Tipsheet: 2022 Pegasus World Cup

A field of nine will travel 1 1/8 miles on the Gulfstream Park dirt in Saturday’s lucrative $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. (G1).

Pegasus World Cup Stakes Picks

• #3 Stilleto Boy
• #4 Life is Good
• #1 Knicks Go

Pegasus World Cup Stakes Wagers

• $20 win and place 3
• $6 trifecta box 1, 3, 4

Pegasus World Cup Stakes Contenders

#1 KNICKS GO romped to a daylight tally in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) last time out and will aim to defend his title in this spot. The brilliant son of Paynter is training like a horse who is sitting on a big race with bullet moves in his last two works, and the swift six-year-old will be sent from the break with Joel Rosario riding. The fantastic gray is the one to beat.

#2 CHESS CHIEF rallied to a game triumph in the Tenacious S. in his latest showing for trainer Dallas Stewart. The Grade 2 winner lacks consistency and does his best work at Fair Grounds, so he would be a major surprise against this field. Reylu Gutierrez is in the silks.

#3 STILLETO BOY had a solid three-year-old season and gets the nod to upset this cast at a big price while making his four-year-old debut. The Ed Moger charge is twice Grade 1-placed and has shown nice improvement since removing the blinkers four back. The chestnut stretches out after finishing third in the Malibu S. (G1) most recently, and I think that he will thrive with the added ground. Regular pilot Kent Desormeaux will ride.

#4 LIFE IS GOOD dominated the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Del Mar in his sophomore finale and is a neck shy of being unbeaten from six lifetime outings. The Todd Pletcher trainee has blazing early foot and seems like a perfect fit for the Gulfstream dirt in his local bow. The Into Mischief colt will force the tempo from the start beneath Irad Ortiz.

#5 EMPTY TOMB finished second in the Queens County S. at Aqueduct last out and takes a massive class hike on Saturday. The Speightstown chestnut has never proven to be capable of beating this kind, and I can’t endorse him in this mighty task.

#6 SIR WINSTON displayed fine form on the All-Weather last campaign for Mark Casse. The Classic winner is just two-for-10 on the dirt in his lifetime, but he is training well and obviously has some back class to him. The son of Awesome Again rates a top-four chance with Edwin Gonzalez in the stirrups.

#7 TITLE READY is the second from the Stewart shedrow and the one more likely to grab a share late. The More Than Ready seven-year-old possesses a nice turn of foot, and I envision him passing horses late at a big price with Tyler Gaffalione in the silks.

#8 ENDORSED has been going good in sprint races but faces a huge task against this cast on the stretch out for Michael Maker. The capable son of Medaglia d’Oro has finished in the top three in each of his four local tries to date, but victory would be a major surprise. Umberto Rispoli is up.

#9 COMMANDEER rallied for tallies in two straight since joining the Jimmy Toner barn. The four-year-old son of Street Boss has a lot of room for improvement, but the class hike combined with the outside post makes him an unlikely winner in this lucrative event.