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Unbeaten Disco Time Draws Ideal Rail in Pegasus World Cup Post-Position Draw
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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — Trainer Brad Cox holds a strong hand for Saturday’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream, when he sends out the unbeaten Disco Time and fellow graded-stakes winner Tappan Street against a deep field of 10 other rivals.
The milestone edition headlines a blockbuster 13-race program that also includes the $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) and the $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational (G2), with total purses exceeding $5.5 million. First post is 11 a.m. ET, with the Pegasus World Cup slated as the final race of the day. NBC and Peacock will broadcast live coverage of the 10th running of the 1 1/8-mile dirt feature from 4:30-6 p.m. ET on Saturday.
Disco Time Steps Up From Rail as Morning-Line Favorite
Disco Time, a 4-year-old Juddmonte homebred by Not This Time, drew the rail in post 1 and was installed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite following Sunday’s post-position draw. Perfect in five career starts, the colt steps up to Grade 1 company for the first time while stretching out to nine furlongs. Flavien Prat takes over in the saddle, replacing Florent Geroux, who guided him to all prior victories.
“This is a big test for him, but we have always thought he has Grade 1 talent,” Cox said. “Yes, he is lightly raced, but he is a horse that has really moved forward and we think the best is yet to come.”
Tappan Street, winner of last year’s Curlin Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream, returns from a 10-month layoff following an allowance score here in December. The Into Mischief colt drew post 7 with Luis Saez back aboard and is listed at 6-1 on the morning line.
White Abarrio Faces Challenges in Title Defense
Defending champion White Abarrio, the 2025 Pegasus winner by 6¼ lengths, is the 4-1 second choice for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. The 7-year-old son of Race Day, owned by C2 Racing Stable, Gary Barber, and La Milagrosa Stable, seeks to become the first repeat winner but faces challenges with a long layoff since a troubled effort in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga last August and an outside draw in post 11.
“Nothing we can do about the post position, it is what it is,” Joseph said immediately after the draw. “He drew 11 and we have to deal with it. (Jockey) Irad (Ortiz) is the best at working out bad posts.”
White Abarrio breezed a half-mile in 51.77 seconds Sunday morning before easing up, with Ortiz aboard.
“We wanted to go quicker, but the workmate obviously didn’t set the right tempo,” Joseph added. “They were supposed to go 48 and they went :51. But I don’t think it will make a difference. The main thing was to get Irad on him to make sure he was happy with him. And he was.”
Joseph will also send out stablemate Skippylongstocking. The 7-year-old Exaggerator gelding, making his fourth straight Pegasus start, finished third behind White Abarrio last year and prepped with a win in the Harlan’s Holiday (G3) here Dec. 20.. He will break from post position 5 and is listed at 15-1 in the morning line.
“There’s confidence that ‘Skippy’ can win the race,” Joseph said. “He’s had the right preparation. He’s had a prep. He finally got a good post in this race and hopefully he can take advantage of the draw.”
West Coast Contenders
Shippers from the West Coast include 2024 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Full Serrano, British Isles, and Grade 1-placed Madaket Road from the Bob Baffert barn. Baffert has won the Pegasus World Cup Invitational three times. First, with Arrogate in 2017. And more recently with Mucho Gusto in 2020, and with 2023 Preakness winner, National Treasure in 2024.
The rest of the field includes Banishing, Poster, Captain Cook, Mika, and Brotha Keny, with Lightning Tones and Catalytic on the also-eligible list.
The Pegasus winner secures an automatic, fees-paid berth to the 2026 Breeders’ Cup Classic, adding extra stakes to the 10th-anniversary renewal.
