Adrenaline, exquisitely dressed spectators, and the unknown outcome of who will win combine to create quite the experience. What are we speaking of? Horse racing! For those who are less familiar with horse racing, in just a few weeks the richest race in the world will take place, for only the third year in a row.

The World’s Richest Horse Race – The Pegasus World Cup

The Pegasus World Cup, a thoroughbred horse race, takes place at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida on January 26, 2019. This isn’t any old race, the stakes are astonishingly high, mainly, in part, due to the $9 million purse involved. If you’ve been wanting to attend a horse race, this is the event for you! Horse owners, jockeys, and spectators stream in for the race hailing from around the globe.

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The Race

The Pegasus World Cup, named after the mythical flying horse in Greek mythology, began in 2017. In its first year, the purse was worth $12 million, at which time it surpassed the Dubai World Cup as the richest horse race in the world. Then, in 2018 it was up to $16 million, and today it’s worth $9 million. Each of the twelve horses race a total distance of 1 ⅛ miles, also known as 9 furlongs.

The Betting

For as long as horses have been running, people have been betting on horse races. While plain old luck is the biggest factor in whether you make or lose money, betting on the outcome of formal horse races can be fun and profitable if you know what you’re doing and can beat the odds.  When placing your wager, you can place a straight bet, which involves a single horse to win, place, or show, or you can place an exotic bet which involves two or more horses.
Basic single horse betting types include the following:

  • Show: Your chances of winning are very good, and your horse must finish 1st, 2nd, or 3rd; this has a modest payoff.
  • Place: Your chances of winning are good, and your horse must finish 1st or 2nd; payoffs are better than to show.
  • Win: Your chances of winning are average, and your horse must finish 1st; the win odds determine the payoff.

There are a couple of useful tools to utilize when it comes to placing a bet. These include the Racetrack program, which has information on all the horses, jockeys, trainers and owners and the Daily Racing Form (DRF), which provides the past performances of all the horses running on the day’s program and includes informative horse racing articles plus handicapping by the DRF staff.

“Always consider the odds, which are listed next to its name on the program for every race. And while past performance doesn’t guarantee future results, the statistics show that over time going for the race favorite does pay off, as they win about 33 percent of the time, which already increases your odds of winning, although in lower payoffs.”

Trip Details

Though the race itself is over relatively quickly, the entire day will be filled with entertainment, shopping, dining, socializing, and champagne sipping. Generally, people come into town for the entirety of the weekend, enjoying the beautiful beaches and other activities before and after the races.

It’s important to note that there are a variety of ticket types for the main event, all of which you can read through right here.

If you don’t live in the Hallandale Beach area, then you’ll want to make accommodations reservations as soon as possible. As mentioned, people come into town from around the world to watch and bet on this race. Hotels tend to sell out quickly, so make a move! We still have a few rooms left for the weekend of the race; we’re located right on the Intracoastal Waterway and only 10 minutes from Gulfstream Park.

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