HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Ivar hasn’t won a Grade 1 race in the U.S. since his first one. Now 7, the Brazilian-bred has been competitive in seven subsequent tries among the turf-course elite, only to come consistently close without making the winner’s circle. Now comes a ripe opportunity to end the drought, one that has seen him mostly finish second, third, or fourth while lifting his career bankroll past the $1.4 million mark. Having arrived earlier in the week from his Kentucky base, Ivar will bring a solid record replete with triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures as a deserving favorite Saturday in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf at Gulfstream Park. Trained by Paulo Lobo, Ivar has not raced since rallying into a midstretch crowd in the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Turf Mile at Keeneland, only to finish fourth, beaten only a length by the victorious Modern Games. Javier Castellano has a return ride Saturday on Ivar, who will break from post 10 in an oversubscribed field of older horses going 1 1/8 miles in the $1 million Pegasus Turf. :: Get ready for Gulfstream Park racing with DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports.  Ivar was an easy winner of three races in Argentina, including two Group 1s, prior to Lobo assuming his training for Bonne Chance Farm. In his first crack at a Grade 1 on U.S. soil, he won the Keeneland Turf Mile (now the Coolmore Turf Mile) in October 2020. “He lost to some very good horses his last few races,” said Lobo, referring also to runner-up finishes in Grade 1 events behind Modern Games in the Sept. 17 Woodbine Mile and Annapolis in the Oct. 8 Coolmore Turf Mile at Keeneland. “We’ve been pointing to the Pegasus since the Breeders’ Cup. We’ve never missed a day and never had a bad day.” There are plenty of capable rivals looking to deny Ivar another Grade 1 triumph, including the uncoupled Christophe Clement duo of City Man and Decorated Invader and the only female in the field, Lady Speightspeare. City Man (post 12, Joel Rosario) has come to a career peak, winning four of his last five starts, most recently the Grade 2 Fort Lauderdale on New Year’s Eve with a 99 Beyer. “It was a big, big effort,” said Dean Reeves, who owns the late-blooming New York-bred in partnership with Peter and Patty Searle. “That raced showed us he likes the Gulfstream turf and that he belongs with these top horses.” Decorated Invader (post 9, Junior Alvarado), runner-up to his stablemate in the Fort Lauderdale, started his career by winning five of seven races, including a trio of graded stakes led by the Grade 1 Summer as a 2-year-old of 2019. His latest might well signal a return to top form. :: Get Gulfstream Park Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day.  Lady Speightspeare (post 6, Luis Saez) ended 2022 by outrunning her 32-1 odds in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, finishing third behind Tuesday and In Italian. Roger Attfield, a member of the racing Halls of Fame in both the U.S. and Canada, trains the 5-year-old mare for owner-breeder Charles Fipke. Whereas Ivar tends to do his best from well behind, Lady Speightspeare and the Clement pair are stalking types who’ll be looking to pounce at the right time. They all figure to be giving early chase to miler types such as Atone (post 3, Irad Ortiz Jr.) or longshot One More Bid (post 5, Mike Smith), either of whom might attempt to steal off on a soft pace. Graham Motion also will run two horses, and both seem to have a wild-card aspect to them. Hurricane Dream (post 4, Frankie Dettori) is a French-bred making his first start in North America for Team Valor after competing regularly in group company overseas, while Speaking Scout (post 7, Paco Lopez) makes his first start versus older horses after stamping himself as one of the top 3-year-old turf runners of 2022 by flying late to win the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar in early December for Eclipse Thoroughbreds. “He’s gotten a lot of confidence in his last three races,” Eclipse founder and president Aron Wellman said of Speaking Scout. :: DRF Bets Players: Opt-in to our PEGASUS CASHBACK promo and get MONEY BACK on losing wagers Filling out the main body are Wit, Good Governance, Who’s the Star, and Master Piece. In all, 14 are entered, with King Cause and Steady On being also-eligible. This is the fifth running of the Pegasus Turf, which was inaugurated two years after its richer dirt counterpart. Bricks and Mortar won the first Pegasus Turf in January 2019 on his way to being honored as Horse of the Year that same year. He was followed by Zulu Alpha (2020), then by Colonel Liam, who had been pointing to a three-peat this year after winning both the 2021 and 2022 renewals prior to his retirement to Ocala Stud being announced last week. The Pegasus Turf is carded as race 12 at 4:40 p.m. Eastern. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.