Joel Rosario celebrates after Knicks Go received the Pegasus World Cup Invitational horse race Saturday, … [+]
The 2022 Pegasus World Cup Invitational is Saturday, Jan. 29 and the $3 million greenback 1 1/8 mile race headlines a 12 race card at Gulfstream Park that includes seven graded stakes races. However with returning Pegasus World Cup champ and 2021 Breeders’ Cup Traditional winner Knicks Go (6-5) a heavy co-favorite together with Breeders’ Cup Mile champion Life Is Good (7-5), there may be not a lot competitors on prime for the winner of this 12 months’s greatest early season race.
Knicks Go has received 4 straight races and a win within the Pegasus would be the eleventh of his profession and enhance his on-track earnings to greater than $10 million. That is the ultimate race of his profession, and Horse Racing Nation’s Super Screener Tremendous Stakes race evaluation and wagering suggestions recommend Knicks Go will likely be very robust to beat within the remaining race of his profession.
“He’s the pace of the pace on this occasion, and his work sample main as much as this race sign all techniques go,” says Tremendous Screener creator and handicapper Mike Shutty.
However Knicks Go faces a harder problem on this 12 months’s Pegasus from 4-year-old star Life Is Good, who will probably apply early stress to Knicks Go and interact in a match-type race up entrance.
When you’re on the lookout for that lengthy shot with the very best probability to complete third or 4th on this race, the Tremendous Screener has landed on Stilleto Boy (20/1), who completed fifth behind Knicks Go and runner-up Medina Spirt within the Breeders’ Cup Traditional.
Nationwide Horseplayers Championship
The large race weekend protecting the Pegasus World Cup kicked off Friday at Bally’s Las Vegas with the twenty third NTRA Nationwide Horseplayers Championship (NHC). Caesars Leisure is rebranding Bally’s this 12 months as Horseshoe Las Vegas.
TVG will likely be reporting dwell from Las Vegas all through the the Nationwide Horseplayers Championship, and all of the races are featured on TVG’s video streaming service from tracks throughout the nation. One in every of TVG’s reporters additionally certified and is taking part on this 12 months’s NHC.
“There’s nothing prefer it,” stated TVG reporter Dave Weaver, who certified for NHC at Keeneland final October. There are eight necessary races that contestants are required to wager $2 to win and $2 place, after which 10 different non-compulsory races to pick from and embody the identical wagers as a part of the competition from eight completely different race tracks.
Friday’s Day 1 has 509 gamers beginning, they usually make up this 12 months’s area of 643 entries (134 gamers double-qualified with the utmost of two entries). From confirmed professionals to event rookies seeking to discover their stride, all horse gamers and contestants are hoping the horseshoe matches following Day 2 on Saturday. The highest 64 gamers (prime 10 %) make the cash ($10,000) and advance to Sunday’s semifinal spherical after which the ultimate desk with payouts beginning at $55,000. The $3.5 million prize pool will award a prime prize of $725,000 to the winner.
The NHC is the richest and most prestigious horse handicapping contest on the planet. There aren’t any buy-ins to the NHC as all gamers within the contest area earned their approach into the distinguished occasion by qualifying in a NTRA-sanctioned qualifying contest held throughout the earlier 12 months.
“Curiosity within the NHC and NHC Tour has by no means been stronger,” stated Nationwide Thoroughbred Racing Affiliation COO and NHC Match Director Keith Chamblin. That’s proven by rising event fields and want for extra space after the NHC moved from its earlier residence since 2012 at Treasure Island on the Las Vegas Strip to Bally’s in 2020.
“We’re so appreciative of the crew at Bally’s, our companions who hosted qualifiers in 2021, the NTRA employees, and, or course horseplayers for all their help that makes the NHC a greater expertise yearly.”
The event format for the NHC is supposed to be the very best take a look at of general handicapping capability. The necessary races are decided by a four-person Race Choice Committee. I talked to one of many committee members, Jim Mulvihill of the Colorado Horsemen’s Affiliation and former NTRA Director of Media concerning the course of.
“The committee appears to be like for bigger, aggressive fields,” Mulvihill stated. Thus the Pegasus World Cup was ignored this 12 months. He provides that the committee needs to supply “balanced race situations and geographic range, together with completely different surfaces to make it extra of a handicapping problem.”
How the races fall into time slots for event spacing together with some desired stakes races like Saturday’s Gulfstream card is all a part of the choice course of.
Saturday Obligatory Races
Saturday’s NHC Day 2 will likely be most anticipated with 4 of the eight necessary races from Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, FL the place prime observe announcer Pete Aiello calls the races.
- Oaklawn – Race 2 at 1:32 p.m. ET
- Gulfstream – Race 6 at 1:57 ET
- Gulfstream – Race 7 at 2:31 ET
- Gulfstream – Race 8 at 3:03 ET
- Santa Anita – Race 1 at 3:30 ET
- Tampa Bay – Race 9 at 4:25 ET
- Gulfstream – Race 11 at 4:49 ET
- Truthful Grounds – Race 8 at 6:30 ET
You’ll be able to comply with the NHC leaderboard Friday and Saturday forward of Sunday’s finals.
Whereas Race 12 and the $3 million Pegasus World Cup shouldn’t be a part of the NHC, Race 11 and the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf is, and each races will likely be broadcast on NBC from 4:30-6:00 p.m. ET. The Pegasus Turf has a ‘should use’ longshot to incorporate in win wagering and unique bets with Atone (20/1).
“He’ll be inside placing distance turning for residence and able to pounce with a greater journey,” Tremendous Screener notes. “Atone is extremely constant and productive producing an 8-for-10 file within the Trifecta on turf, and he affords great worth.”
Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Life is Good to victory throughout the Breeders’ Cup Filth Mile race on the Del Mar … [+]
Tremendous Screener notes the excessive payout potential of the 12 horse area within the Pegasus Turf, which incorporates 4 runners from coach Mike Maker’s barn with Atone a better and the highest longshot guess at lengthy odds. However final 12 months’s Pegasus Turf winner Colonel Liam (3/1) can also be one to incorporate as a win contender with main jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. using for prime coach Todd Pletcher. Colonel Liam rallied from off the tempo in final 12 months’s race to stand up and win by a neck.
The opposite necessary races Saturday at Gulfstream are a minor stakes in Race 6 at 1 mile 70 yards on the Tapeta all-weather floor. Race 7 is the $200,000 W.L. McKnight (G3) at 1 1/2 miles on the turf. Race 8 is the $200,000 Inside Info (G2) for fillies and mares racing 7 furlongs on the primary grime observe. After which Race 11 and the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf at 1 1/8 miles would be the second to final necessary race of the day for NHC event gamers so as to add to their factors whole in hopes of creating it into the cash and Sunday’s remaining day of the NHC.
Racing followers eager to get in on the wagering motion can get pleasure from risk-free bets when signing up at TVG, and revel in added promotions by celebrating the Pegasus World Cup with a refund in your first win guess when the horse you guess on finishes 2nd or third on all seven graded stakes races Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
That’s a guess the event horseplayers wouldn’t go up.
You’ll be able to guess on it.