City of Light spoiled the parade for Accelerate on Saturday, pulling away to win the $9 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at a rainy and wet Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.
City of Light beats Accelerate to win Pegasus World Cup
City of Light pulled away from Accelerate down the stretch
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
For the reigning Breeders’ Cup champion Accelerate, the 6-5 favorite on Saturday, the only thing that kept him from an undefeated 2018 was a single defeat to City of Light. On Saturday, these two horses were matched together ahead of the pack down the stretch, but it was City of Light that pulled away for a rout.
City of Light, with 9-5 odds, won in 1:47.71, with 30-1 shot Seeking the Soul finishing second. Accelerate, which didn’t live up to his name, dropped off at the end to take third.
For winning the Pegasus World Cup Dirt Championship, City of Light takes home $4 million of the $9 million purse.
Pegasus World Cup results
Time (ET) | Race | Distance | Purse | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:36 p.m. | Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint | 5 furlongs | $150,000 | World of Trouble |
| 1:37 p.m. | Ladies Turf Sprint | 5 furlongs | $150,000 | Cherry Lodge |
| 2:08 p.m. | South Beach | 7½ furlongs | $125,000 | Dolce Lili |
| 2:39 p.m. | Hurricane Bertie | 7 furlongs | $150,000 | Dream Pauline |
| 3:14 p.m. | La Prevoyante Handicap | 1½ miles | $200,000 | Si Que Es Buena |
| 3:47 p.m. | Fred Hooper | 1 mile | $150,000 | Aztec Sense |
| 4:24 p.m. | W.L. McKnight Handicap | 1½ miles | $200,000 | Zulu Alpha |
| 4:57 p.m. | Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational | 1 3/16 miles | $7,000,000 | Bricks and Mortar |
| 5:40 p.m. | Pegasus World Cup Invitational | 1⅛ miles | $9,000,000 | City of Light |
In the penultimate race of the day, Bricks and Mortar won the $7 million Turf Championship, taking home $3 million as the winner. Magic Wand from Ireland took second place, with Delta Prince finishing third.
Pegasus preview
Accelerate, with six wins in his last seven starts, started the week as a 3-2 favorite to win the 1⅛-mile dirt-track race on Saturday, and drew the fifth position in the 12-horse field. By Saturday, Accelerate moved to even odds to win.
“It’s a good post,” Accelerate trainer John Sadler told the Associated Press. “We didn’t want to be on the outside and we didn’t want to be on the inside. We were hoping for 5 or 6, so we’re very happy with the draw.”
Gunnevera, who finished second to Accelerate at the Breeders’ Cup, has 7-1 odds at the Pegasus World Cup on Saturday. City of Light has 5-2 odds, and is part of a field that includes Preakness runner-up Bravazo and Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Audible.
Post positions & odds
- Bravazo (17-1)
- Something Awesome (60-1)
- City of Light (5-2)
- Seeking the Soul (35-1)
- Accelerate (Even)
- Tom’s d’Etat (22-1)
- True Timber (70-1)
- Gunnevera (7-1)
- Kukulkan (19-1)
- Audible (10-1)
- Imperative (99-1)
- Patternrecognition (25-1)
Laffit Pincay III will host NBC’s coverage on Saturday alongside analysts Jerry Bailey and Randy Moss. That trio will be joined on the broadcast by reporters Nick Luck and Britney Eurton.
Time, TV, live stream, schedule and more
- Time: 4:30-6 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC
- Live stream: fuboTV, NBC Sports and the NBC Sports app
We have a total of nine races on Saturday, culminating in the $7 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational and the $9 million World Cup Invitational. First post time is 11:30 a.m. ET.
See More:
