The 2025 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park is in the history books after locally based White Abarrio romped in the $3 million race. But the track’s Championship Meet remains in full stride with another action-packed weekend of racing that includes a 50-cent Late Pick 4 wager on the Friday card.

GP 6th race (3:12 p.m. EST) -- Probably favorites FOREVER NOW and EL GUTY make for an intriguing Pick 4 opener that could pave the way for a lucrative payout if neither wins. FOREVER NOW has good speed and finished in the money in 3 of 4 starts in Maiden Special Weight company, but the opponents he ran against were a combined 18/1-1-2 in their next start. EL GUTY finished a clear second as the 3-to-2 favorite in his debut and adds blinkers today, but he was not match for the troubled 5-1 winner in a six-horse field. Hit the ‘ALL’ button in Leg A.

GP 7th race (3:42 p.m. EST) -- DEFENDED got the jump on slow-starting IT’S ONLY WORDS nearing the stretch and dug in gamely to hold safe for the 6F victory. DEFENDED has a wire-to-wire win at this distance on her strong Gulfstream Park resume, gets a 3-pound weight shift in her favor for the rematch and could be tighter in her second start since September. CLASSIC BALLAD got eligible for the starter allowance portion of this race with a very troubled run as the beaten favorite. She was steadied along on the backstretch but came up empty in the lane. She’s worth using at a price off the D’Angelo claim.

GP 8th race (4:12 p.m. EST) -- SOLIDARIA showed a passing gear when she broke her maiden on a muddy track here and that comes in handy in a speed-laden field. She set the pace and yielded to 6-to-5 repeat winner Deetz last out, now gets Lasix for her seasonal debut. GARUDA brings ascending speed figures to the table and gets an ideal pace set-up, if only she can avoid another troubled start that has plagued her. BLOND JAK ran 1-2-3 at this level in three starts on the synthetic track to earn a spot on the ticket, but her speed will be tested and she likely will be undervalued for Pick 4 purposes.

GP 9th race (4:42 p.m. EST) -- BEUYS bid on the rail and prevailed in a blanket finish in a longer turf route that has come back strong. He defeated four rivals who came back with 87-plus Beyers next out, including Idratherbeblessed, who finished second in a pair of stakes recently, not to mention Higgins Boat, an allowance winner on turf and stakes-placed in the Grade 3 Woodchopper Stakes on dirt. The lively pace scenario makes BEUYS an even stronger play. STRONG QUALITY has Grade 1-caliber speed, three wins on the lawn that accounted for nearly half of his $673k bankroll and hails from a red-hot barn. He is the one to beat.

Suggested 50-Cent Ticket
GP 6th Race: ALL
GP 7th Race: 6, 8
GP 8th Race: 2, 5, 6
GP 9th Race: 1, 7
Cost: $54