The $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Jan. 24 at Gulfstream Park is my kind of race with a deep, talented cast of turf females that even the morning-line oddsmaker could not make heads or tails of. How else do you explain 11 of the 12 runners pegged at between 9-2 and 12-1 odds?

You could make a compelling case for most of the runners — also-eligible #14 Awesome Czech would need a pair of defections but would be a strong consideration for my exacta and trifecta tickets — and the lukewarm favorites are not without obvious flaws.

#7 Whiskey Decision (9-2) has never won above the Grade 3 level and probably will be overbet based on her trainer-jockey tandem of Chad Brown and Flavien Prat, but she did flash some serious kick with a final eighth in :11.13 in her most recent win. Likewise, #11 In Our Time (5-1) has finished in the top three in each of her last five starts, but she hasn’t won a stakes race since November 2024 and was caught late in her last two races at shorter distances. I’ll happily let her beat me and look for better value.

Proctor Street wins at Keeneland. (Coady Media)

I like three 12-1 longshots best: #3 Destino D’Oro, #8 Proctor Street, and #9 Crevalle D’Oro, and I’ll play my favorite of the trio, Proctor Street, to win and box them together in an exacta.

Proctor Street enters off back-to-back wins for trainer Brendan Walsh, with jockey Tyler Gaffalione 3-for-3 riding the Street Sense mare. She’s 4-for-5 at this distance and has the ability to finish fast, with multiple wins clocking the final furlong in :11.51 or faster. She’s worked steadily for this race and seems to be on an upward trajectory.

Destino D’Oro is 2-for-3 at this distance and won impressively on this turf course in her most recent start in the Tropical Park Oaks Dec. 13. Likewise, Crevalle D’Oro exits a stakes win at a mile on the Gulfstream turf in the Dec. 20 Suwanee River Stakes with a powerful late rally.

The one entrant that scares me both to bet and to leave off my exacta ticket is #4 Breath Away (8-1), who might be the best finisher in the race but has only one timed workout since Dec. 24 and two since her last race Nov. 30.

My betting strategy on a $10 budget:

$10 win on #8 Proctor Street

What to say at the betting window: Gulfstream Park, Race 10, $10 win on #8

My betting strategy on a $30 budget:

$12 win on #8 Proctor Street

What to say at the betting window: Gulfstream Park, Race 10, $12 win on #8

$3 exacta box: 3,8,9 ($18)

What to say at the betting window: Gulfstream Park, Race 10, $3 exacta box: 3,8,9