On big race days my philosophy is to swing for the fences.

The Jan. 25 Pegasus World Cup card at Gulfstream Park is the marquee day of racing in the winter months. With eight stakes among 13 races and at least nine horses entered for every race, it’s a great day to look for horses with a chance to win at a big price.

The $500,000 TAA Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes Presented by SirDavis American Whisky drew a full field of 12 fillies and mares plus two also-eligible entrants for the 1 1/16-mile turf race. The morning-line favorite #1 Raqiya is a lukewarm 4-1 choice, followed by #10 Sacred Wish at 9-2 and #5 Fluffy Socks at 5-1, so on paper there is no clear standout.

See You Around wins Tropical Park Oaks. (Coglianese Photos/Gulfstream Park)

I simply went looking for value and landed on a 20-1 longshot in #12 See You Around.

The outside post is not ideal but in turf routes at Gulfstream, outside post positions can be overcome. I think jockey Oisin Murphy will find a good stalking position entering the first turn in front of six or seven dedicated closers.

See You Around enters off a win on this turf course in the Tropical Park Oaks at a mile on Dec. 14 when she blistered the final eighth of a mile in :11.16 and the final quarter mile in :22.41 (see note below). This is a step up in class in her third stateside start for trainer Christophe Clement, but she was beaten by less than two lengths in the 2024 French One Thousand Guineas — a classic race in France — and looks like an improving filly.

I also like #8 Papilio to outrun her 8-1 morning-line odds coming off a runner-up finish to #3 Be Your Best in the Grade 3 Suwanee River Stakes at one mile at Gulfstream Dec. 21 when she closed to finish second with a final eighth of a mile in :11.27. Likewise, I’m a fan of the fast and consistent #10 Sacred Wish coming off a big win in the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes at Del Mar. Sacred Wish’s trainer George Weaver and jockey John Velazquez have won at 29% together in 2024-’25 with a big return on investment ($4.14 ROI).

This is a race where you can make a compelling case for most of the entrants, so why not take a shot on one that promises a handsome reward? I’ll bet #12 See You Around in a $1 exacta with #8 Papilio and #10 Sacred Wish and put the remaining $14 on See You Around to win. If I lose it will be a worthwhile $20 home run swing. NOTE: Top pick See You Around was scratched from the race. Given the change, I will shift focus to #8 Papilio and bet her to win while playing her in an exacta box with #10 Sacred Wish and #3 Be Your Best.

New to Horse Racing? Let Us Explain...

final eighth of a mile in :11.16 and the final quarter mile in :22.41: North American dirt races are typically run fast early and the racehorses slow down late, while turf races like this one feature a steady early gallop and the field accelerating in the final stages. Look for horses with explosive acceleration in grass races at all distances, and especially in races from a mile to a mile and a quarter. I look for horses who can run the final furlong (eighth of a mile) in roughly 11 ½ seconds or less and the final quarter-mile in less than 23 seconds.