Pegasus World Cup Day at Gulfstream Park is one of horse racing’s flagship days of top-class competition and wagering that also is a showcase for food, entertainment, fashion, and lifestyle in south Florida. The day is meant to have something for everyone – but amidst all the hoopla, it’s important that the horseplayers do not get overlooked. For this reason, one of the most important festivities happening at Gulfstream Park will be the Pegasus World Cup Betting Championship, a handicapping tournament expected to offer a purse in excess of $250,000.

The Pegasus World Cup Betting Championship (PWCBC) is a one-day tournament targeting high rollers wagering on the Pegasus card Saturday, Jan. 27. Players can sign up and play in a first-rate on-track setting at Gulfstream Park, and they can also play at Santa Anita Park or through the 1st.com/Xpressbet.com advance-deposit wagering site.

The PWCBC tournament costs $6,000 to enter, which includes a $5,000 live bankroll and a $1,000 entry fee that goes into the extensive prize pool. Plus, 1/ST and Xpressbet will seed an additional $50,000 into the prize pool above and beyond the entry fees making this contest a player-friendly, win-win proposition. Advance entries are encouraged but not necessary. Players can enter on-track at Gulfstream Park all the way up until Race 5 on Jan. 27. Learn more and register online by going to www.PWCBC.com.

With an estimated 200 entries in the 2024 PWCBC tournament and with the $50,000 added money from 1/ST, the prize pool will be $250,000. The purse will include $178,000 in cash prizes paid out to the top eight finishers, while the rest of the prizes will be paid in coveted and expensive tournament entries. This includes two $10,000 seats in the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge to the top two finishers, and three qualifying berths into the National Horseplayers Championship [NHC]. Also, the top five finishers will earn seats in the 2024 1/ST Ultimate Betting Challenge, and the winner gets a free berth in next year’s PWCBC to defend their crown. Finally, Gulfstream Park is also offering $17,500 in on-track bonuses, with the top-scoring on-track players getting an additional $10,000, $5,000, and $2,500 in prize money.

Eddie Olczyk (NBC Pressbox)

“We are focused on making the Pegasus World Cup Betting Championship the most player-friendly tournament in horse racing,” said Dustin Fabian on behalf of 1/ST tournaments. “Seeding the prize pool with $50,000 and establishing a favorable bankroll-to-entry fee buy-in ratio, along with great benefits for playing on-track, allows us to ensure our players are competing for massive cash and seat prizes during one of our industry’s premier racing days.”

The format of the tournament is simple: Whoever turns their original $5,000 bankroll into the highest final total wins. All races on Gulfstream’s Jan. 27 card will be eligible for tournament play. Players must bet a minimum of at least $500 on four different races and must bet a minimum of $5,000 total, but there is no maximums in terms of playable races or the amounts that can be bet. Wagers permitted are win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, and daily double. Winnings can be re-bet and wagers far exceeding a player’s original $5,000 are commonplace.

The PWCBC is a magnet for tournament players and high rollers from all over the country, and some big names have been known to enter. Horse racing and hockey broadcasting personality Eddie Olczyk, for example, is one of the past champions of the PWCBC.

“The Pegasus World Cup is a remarkable event. The inaugural Pegasus World Cup was one of the highlights of my broadcasting career,” Olczyk said.

“Edzo” was the winner of the 2018 Pegasus World Cup Betting Championship, where he came out on top with a final contest-winning real-money bankroll of $65,858. First prize money that year of $137,500 brought Olczyk’s tournament earnings up over $200,000. That was the year Gun Runner won the Pegasus World Cup. It was a winning $1,160 trifecta wager on Gun Runner – West Coast – Gunnevera that propelled Olczyk to victory.

“Tournament play is about commitment to your convictions and managing your bankroll,” Olczyk said following his PWCBC victory. “When I handicap, I try to find overlooked horses that are ready to outrun their odds, and when I find them, my mindset is that I have to take my shot.

“Sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t, but you can’t be afraid to make your bets.”