher Litigation was sent off as the 11-4 favorite over 3-1 second choice and last year's winner Coppola, 3rd in the Janus Stakes last out, and 4-1 third choice My Boy Prince, unraced since 10th in the Canadian International (G1) at Woodbine.
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. sent Coppola to the lead through fractions of 20.79 and 43.20 while pressed by 65-1 Sam the Sham and stalked by 24-1 Asher's Edge. In the stretch the pacesetters tired as favorite Litigation, 8th early under Mario Gutierrez, came out 7 wide and rallied to win by a neck over 96-1 longest shot Full Disclosure in 55.03. It was a nose back to My Boy Prince third. Unfortunately 5-1 fourth choice Unconquerable Keen clipped heels in the stretch unseating jockey Umberto Rispoli, who sustained fractures to his tibia, fibula, and ankle. Unconquerable Keen was safely collared by the outriders and walked off under his own power.
Left: Litigation in the winner's circle. The Brian Lynch trainee improved his record to 5 wins, 1 second, and 0 thirds in 9 starts, earning $362,641 for owner-breeder Stone Farm.
Right: Litigation in the post parade.
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