Division rankings: Veterans rock the Pegasus trifecta

As soon as Skippylongstocking crossed the wire first in Saturday's Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup, I knew exactly what this week’s topic would be.

For starters, few were more surprised than I was by what this son of Exaggerator pulled off. He went off at 21-1, but for me this was the biggest shock in a major race since Rich Strike stunned the world in the Kentucky Derby a few years ago.

Now 7, Skippylongstocking previously tried Grade 1 company 11 times, finishing off the board in seven of those attempts. His best efforts were third-place finishes, and across 35 prior starts he had never hinted he was capable of something like this.

Yet there he was at the finish, edging clear of stablemate and another battle-tested veteran, White Abarrio, to land the biggest win of his career. White Abarrio, also 7, completed a 1-2 finish with Skippylongstocking, while Full Serrano, likewise age 7, rounded out the trifecta.

Those three 7-year-olds produced a historic result. It marked the first time in the Eclipse Award era that a dirt Grade 1 route race trifecta was completed by three horses aged 7 or older who were not geldings. Remarkable.

More on this unlikely trio below, and on a Pegasus result that I read completely wrong from top to bottom. No hedging, no excuses, just a reminder that no matter how much data you pore over or history you lean on, this game will humble you when you least expect it.

Older dirt males

1. Skippylongstocking. Yes, he rockets to the top spot as we turn the page to 2026. He captured the biggest race this division has offered so far this season facing some who were ranked below here, and he did so convincingly. For the first time in his career, he sits atop these rankings.

2. Sovereignty. He dominated an overmatched field in the Travers (G1), cementing a résumé that already places him among the most accomplished Kentucky Derby winners since American Pharoah. At the time, the Travers felt like a possible curtain call, but that doesn't appear to be the case now. If he does indeed run as a 4-year-old, expect a carefully managed campaign with no more than three or four starts.

3. Nysos. He ground out a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile as the heavy favorite, though it fell short of the emphatic statement many expected against that field. He came back a few weeks ago to win the Pincay Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita. Through eight career starts he has only one loss, a neck defeat in last year's Churchill Downs Stakes (G1). The prospect of his return this season is welcome news for an older dirt male division that, when all is said and done, could be thin in 2026. The Saudi Cup (G1) is expected to be his next start.

4. Journalism. He delivered a career-best performance in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, finishing fourth and beaten by less than four lengths by the winner. Before that, he was runner-up to Fierceness in the Pacific Classic (G1). It was a strong campaign for the 3-year-old, one that clearly hinted at further improvement. Now officially a 4-year-old, he returned to his Santa Anita stable from Bridlewood Farm in Florida. The colt’s training routine will be standard, jogging, galloping and resumption of workouts when trainer Mike McCarthy deems him ready.

5. Baeza. As expected, he went off as an underlay in the Breeders’ Cup. He made a move around the far turn but could not stay with the top-tier runners as the competition proved deeper than he had faced previously. The encouraging takeaway is that a return this season is likely, leaving room for further development.

Next five: Magnitude, White Abarrio, Nevada Beach, Hit Show, Knightsbridge.

First, to Skippylongstocking, I owe you an apology. I didn’t believe you had a Grade 1 win in you this late in your career, 35 starts in, and I was wrong. In a sport where durability is fading fast, you show up race after race, lining up your last 28 times in a graded stakes and answering the bell every time. That alone is remarkable.

You had proven time and again that you belonged at the Grade 2 and Grade 3 levels, winning multiple races and cashing checks with consistency. But based on your history, I simply didn’t think a Grade 1 victory was in the cards. I convinced myself that a breakthrough like this wasn’t coming. That was my mistake. You forced me to rethink how I judge horses like you, those who keep showing up long after most would have been written off or sent to the breeding shed. Message received, Skippy.

White Abarrio was a proven Grade 1 horse, but he hadn’t run well at that level for a year. After three straight off-the-board finishes and no start since last August, I assumed now at age 7 his best days were behind him. Add in the very real questions about his health, questions that even his own trainer acknowledged, and I didn’t view the Pegasus as a realistic landing spot for a resurgence.

White Abarrio didn’t just make it safely around the Gulfstream Park oval. He looked like the winner turning for home. Though he was run down late by Skippylongstocking, he finished a clear second. In doing so, he became the first Breeders’ Cup Classic winner to still be competing three seasons after that career-defining victory, and based on what we saw here, he appears to have plenty left in the tank to remain a top-level force into 2026.

Full Serrano completed the all 7-year-old Pegasus trifecta, though with “only” 20 starts entering the race, compared to 24 for White Abarrio and 35 for Skippylongstocking, he didn’t quite fit the hardened-veteran profile of his two counterparts. That perception likely stemmed from the fact that the Pegasus marked only his seventh start outside his native Argentina.

Of the trio, Full Serrano arguably carried the highest expectations into the race, and although he finished a clear third, he did so more than five lengths behind White Abarrio, underscoring the separation between the top two and the rest.

Will any of these three emerge as serious contenders for divisional leadership as the season unfolds? Probably not. But after the lesson Skippylongstocking delivered, I’m no longer ruling anything out. Horses can improve with age, we know this, and although the sport traditionally views 4- and 5-year-old seasons as the sweet spot, very few elite horses are given the opportunity to keep racing long enough to test that assumption.

Consider John Henry, one of the greatest geldings the sport has ever seen, who excelled on dirt and turf. At age 9, he was arguably in some of the best form of his career, reeling off four straight wins, three at the highest level, before injury sent him into retirement just ahead of the 1984 Breeders’ Cup.

The Pegasus wasn’t a race about the future, it was a reminder of what happens when durability, patience and class are allowed to coexist. Improbable as it was, the result made perfect sense once it happened. 

Older dirt females

1. Cavalieri. She missed the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, but Cavalieri’s performance in the Zenyatta (G2) was still an eye-opener, particularly in light of a disastrous break and a six-month layoff. If she can stay healthy, she will be a handful for any member of this division. Stays here for now until those below start racing.

2. Nitrogen. She exceeded expectations with a runner-up finish in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, a performance that secured her the 3-year-old filly Eclipse for 2025. Before the Breeders' Cup she delivered a solid second-place effort in the Spinster (G1), finishing behind Gin Gin.

3. Clicquot. Her fourth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff was a respectable effort and capped a late-season surge. She was a surprise winner of the Cotillion (G1) before the Breeders’ Cup and had reeled off four consecutive victories, including the Indiana Oaks (G3).

4. Seismic Beauty. She turned in a disappointing effort as the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, easing through the wire and finishing second to last. Before that she delivered a strong, front-running performance to capture the Clement L. Hirsch (G1), going gate to wire. Another one who struggles to stay sound.

5. Good Cheer. She clearly was not the same filly who captured the Kentucky Oaks (G1), finishing off the board in the Cotillion and beaten by more than six lengths. Looks to get back on track in 2026.

Next five: Regaled, Shred the Gnar, Fully Subscribed, Grand Job, Weigh the Risks.

3-year-old males

1. Ted Noffey. He capped a 4-for-4 season with a win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, giving him three Grade 1 victories and the Eclipse as the top 2-year-old. Although I’m not convinced he’ll be a serious Kentucky Derby contender once the distances stretch out, there’s no denying he was an above-average 2-year-old by modern standards and the clear leader of this division. The Fountain of Youth (G2) on Feb. 28 at Gulfstream is expected to be his return race.

2. Brant. The division’s hype horse heading into the Breeders’ Cup, he backed it up with a game third-place finish. Added distance likely will blunt his effectiveness, but his body of work so far places him firmly among the division’s best.

3. Obliteration. Crushed a listed-stakes field in his first start as a 3-year-old. He probably has distance limitations like so many who will be listed here early on, but he deserves this spot for now.

4. Strategic Risk. Like Obliteration, he easily won his first start at age 3 last out in the listed Smarty Jones at Oaklawn. The waters will get deeper from here, but he looks to have matured greatly from age 2. Runs this weekend in the Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn

5. Napoleon Solo. Was dominant in both of his New York starts at age 2. His signature performance came in the Champagne Stakes (G1), where he drew away to win by more than six lengths

Next ten: Further Ado, Mr. A. P., Paladin, Litmus Test, Intrepido, Incredibolt, Commandment, Golden Tempo, Plutarch, Blackout Time.

3-year-old fillies

1. Explora. Explora was an Eclipse contender in a wide-open 2-year-old filly division and, at least for now, stands above the rest. She dominated in her 2026 debut last out in the Santa Ynez Stakes, running away by over five lengths.

2. Zany. Dominant winner of the Demoiselle (G2), with her only other start in a win over maidens. Still not sure what to make yet of this daughter of American Pharoah.

3. Super Corredora. Although her Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies victory was impressive, she needs to show me it wasn't a fluke, given it was her only stakes start at age 2. Despite the single stakes start, she was voted the 2-year-old filly Eclipse.

4. Percy’s Bar. She finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and appears to be moving in the right direction. She clearly was the best horse in the Alcibiades (G1), crossing the wire first before being disqualified for stretch interference, a performance that followed a runner-up finish in the Spinaway (G1) at Saratoga.

5. Taken by the Wind. Made her 2026 debut a winning one last out in the Silverbulletday Stakes at Fair Grounds to run her record to 3-for-3. She won the Pocahontas (G3) last year at age 2.

Next five: Bella Ballerina, Tommy Jo, Bottle of Rouge, Rileytole, Consequent.

Turf males

1. Deterministic. He has put together three consecutive graded-stakes victories capped by back-to-back Grade 1 wins. Most recently he dominated the Fourstardave (G1) at Saratoga after capturing the shortened 1 1/8-mile Manhattan (G1) the day after the Belmont Stakes. He finished 3-for-4 in 2025.

2. Formidable Man. He turned in a career-best effort in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, finishing second and quieting critics who questioned whether he had been flattered by softer California competition. On the season he captured three graded stakes, including the Kilroe Mile (G1), earning his place among the division’s top contenders in 2026.

3. Rhetorical. Finished 4-for-5 in 2025. His only loss was a fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Mile, which came one race after his win in the Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland.

4. Wolfie's Dynaghost. A winner of two graded stakes in a row, he won the Fort Lauderdale (G3) last out in late December to finish off 2025 with four wins from six starts.

5. Gold Phoenix. Before his fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, he had rattled off back-to-back graded-stakes victories. Now an 8-year-old gelding, he remains a familiar presence in the division.

Next five: Test Score, Cabo Spirit, Redistricting, Layabout, Program Trading.

Turf females

1. She Feels Pretty. She once again showed up in a big way, turning in a gutsy performance in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf over a distance I felt stretched her limitations. She finished second and did more than enough over the course of the season to secure the Eclipse in this division in 2025. She won three of her five starts and finished second in the other two. Expected to return this season.

2. Shisospicy. The Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner is on a five-race winning streak in the U.S. She was dominant in all three of her graded-stakes victories in 2025, which led to her winning the Eclipse vote as North America's top female sprinter. She is targeting the 1351 Turf Sprint (G2) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Feb. 14 for her 2026 debut. 

3. Segesta. Won the Matriarch (G1) last fall for her first top-level score, and before that she was runner-up in the First Lady (G1) at Keeneland

4. Lush Lips. Won her last two starts in 2025, the Queen Elizabeth (G1) and Miss Revere (G2), and was never worse than second in seven starts.

5. Dynamic Pricing. She finished off the board in the First Lady (G1) at Keeneland, but her overall résumé still justifies a top-five ranking. She ran third in the Diana (G1), well behind the division’s top two, and she broke through with her first Grade 1 victory in the Just a Game before backing it up with a win in the Perfect Sting at Saratoga.

Next five: Laurelin, Fionn, Ag Bullet, Destino d'Oro, Queen Maxima.

Male sprinters

1. Book’em Danno. Winner of four his five starts in 2025, he starts the season on top here and appears headed for a showdown with Bentornato in the Middle East. 

2. Bentornato. The Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner scored that win in only his second start of the season. Although it wasn’t enough to earn my Eclipse vote last season, a more active campaign in 2026 could change that. He is expected to face 'Danno overseas.

3. Imagination. He backed up his previous sprint win with a strong runner-up effort in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. The Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) winner made only three starts in 2025, but each was competitive, earning him a spot among the division’s top five. He returns in 2026.

4. Dr. Venkman. The hard-knocking gelding showed up once again, missing the runner-up spot in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint by a nose when finishing third. Earlier in 2025 he captured the Pat O’Brien (G2) and consistently hit the board in three additional graded stakes, rounding out another dependable and productive campaign. Expected to be back in 2026.

5. Bishops Bay. Winner of the Cigar Mile (G2) last out, this guy is more of miler and stuck between divisions. Still, he has a better chance in 2026 to be a player in this division rather than the older dirt male division.

Next five: Lovesick Blues, Nakatomi, Crazy Mason, Roll on Big Joe, Midland Money.