When you win the Kentucky Derby, you automatically cement yourself as a horse racing elite. With that, the expectation to continue winning all the next races only mounts. When a 3-year-old Mystik Dan won the 2024 Kentucky Derby by a historic photo finish, trainer Ken McPeek admitted it was feeling of the “highest high“. But the next few months haven’t been on par with a Kentucky Derby winner’s prowess. However, better days can finally arrive this Saturday at the Pegasus World Cup.

The upcoming race is one of the most iconic graded horse racing events in the USA. As the action returns to Gulfstream Park on January 25, Mystik Dan’s trainer and jockey are desperate to reinstate the thoroughbred to his high throne.

$3 million Pegasus World Cup offers redemption

An article by Past The Wire from January 19 shares how the Kentucky Derby winner’s trainer McPeek and rider Brian Hernandez are feeling ahead of Saturday’s race. Along with that, they also tried to explain why the horse racing celebrity couldn’t follow up on his Kentucky Derby results in the next races. Just days after clinching victory at Churchill Downs, the colt finished second at the Preakness Stakes (G1) and was placed eighth at the Belmont Stakes the next month. A sixth-place finish at the Malibu Stakes in December only added to the concerns. But Ken McPeek believes it was the cross-country travel that was to blame for the horse’s poor results.

“That race in California we weren’t thrilled with. Maybe I’ll take the bullet for that. It was a long trip to get him out there. It was a two-day trip, truckin’ to California, and he didn’t do well at that distance,” the trainer has been quoted in the article. However, he is optimistic for the future, and wants to figure out where Mystik Dan “fits“, and the Pegasus World Cup could be the stage to get the clear picture.

“Will he transcend from a very good 3-year-old to a very good 4-year-old? The [Malibu] wasn’t ideal. But it’s a long year and we have several races to see where he fits. Hopefully, he comes back and proves himself as an older horse,” McPeek said about how the upcoming $3 million Pegasus World Cup provides the team the perfect opportunity to bolster Mystik Dan’s reputation. However, it wouldn’t be a walk in the park, by any means, even for the Derby winner.

A stacked lineup filled to the brim

“Brian is one of the most underrated jockeys, but not anymore, right?” McPeek said about the jockey who rode Mystik Dan across the finishing line at the 2024 Kentucky Derby. But even a decorated jockey like Brian Hernandez Jr. will have his work cut for him on Saturday. The 2025 Pegasus World Cup lineup included some truly awe-inspiring horse-racing juggernauts. The 2022 Curlin Florida Derby (G1) and the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner White Abarrio will also be racing down tracks on Saturday with celebrity jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. on his back. However, the 2024 Santa Anita Derby winner Stronghold is the horse to beat at this year’s Pegasus World Cup.

The list also boasts last year’s third-place finisher at Gulfsteam Park, Crupi. With a 5-4-5 record, Crupi is a force to be reckone with, and trainer Todd Pletcher has high hopes. Pletcher will have double chances of winning this year’s Pegasus World Cup with Locked also being among the entrants for the upcoming weekend race. So which four-legged equine star would you be putting your money on on Saturday? Tell us your prediction for the weekend event in a comment!