Pegasus Card Adds Turf Race With Similar Conditions

Pegasus World Cup Day in 2019 will add a turf race—which, like the dirt race that enters its third year in 2019, will feature a purse largely fueled by owners.

The Stronach Group, which owns the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1), announced Sept. 18 that a 1 3/16-mile turf race will be added to the card that features the original Pegasus World Cup race, scheduled to take place Jan. 26 at Gulfstream Park. Meanwhile, the entry fee and purse for the dirt race will be reduced. 

The addition of the Pegasus turf race aims to attract a dozen of the best older turf horses from around the world. The total purse for the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes will sit at $7 million, and the winner will receive $3 million. The Pegasus World Cup, to be contested at 1 1/8 miles on dirt, will offer a $9 million purse, with a $4 million prize awaiting the winner of the expected 12-horse field. 

The cost for owners or other stakeholders to secure an entry spot and enter a horse in either race will be $500,000. At that rate, $6 million of the $7 million purse for the turf race will be generated by entry fees and $6 million of the $9 million purse for the dirt race will be generated by entry fees. The $4 million total contribution to the two races from the track matches the amount committed to the 2018 Pegasus World Cup dirt race.

The $9 million purse planned for next year is down from $16 million last year and $12 million in 2017. The $500,000 entry fee for the dirt race is half the price of the first two editions. Each required a $1 million entry fee. 

"The appetite for a turf race is strong and the decision to include a premier turf race is part of the ongoing evolution of the Pegasus World Cup," said Stronach Group chairman and president Belinda Stronach. "We are excited to expand this event for both horse owners and fans, adding to what is already an incredible day of entertainment and world-class racing at Gulfstream Park."

The American Graded Stakes Committee already has approved a request by The Stronach Group to convert the grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap to the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes, a move that will give the Pegasus turf race grade 1 status from the start. The AGSC approved the change, which involves a two-week move on the calendar, an increase in distance of a sixteenth of a mile, and a new nomination and entry process.

Any horse owner who purchases a spot in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational will be given preference to purchase a spot in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational. Coolmore founder John Magnier told Gulfstream's publicity department that he likes the addition of the turf race.

"As an international owner, I am thrilled that the Pegasus World Cup will include a turf race," Magnier said. "Coolmore, like The Stronach Group, believes in growing our sport, and there is no better way to do that than to provide a new platform to showcase the world's best Thoroughbreds."  

As an added incentive and as part of the commitment to provide new, lucrative opportunities for horse owners, The Stronach Group will offer a $1 million bonus to an owner who wins both the Pegasus World Cup Invitational and the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational. 

The Stronach Group will also introduce a new wager, the Pegasus Pick 24, which will offer the chance to bet on the exact finish order for both the Pegasus World Cup Invitational and the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational. A $5 million bonus awaits the lucky fan who hits on the Pegasus Pick 24.