Beyond the trio of Pegasus World Cup-branded stakes, there will be an additional four graded offerings on a blockbuster day of racing at Gulfstream Park on Saturday.
Maryquitecontrary, a winner in seven of nine starts with two seconds over the Gulfstream strip, will defend her title in the $200,000 Inside Information (G2) for fillies and mares going seven furlongs. The five-year-old snapped a four-race losing skid on Dec. 30 when taking the one-mile Rampart S.
Other logical threats include Grade 2 heroine Gerrymander and the respective second and third from last month’s Sugar Swirl (G3), Intrepid Daydream, and Olivia Darling.
Accretive, a solid second to Cody’s Wish in the Vosburgh (G2) last fall, will look to bounce back from a sub-par effort in the Cigar Mile (G2) last out in the $150,000 Fred W. Hooper (G3) over one mile.
Other notables in a seemingly wide open renewal include recent Malibu (G1) runner-up Hejazi, Steal Sunshine, Gilmore, and Castle Chaos, the latter of whom is the lone also-eligible in the Pegasus World Cup (G1).
Trainer Chad Brown is well represented in the $200,000 W.L. McKnight (G3), a 1 1/2-mile grass test for older horses. Francesco Clemente was a narrowly beaten favorite in the Hollywood Turf Cup (G2) at Del Mar when last seen in November, while Rockemperor and Stone Age are long standing divisional mainstays.
The field also includes last year’s Elkhorn (G2) winner Verstappen and Value Engineering, runner-up to Red Knight in the 2023 McKnight.
The stakes action kicks off with the $150,000 La Prevoyante (G3) for fillies and mares at 1 1/2 miles on the turf. Romagna Mia figures to be a strong favorite to make it three in a row following dominating triumphs in the Dowager (G3) and Via Borghese S.
Her primary opposition could come from Long Island (G3) winner R Calli Kim, who enters on a four-race win streak.
