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America's most-lucrative horse race - the Pegasus World Cup - is taking place on January 26, 2019, at Gulfstream Park. It is being attended by the world's richest trainers, who are keen to emerge victorious with the stakes so high.
As the event edges nearer, horse racing experts have declared that it's going to be a tough ask for anyone to rival Accelerate and City of Light, who currently head the betting.
With just days to go before the third staging of the race, we have put together a list of challengers who could potentially cause an upset in Florida at the weekend.
Audible
Audible is widely considered to be one of the 'dark horses' for this weekend's race, and it is easy to see why with the Todd Pletcher horse having prevailed in five of his last six outings.
The three-year-old finished second to Sir Anthony when going off at odds of 1/10, but Audible's previous record suggests that there is every chance of a challenge for the trophy.
Patternrecognition
Patternrecognition has not enjoyed the same level of success as Audible, but the five-year-old is always in contention and has been extremely active over the past seven months.
The horse - trained by Chad Brown - has won his last three outings and has finished in the top four in each race since May, and this is an obvious bet for the each-way punters.
Bravazo
You have to go all the way back to February for the last time that Bravazo won a race, but there is enough about the three-year-old to keep the horse in your thoughts ahead of Saturday's race.
Bravazo has competed eight times over the past 11 months and although some of its rivals have focused more on this race, Bravazo may possess the sharpness to kick on in the closing stages.
Something Awesome
Something Awesome is one of the more experienced horses in the race, but the seven-year-old is well rested with its warm-up race coming back in November.
The Jose Corrales trained horse is only ranked as an outsider, but four victories have come from the last half-a-dozen outings.
Kukulkan
The rank outsider at 100/1 is Kukulkan, and it is easy to see why with just one win being recorded in six attempts. However, the solitary success did come over the longer distance and although it was in lesser company, there is value in taking a punt on the three-year-old.
Gunnevera
One of the most intriguing alternative names to the Pegasus World Cup is Gunnevera. He has been an early bet and a top pick in the upcoming event.
Furthermore, Gunnevera finished in second place as a 28/1 shot at the Breeders' Cup Classic in November, and Antonio Mano's colt is expected to go close.
Seeking the Soul
Dallas Stewart's Seeking the Soul claimed fifth spot in the race 12 months ago, but the five-year-old has recently not shown the form which is required to be considered a top challenger on Saturday.
City of Light
City of Light has been lightly race over the past five months, but the current second favourite is being heavily fancied to claim the prize on Saturday.
The five-year-old was put through his paces at the weekend and impressed onlookers, and it would come as a surprise if a top-three finish is not recorded.
Accelerate
Accelerate will have to battle to victory in order to prevail at Gulfstream Park, and a lot of Pegasus World Cup wagers are expected to placed on the 13/8 shot.
Six successive wins were recorded throughout 2018 in preparation for this race, and it will take some run for the John Sadler horse to be denied.
Truly, the Pegasus World Cup is one of the most awaited horse racing events of the year and with last year's champion Gun Runner not competing, everyone is ready to witness who will get their hands on the title.
