Exotic Plays for the 2024 Pegasus World Cup Turf

A total of 14 horses have been entered to travel nine panels on the Gulfstream Park lawn in Saturday’s $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1). The race is led, in my opinion, by a pair of clear standouts, and I will key with that duo in each of my exotics wagers. 

World Cup Turf Exotics

• $12 exacta box 3-9 ($24)
• $5 trifecta 3,9 with 3,9 with 10,11 ($20)
• $5 trifecta 3,9 with 10,11 with 3,9 ($20)
• $.50-cent superfecta 3,9 with 3,9 with 10,11 with all ($18)

Coolmore homebred #9 Warm Heart (9-5) was a superb runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) in her recent trip to North America and concluded 2023 with a fine third in the Hong Kong Vase (G1) at Sha Tin for conditioner Aidan O’Brien. The four-year-old will be making her final lifetime start in the contest, and the classy filly seems poised to go out on a good note in the contest. 

The nine-furlong trip is less than her ideal distance, but the daughter of Galileo is simply better than many in the field and will be tough to upend with anything close to her best showing. Ryan Moore comes in to ride the tactical lass who will be tracking the action from the second or third flight in the early going. 

Shug McGaughey’s exciting #3 Integration (3-1) has been super impressive from his trio of assignments to date and seems like an ideal fit in the event. By Quality Road, the colt has dusted his foes in each career try to date while displaying a devastating turn of foot, and while he faces his toughest task to date, I still expect the four-year-old to be in a winning position in the stretch on Saturday. 

Integration has trained in a positive manner leading up to his Grade 1 debut, and I envision the $700,000 yearling purchase taking to the local lawn while making his first Gulfstream Park appearance. Tyler Gaffalione will pilot the ultra-talented bay. 

I’ll tab a pair of contenders for the lower rungs of the exotics, including recent Fort Lauderdale S. (G2) star #11 Main Event (10-1). Trained by George Weaver, the five-year-old has good form with wins in two straight outings, and the bay appears to be the controlling speed in the tilt. The Kentucky bred loves the oval with a 4-3-1-0 mark on the course, and he could get brave if left alone for too long beneath Javier Castellano. 

Grade 1 victor #10 Shirl’s Speight (15-1) is mostly a miler, but if he can ever thrive at 1 1/8 miles, it will be on this surface. The Roger Attfield pupil finished 2 1/2 lengths back in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) in his most recent endeavor, and the Speightstown seven-year-old has trained well in the interim for a conditioner who is excellent off the layoff in general. Luis Saez riding adds to his appeal.