As horse racing icon Cody’s Wish ends his career on a memorable note, the competition on the dirt mile tracks has greatly increased. Cody’s Wish emerged triumphant everywhere he went last year and even defeated the now Pegasus World Cup favorite in his last race. While his absence has left a lacuna, the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup will for sure be an enthralling contest.

After his maiden race in 2022, which he won, the Bob Baffert-trained horse has managed to win only a single race in 9 starts. With horse racing enthusiasts gearing up for the exhilarating action on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, the 3-year-old National Treasure is highly favored to win his 2nd Grade 1 race.

National Treasure to win $3 Million horse racing contest?

In the latest update on X, TVG revealed that Preakness Stakes winner National Treasure was the favorite for the race at Sunday’s Pegasus World Cup. “GI Preakness Stakes winner National Treasure, who was most recently second behind Cody’s Wish in the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, is the morning-line favorite for tomorrow’s GI Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream”, the post read. The 3-year-old’s last victory came at the Preakness Stakes in May last year, and since then his best place finish came at the November 4 Grade 1 Breeders’s Cup Dirt Mile.

However, given Hall of Famer Bob Baffert’s history at the Pegasus World Cup, and his own talent, National Treasure is highly favored to claim Saturday’s 1 1/8 Mile stakes $3 million Pegasus World Cup. Baffert has previously won the competition in 2017 and 2020 with Arrogate and Mucho Gusto respectively, and has similar hopes for National Treasure. “He’s doing really well“, he recently said in an interview. The Grade 1 winner will again be ridden by Flavien Prat, and both will look to let it come to a nose length this time.

National Treasure misses by a nose length

While Cody’s Wish was coming off a sensational victory at G2 Vosburgh Stakes before the Breeders’s Cup Turf Mile, National Treasure was looking to find his first win in 5 months. Odds were against him, but except for the last second of the race, he and Flavien Prat looked in absolute control of the prestigious contest. However, it wasn’t for the racing sensation this time.

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A few meters before the finish line, Cody’s Wish raced past National Treasure to take the lead. But the 3-year-old kept fighting. He almost overtook the 2023 Horse of The Year winner, missing by a narrow nose-length. Only if there were a few more meters, National Treasure would have won that highly close contest. However, he will now be determined to get Bob Baffert’s third Pegasus World Cup victory.

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