2026 Pegasus World Cup picks, odds: Horse racing writer has best bets for Saturday’s $3 million race
The undefeated Disco Time will look to win the biggest race of his career when he leaves the starting gate in the 2026 Pegasus World Cup on Saturday at Gulfstream Park in South Florida. Trained by Brad Cox, Disco Time is a perfect 5-for-5 in his career. He is coming off a dominant 9¾-length win in the Dwyer Stakes in November. For Saturday he has been installed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the 2026 Pegasus World Cup odds. Defending Pegasus World Cup champion White Abarrio (4-1), Tappan Street (6-1), Madaket Road (10-1) and Mika (10-1) round out the top five on the odds board among the 12 Pegasus World Cup horses. Post time for the $3 million Pegasus World Cup is 5:39 p.m. ET.
With several talented horses set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you NEED to see what SportsLine horse racing expert Gene Menez has to say before making any 2026 Pegasus World Cup picks or horse racing predictions.
A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI’s handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010.
In 2015, while writing for Sports on Earth, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta (American Pharoah, Firing Line, Dortmund and Frosted), which paid $1,268.20 for $2. Then in 2017, he tweeted out his Kentucky Derby picks, including Always Dreaming to win, and hit the Pick 4, which paid almost $6,900 on a $1 bet. In 2024, Menez gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby.
Menez excels on horse racing’s biggest days. In 2024 he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders’ Cup Saturday for a $5,303 windfall. Last year he nailed the winner, trifecta and superfecta in the Florida Derby for a $529.60 score and the winner and trifecta in the Blue Grass Stakes for a $761.96 jackpot. Hit the late Pick 4 on Kentucky Oaks day for $915.48. In the Kentucky Derby, he hammered the exacta and trifecta for a $1,045 payout.
And in November, Menez finished 115th out of 643 entries in the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge, the biggest live-money handicapping tournament in the country.
Now, Menez has handicapped the 2026 Pegasus World Cup field and revealed his picks. We can tell you that Menez’s top pick is not Disco Time, even though he is undefeated and the 8-5 favorite. “A perfect 5-for-5, Disco Time is a deserving favorite, but he faces several other speed horses in the field, he drew the unfavorable No. 1 post and his odds will be way too short,” Menez told SportsLine. Menez is not using Disco Time in any of his Pegasus World Cup wagers.
Instead, Menez’s top pick is a horse who “has the potential to take a major step forward on Saturday.” Menez also is high on a big double-digit longshot who “will be completely overlooked on the toteboard.” Menez is including these horses in his 2026 Pegasus World Cup bets, and so should you. You ABSOLUTELY NEED to see which horses they are before making any 2026 Pegasus World Cup picks of your own.
