Pegasus World Cup: Can Frankie and Toast of New York stop Gun Runner?
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Gun Runner is the overwhelming favourite to make it a quintet of Grade 1 victories with success in the Pegasus World Cup on Saturday.
Steve Asmussen’s charge is odds-on at 10/11 to claim the renewal and add to his collection of top-flight successes.
The five-year-old star has been handed a favourable draw in the 1m 1f test and is well-fancied to follow November’s Breeders’ Cup Classic triumph with victory at Gulfstream Park.
He’s won his last four over the distance and is expected to clean up under the guidance of regular jockey Florent Geroux.
Collected and Sharp Azteca are his main competitors at 6/1 apiece.
The former finished just over 2l behind the jolly when second at Del Mar in November.
He followed that up with a disappointing third in the San Antonio Stakes on Boxing Day and will be looking for more from stall five.
Trainer Bob Baffert won the inaugural running of this race last year with Arrogate and will be hoping for more success with a horse that has upset the odds before.
Meanwhile, Sharp Azteca will be making the step up to this trip for the first time.
He also runs for Baffert and looks good value on each-way terms if he can take advantage of the extra furlong afforded to him here.
West Coast, who finished third behind Gun Runner and Collected at Del Mar last time out makes little appeal at 7/1.
Further down the market, one who raises plenty of intrigue is British-bred seven-year-old Toast of New York at 14/1.
Jamie Osborne’s runner returned to action with a win at Lingfield in December after 1130 days off the track.
He’s a previous winner of the UAE Derby, as well as being a runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Classic back in 2014.
This is big step up back up for the seven-year-old after such a long-time away from the top-table.
But with Frankie Dettori on board and with a kind draw to help him along, it could be worth backing the American-bred raider in the each-way column of your bet slip.
Gunnevera and Stellar Wind come next at 20/1 apiece, before Seeking the Soul at 25/1 and Giant Expectations at 28/1.
Four-year-old Singing Bullet is the outsider of the field and can be backed at 100/1.
Click here for the latest Pegasus World Cup odds.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
