Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Predictions, Odds, Picks (Gulfstream Park)

Odss for the race taken from TVG. If you’re looking for a great horse racing betting app then TVG betting might be the option for you.

Best Bets for the Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf

Here are my plays ($60 in total)

$20 Win, Place & Show – Gift List = $60

If you’re playing only to win, go with my top pick Gift List (15/1).

Coming in off her biggest career victory, Regal Glory looks to make it two in a row when she headlines a field of eleven older females set for Saturday’s $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Chad Brown, the 6-year-old daughter of Animal Kingdom finished off last season in top form. Two starts back she was second by a half-length to stablemate Blowout in the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland, and then followed that up seven weeks later with a decisive, front-running victory in the Grade 1 Matriarch at Del Mar. Saturday’s 8 ½ furlong test will be her first time going more than a mile in over two years.

Second choice behind Regal Glory on the morning line is the Todd Pletcher trained Sweet Melania. A graded stakes winner, who was a good third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf back in 2019, the daughter of American Pharoah seems to be rounding back into her best form. Most recently she was a determined winner of the Grade 3 Suwannee River at Gulfstream Park over fellow Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf entrants Shifty She and In a Hurry.

A number of other starters in the race merit serious respect, including the Irish-bred Nicest, who finished third in last summer’s Group 1 Irish Oaks, and will be making her fourth start in the United States on Saturday.

Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Predictions

Regal Glory

The impressive winner of the Grade 1 Matriarch last time in California, this one from the barn of trainer Chad Brown looks to be a deserving favorite on Saturday. With 9 wins and 4 seconds in 16 career starts, she has compiled a very impressive record in a career full of stakes races. She is probably best at the one-mile distance, but given that this is just a bit longer, it’s easy to expect her to be fine with the stretch out. She is the one to beat, but on the other hand, she is far from invincible and will need her best to win. As the heavy favorite, I will take a shot to beat her this time around.

Sweet Melania

A very classy filly early in her career, this daughter of American Pharoah went off the boil in a few starts but has been working her way back up the ladder of late. That improvement was on display last time when she beat a solid field in the local Suwannee River. It was her first victory in 18 months and her third graded stakes win overall. With good tactical speed, she will likely join the favorite in tracking the pacesetters. Regal Glory might have better overall form, but this one does have the win over the track. She will not be my top pick, but is a dangerous runner here.

Shifty She

The speed of the field, this 6-year-old mare has not made it to the starting gate very much in her career, but when she has, she has often won. Working her way up in class, she has proven herself with three consecutive solid performances in Grade 3 stakes, including a wire-to-wire win in Belmont Park’s Noble Damsel two starts back. Last time, she could not hold off Sweet Melania, though, and this field is only tougher. Her speed is always dangerous, and she has four wins over this turf course, but I don’t expect her to take them all the way in this one.

Nicest

This daughter of American Pharoah was pretty solid over in Europe, despite only winning in her maiden debut. A third in the Group 1 Irish Oaks demonstrated that she has some class, but the 1-for-9 overall record leaves plenty of questions about her desire to actually win. Still, she has continued to keep very good company since arriving in America three starts back, and was quite competitive in her last two outings in California. My feeling is that the 1 1/16 distance of this race is shorter than her best, but a solid early pace could improve her chances to come running.

Lady Speightspeare

The winner of her first four career starts north of the border, this talented daughter of Speightstown made her American debut last time and yielded late to be upset by Bipartisanship. All in all, it was not a bad effort, though, and perhaps one that she can build upon. Trained by Roger Attfield, I do believe she has good things in her future, but with other quality speed in the race, and much more depth of quality than what she faced in the Tropical Park Oaks, I would be a bit surprised if she fared better on Saturday.

Summer in Saratoga

A winner of four stakes races in 2021, this Hard Spun mare deserves a shot in this $500,000 race. She clearly knows her way to the winner’s circle and has never been better for trainer Joe Sharp. The question will be whether she can uncork her big late run against a field of this caliber, as this is her toughest test to date. The good news is that she will get a solid pace to run at on Saturday. I cannot throw her out, considering how good her form is of late, but there are a few others in here who appeal to me more.

In a Hurry

Another one coming off a good performance in the Suwannee River, she finished well to be beaten only one length. A 5-year-old daughter of Blame, she has proven to be a very good and consistent allowance mare, but has not broken through in three tries in graded stakes racing. The last one was her closest yet. Like many in the field, she would be no surprise if she turned in a strong effort, but I do like some others better in this spot.

Wakanaka

Bred in Ireland, this filly competed in Italy in her first eight career starts. There she was very successful, winning six times, with two seconds in eight career starts. While most of them were sprinting, she did stretch out to a mile in the last two, and both were easy wins, including the Group 3 Italian 1000 Guineas last time. Now with Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, she should get every opportunity to prove she belongs with top company in the U.S. She is a dangerous wild card in this field, but has not started for nine months.

Gift List

Another filly who began her career in Europe, this 4-year-old has never run a poor race in eight career starts. After running first or second in all five of her starts in her native England, the daughter of Bated Breath came to the barn of Brian Lynch in America. The result was three very good performances in stakes starts last spring. Not helped by much pace in any of the three, she was still an impressive winner of the Grade 2 Edgewood at Churchill Downs and second and third in the other two graded stakes tries. She returns in a difficult spot, but I think she has plenty of talent. She will also have a much stronger pace to run at on Saturday. She is the top pick.

Alms

The winner of her first four career races, including two graded stakes, the daughter of City Zip has cooled off since, losing her last five. Consistently well-backed at the betting windows, this should be the first time in her career where she starts at big odds, and her long shot status seems warranted. Most recently, she was seventh behind Sweet Melania and others in the Suwannee River.  She could improve upon that effort, but it is still not likely to be enough against this solid field.

Bipartisanship

With only two career wins to her credit, this Graham Motion-trained filly is the least credentialed horse in the field, but she is on the improve. The English-bred daughter of Bated Breath pulled off a pretty big upset last time when she overcame traffic troubles to surge to victory at odds of 19/1 in the Tropical Park Oaks.  While the win over the Gulfstream Park turf course last month was impressive, things will only get tougher here. A deserving long shot, I will look for her later in the season, as I don’t think she is quite at this level y

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