The purses may have been down for the Pegasus World Cup races yesterday, but the bottom line was up.Total wagering on the card at Gulfstream Park checked in at $41,896,435 on a warm, sunny day in South Florida, a big boost of 10.9% from the $37,786,967 wagered on a rainy Pegasus Day a year ago.

    Saturday's handle was just a shade under Gulfstream's all-time record of $41,983,882 set in 2018.

    Beyond that, it would be no surprise if Gulfstream officials let out a sigh of relief over Mucho Gusto's victory in the $2.94 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes as he was not one of the five horses who would have generated a single winning ticket and the jackpot payout in the Rainbow Pick 6 wager.

    There were five horses who would have produced a single winning ticket, and, quite surprisingly, one of them was Higher Power, the 5-2 betting favorite who finished 10th and last. The other single winning-ticket possibilities were on War Story (third), Bodexpress (fifth), Tenfold (sixth) and True Timber (eighth).

    Without a single winner, there will be a mandatory payout of the pool today with a carryover of $3,612,594, and
Gulfstream officials estimate there could be a Pick 6 pool of at least $15 million.

    Winners of the the Pick 6 Saturday still made a major score, collecting $394,349 for a 20-cent ticket.

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