Tennessee sports bettors have a chance to head to the races on Saturday when the 2022 Pegasus World Cup Invitational marks the unofficial start of the horse racing season at Gulfstream Park in South Florida.
Gear up for this year’s race by looking at past results, current contenders, upcoming betting odds and where to legally bet on the Pegasus World Cup in Tennessee.
Bet on the Pegasus World Cup in Tennessee
Horse race betting in Tennessee exists within a legal gray area. Since there are no tracks in the state, an official ruling has technically never been passed on the matter.
TVG has traditionally been the Volunteer State’s go-to platform for betting on the races, but betting has now been on hold for over a year. The suspension began when its parent company, FanDuel, applied for a sportsbook license in the state. Even though the book is now fully functional, horse race betting at TVG has yet to reactivate.
Luckily, bettors received a new option soon after sports betting became legal in Tennessee.
Often associated with the iconic Churchill Downs, TwinSpires has made a name within horse race betting. Most recently, the brand launched its sportsbook in Tennessee. You won’t be able to wager on the Pegasus using the app though. To bet on horse races, you’ll have to download the TwinSpires Horse Racing App, then login using your TwinSpires credentials.
In May 2021, BetMGM galloped into the horse racing world by partnering with the New York Racing Association’s NYRA Bets. But much like TwinSpires, Tennesseans will have to download the separate NYRA Bets app in order to wager. The only difference is, you won’t be able to log in with your existing BetMGM account.
2022 Pegasus World Cup odds
Now that official post positions have been drawn, we have a better idea of what to expect for Saturday’s race. According to Tuesday’s announcement, nine horses will take to the track.
Event favorite Knicks Go looks to secure a back-to-back Pegasus victory this year. Along with claiming last year’s title, he also celebrated wins at the Breeders’ Cup Classic and the Whitney Stakes.
In 2021, odds positioned the 5-year-old American Thoroughbred as the 5-2 favorite, and he certainly didn’t disappoint. The horse finished first with a time of 01:47.89 under jockey Joel Rosario and trainer Brad Cox.
This year, Knicks Go and his team enter the race with 6-5 odds, looking to best this strong field of worthy contenders for the second year in a row.
Life Is Good enters the list as the second-favorite horse with 7-5 odds. Trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. look to catapult this Kentucky-born horse into his four-year-old season with another win. Out of the horse’s six career starts, he’s logged five first place finishes.
The complete 2022 Pegasus World Cup morning line odds and post positions are as follows:
- Knicks Go: 6-5
- Chess Chief: 10-1
- Stilleto Boy: 20-1
- Life is Good: 7-5
- Empty Tomb: 20-1
- Sir Winston: 12-1
- Title Ready: 20-1
- Endorsed: 20-1
- Commandeer: 30-1
Odds for each horse are determined by its popularity and often fluctuate a great deal — especially in the final minutes leading up to a race. The more wagers there are on a particular horse, the shorter the odds and the lower your potential payout.
For instance, placing your money on a horse that isn’t so popular will result in a much higher potential payout due to its longer odds. A dark horse has yet to emerge victorious in this race, however.
Out of the five events so far, three have been won by the outright favorite and two have been won by the field’s second-favorite horse.
The previous five Pegasus World Cup winners are as follows:
- 2021: Knicks Go, 1:47.89
- 2020: Mucho Gusto, 1:48.85
- 2019: City of Light, 1:47.71
- 2018: Gun Runner, 1:47.41
- 2017: Arrogate, 1:46.83
Ways to wager on the 2022 Pegasus World Cup
Since its debut in 2017, the Pegasus World Cup has become one of the most celebrated events on the annual horse racing schedule. The invitation-only event is open to domestic and international thoroughbreds ages 4 and older. This year, the nine-horse field will run a 1 1/8-mile left-handed dirt track and compete for the $3 million purse.
Along with wagering on the outright winner, there are a handful of different ways to wager on a horse race. You can also place an exacta, trifecta or superfecta — bets where you wager on the top two, three or four finishers, respectively.
If you’re familiar with sports betting, compare these to a parlay. Each of your selections must be correct for the wager to hit. But if it does hit, you end up winning big.
Contestants take their marks this Saturday at 5:45 p.m. EST. As soon as the gates launch open, betting closes and the moment of truth draws near.
Bettors can lock in their wagers beforehand, then tune in to NBC to watch the horses jockey for position.
