A graded stakes winner from the stables of top trainers Mark Casse, Graham Motion, Roger Attfield, Miguel Clement, Chad Brown, and Kevin Attard is among 19 fillies and mares invited to compete in the fifth running of the $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Mares Turf Invitational (G2) at Gulfstream Park on January 24th. This 1 1/16-mile turf race is part of the Pegasus World Cup Day celebration marking its 10th anniversary and features 10 stakes races with a total purse of $5.55 million. Highlighting the program are seven key stakes, including the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) over 1 1/8 miles on dirt—the richest dirt race for older horses in the U.S. outside the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1)—and the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1), a 1 1/8-mile turf race for 4-year-olds.
The Pegasus Mares Turf has seen strong performances from its past four winners, with three capturing Group 1 victories afterward. Regal Glory, its inaugural winner, went on to win the Jenny Wiley (G1) and Matriarch (G1), 2023 champ Queen Goddess will run in a G1 stakes this season, 2024 winner Didia took the New York Stakes (G1), and last year’s winner Be Your Best claimed the Gamely (G1).
Among the three Casse contenders is And One More Time, an Omaha Beach colt who claimed the Nataluma (G1) at Woodbine last year, returned from a year off to win an allowance race at Woodbine in September, and recently finished second in the Tropical Park Oaks at Gulfstream. Also invited from Casse’s yard are Candy Quest, a winner of the Colleen (G3) at Woodbine with strong placings in the Duel Grounds Oaks (G2) and Queen Elizabeth II (G1), and Classic Q, who placed third in the Mrs. Revere (G2) and second in both the Lake George (G3) and Valley View (G2).
Bless Away earned her Pegasus spot by winning the Dance Smartly (G2) “Win & In” at Woodbine, followed by a second in the Goldikova (G3) and a fourth in the Matriarch (G1). Lady for Shall, trained by Roger Attfield, also qualified with a third-place finish in the Dance Smartly, boasting a Canadian (G2) victory and a third in the EP Taylor (G1).
Trainer Kevin Attard’s Caitlin Hargurtness is enjoying a strong start to 2025, with wins in the Ontario Matron (G2) and My Charmer at Turfway Park; her Omaha Beach-bred finished fifth in the EP Taylor (G1) and was runner-up in both the Dance Smartly (G2) and Bessarabian (G3). Brad Cox’s Destino d’Oro, who bested And One More Time at Tropical Park Oaks and won the Packer Up (G3) at Ellis Park, also joins the field.
Crevale d’Oro, trained by Jose D’Angelo, arrives on the back of a Suwannee River win in December and a solid fourth in the Goldikova last November. Gulfstream’s top trainer Safie Joseph Jr. could guide Movin’ On Up, who finished second in the Suwannee River and had strong showings in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2) and Mint Julep (G3), as well as In Our Time, daughter of Not This Time, who placed second in the Franklin (G2) and Matriarch, and third in last year’s Pegasus Mares Turf.
Chad Brown, victorious with Regal Glory in the initial Pegasus Mares Turf, welcomes Whiskey Decision, winner of the Eatontown Stakes (G3) and recent Athenia winner, along with Oversubscribed, who recently placed second in both the Pebbles (G3) and Lake George. Graham Motion’s Heredia, a Yellow Ribbon (G2) winner, and Warming, who captured the Autumn Miss (G3), have also earned spots.
Peter Urton’s Medlo, who moved from California and posted second in the John Mabee (G2), third in the Goldikova, and sixth in the Matriarch, is included, alongside the fantastic Great Czech from Horacio de Paz’s stable, winner of the Yaddo at Saratoga and Ticonderoga at Aqueduct.
Other notable invitees include Ramsey Pond, third in the Tropical Park Oaks, Cardinal winner Proctor Street, and Noble Damsel winner Aussie Girl.
Fan Take: This year’s Pegasus World Cup Mares Turf Invitational promises to be a thrilling showcase of elite female turf runners, with multiple graded and Group 1 winners competing. For horse racing enthusiasts, these high-caliber matchups not only heighten the sport’s prestige but also underscore the growing depth and excitement in the mares turf division, hinting at an increasingly competitive and lucrative future for turf racing.
