The $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) will for the first time be included in the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, Breeders' Cup Limited and 1/ST announced Nov. 13.
The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 94 stakes races in 15 countries whose winners will receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race at the 2026 Breeders' Cup World Championships, scheduled to be held Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland in Lexington.
As part of the global series of automatic qualifying races for the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), the 2026 Pegasus World Cup Invitational, a 1 1/8-mile dirt race which will be held Jan. 24 at Gulfstream Park, will offer the winner an automatic starting position along with pre-entry and entry fees paid (a $150,000 value). Additionally, the nominator of the winning horse will receive a $10,000 award.
All Breeders' Cup Challenge winners also receive travel benefits to the World Championships:
• $10,000 for starters based outside of Kentucky in North America
• $40,000 for international starters based outside North America
Since its debut in 2017, when it was rebranded from the previous Donn Handicap (G1), the Pegasus World Cup has established itself as one of North America's most prestigious luxury sports and lifestyle events. Six of the nine Pegasus World Cup winners have also won a Breeders' Cup race, underscoring the natural synergy between the two elite racing programs.
The 2025 Pegasus World Cup winner, White Abarrio, won the 2023 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) earlier in his career. He did not compete this fall in the Breeders' Cup, having been scratched from the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Del Mar by a regulatory veterinarian in the post parade.
"The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is designed to celebrate and connect premier racing on a global stage," said Drew Fleming, president and CEO of Breeders' Cup Limited. "Including the Pegasus World Cup is a perfect fit—it's a first-class event that now becomes part of an elite journey to the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic."
"This partnership connects two of the sport's most powerful stages," Aidan Butler, president of 1/ST, said. "The Pegasus World Cup Invitational's 10th anniversary will serve as a true gateway to the Breeders' Cup Classic—linking our passionate fans, horsemen, and international audience in a new and meaningful way."
The 2026 Pegasus World Cup will headline a day of world-class racing and entertainment from Gulfstream Park, presented by 1/ST, and broadcast live from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
For more information or tickets to the 2026 Pegasus World Cup, visit pegasusworldcup.com or follow @pegasusworldcup on social media.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
