| Grade I race | |
| Location | Gulfstream Park Hallandale Beach, Florida, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 2017 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | www |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1+1⁄8 miles (9 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Four-year-olds and up |
| Weight | 124 pounds (56 kg) with allowances |
| Purse | $3 million (2023) |
The Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race whose first running was on January 28, 2017 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida.[1][2] It is run over the dirt at the distance of 1+1⁄8 miles (9 furlongs) and is open to horses four years old and up. The Grade I rating was assumed from the Donn Handicap.[3]
With a purse of $12 million for its inaugural running, the Pegasus World Cup surpassed the Dubai World Cup as the richest horse race in the world for the year 2017 & 2018. The purse of the event rose to $16 million in 2018, but dropped to $9 million in 2019. The fourth running of the Pegasus World Cup in 2020 carried a $3 million purse. The entry fee structure has also changed over time, from $1 million in 2017 and 2018, to $500,000 in 2019 to free in 2020.[4]
Horses carry 124 pounds (56 kg) with a three-pound allowance for fillies and mares. Between 2017 and 2019, horses that ran without the use of the pre-race medication furosemide (more commonly known as Lasix) received an allowance of five pounds.[5] Starting in 2020, the use of all race-day medications, including Lasix, is prohibited, which the Stronach Group heralded as a "new era" in North American thoroughbred racing.[4]
The race is named for Pegasus, a Greek mythical horse, a 110-foot statue of which stands at Gulfstream Park.[6] The Pegasus has been described as "Florida's Greatest Horse Race" by Maxim magazine.[7]