Weekend Stakes Rundown: The Pegasus Arrives

Each week BloodHorse.com looks forward to the weekend's biggest races. Consider this your weekly guide to the best stakes races in North America. This week we have the Arrogate-California Chrome   rematch in the Pegasus World Cup (G1), California Cup Day, and more. Races are listed in chronological order (all times Eastern) and full previews are available through the links below.

Saturday, January 28

12:30 p.m.—$100,000 Hurricane Bertie Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park

The second- and third-place finishers from the Dec. 17 Rampart Stakes (G3), Curlin's Approval and Genre, are back for another one-turn dirt test in South Florida. Curlin's Approval won last year's Added Elegance Stakes and Genre never finished out of the top three in eight starts last year, including a win in the Molly Pitcher Stakes (G3).

1:20 p.m.—$100,000 Gander Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack

August Dawn Farm's undefeated Bavaro will try two turns for the first time in the New York-bred stakes for 3-year-olds. In his first two starts, the Freud   colt has sped to six-furlong victories. He won his debut at Belmont Park in November by 5 1/4 lengths, then came back to win the New York Stallion Series Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack by 3 3/4 lengths.

1:30 p.m.—$400,000 Poseidon Handicap at Gulfstream Park

Multiple graded stakes winner Stanford and fellow Todd Pletcher-trainee Madefromlucky will each try to steal some opening-act thunder from the Pegasus World Cup in the inaugural running of the Poseidon. Stanford won the Dec. 17 Harlan's Holiday Stakes (G3)—and Madefromlucky ran fourth—last time out.

3:15 p.m.—$150,000 Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint Stakes at Santa Anita Park

Enola Gray will look to repeat the performance of her only other start down the Santa Anita hillside turf course. In October the Grazen filly won the California Distaff Handicap down the hill over fellow Turf Sprint entrant Desert Steel.

3:38 p.m.—$125,000 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint at Gulfstream Park

Mongolian Saturday will look to bounce back from a ninth-place run in the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) in the five-furlong grass test. Speedy colt Manhattan Dan, who has won two straight stakes at five furlongs on the Gulfstream turf, appears to be a challenger, along with Power Alert, who is undefeated in four starts on the Gulfstream grass.

3:50 p.m.—$200,000 California Cup Oaks at Santa Anita Park

Joe Turner's Sircat Sally has been a runaway winner in both her starts—a five-length debut win at Del Mar in November and a blowout, 12-length rout in the Soviet Problem Stakes Dec. 17 at Los Alamitos Race Course—but has yet to try grass, even in workouts. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said the $200,000 purse for a state-bred stakes was too good to miss, regardless of the surface.

4:14 p.m.—$200,000 La Prevoyante Handicap (G3T) at Gulfstream Park

Arles has just missed in her two North American starts since coming over from Germany last summer. Second by less than a length in the Glens Falls (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course in her stateside debut, the daughter of Monsun came up a nose short as the favorite in the Red Carpet Handicap (G3T) in November at Del Mar.

4:50 p.m.—$200,000 W. L. McKnight Handicap (G3T) at Gulfstream Park

Grade 1 winner Twilight Eclipse won his first edition of the McKnight during his initial season of racing in 2012, when he was a 3-year-old and the then-grade 2 race was contested at Calder Race Course. The gelding returned to win the following year's running, and now seeks an unprecedented third victory in the turf marathon.

5:21 p.m.—$150,000 Donald Valpredo California Cup Sprint Stakes at Santa Anita Park

Last-out, dead-heat Midnight Lute (G3) winner Solid Wager will look to collect his third straight stakes victory. The Birdonthewire gelding won the Cary Grant at Del Mar for trainer Peter Miller prior to the Midnight Lute.

5:40 p.m.—$12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park

In many ways the entries alone mark an early "mission accomplished" for the first edition of the Pegasus World Cup, as the race has attracted the world's two top dirt horses in training in California Chrome and Arrogate. Arrogate upset California Chrome in their last meeting Nov. 5 in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and the top pair was 10 3/4 lengths clear of the rest of the field.

6:12 p.m.—$250,000 California Cup Turf Classic at Santa Anita Park

For talented California-breds who win graded stakes in open company, state-bred stakes are usually a good, relatively easy spot to return off a layoff. But four-time grade 2 winner Ashleyluvssugar won't be facing a run-of-the-mill Cal-bred field. Three grade 1 winners—Ralis, Tamarando, and What a View—are entered to challenge. Only What a View's grade 1 win, however, came in the last year, when the Vronsky gelding took the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1T) in March.

7:15 p.m.—$250,000 California Cup Derby at Santa Anita Park

California Chrome won the 2014 Cal Cup Derby to start his 3-year-old campaign and another colt with his home state in his name will try to take the race against a familiar rival. California Diamond will look to secure his fifth stakes win and turn the tables on Ann Arbor Eddie, who defeated the Harbor the Gold colt last time out in the King Glorious Stakes at Los Alamitos. A start prior, California Diamond (second) finished 1 1/2 lengths ahead of Ann Arbor Eddie (third) in the Bob Hope (G3).

Sunday, January 29

4:40 p.m.—$200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup (G3T) at Sam Houston Race Park

Trainer Mike Maker has won the past three editions of the Connally and he's coming with a loaded hand in seeking a fourth straight score. Bigger Picture is arguably in the best form of the Maker trio. The Badge of Silver gelding won the Red Smith Handicap (G3T) at Aqueduct in his last grass start Nov. 12, and before that was only a nose back in the Oct. 20 1 1/2-mile Sycamore (G3T) at Keeneland.

5:10 p.m.—$400,000 Houston Ladies Classic (G3) at Sam Houston Race Park

Trainer Larry Jones has been pointing I'm a Chatterbox to the Houston Ladies since December, but nearly had to adjust course when the entire Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots backstretch was put under quarantine due to an outbreak of equine herpesvirus. Though she has had the misfortune of knocking heads against some of the best distaffers in recent years, I'm a Chatterbox had held her own in elite company.

6 p.m.—$100,000 Riley Allison Stakes at Sunland Park

Harry Veruchi's undefeated 3-year-old Underwood has made some waves in his three starts in New Mexico and could be a potential Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) longshot if he continues to improve. The Iowa-bred Old Fashioned gelding trained by Justin Evans has won his three starts by a combined 12 1/2 lengths.