Exotics Plays for the 2026 Dust Commander Stakes

A solid cast of 10 will travel 1 1/16 miles over the Tapeta surface in the Saturday feature at Turfway Park, the $125,000 Dust Commander S. Grade 3 winner and morning-line choice #4 Encino (6-5) is something of a course specialist and will be a formidable foe in the tilt while making his 2026 debut. 

Dust Commander Exotics

• $20 exacta 4 with 9 ($20)
• $2 trifecta 4,9 with 4,9 with 2,3,5,10 ($16)
• 50-cent superfecta 4 with 9 with 2,3,5,10 with 2,3,5,10 ($6)
• 50-cent superfecta 4 with 2,3,5,10 with 9 with 2,3,5,10 ($6)

Trained by Brad Cox, the Godolphin homebred has compiled a 5-3-2-0 mark on the strip and capped his four-year-old campaign with a gate-to-wire victory in the Prairie Bayou S. here in December. The dark bay son of Nyquist has posted a trio of maintenance drills in advance of his return, and his substantial early speed gives him a tactical edge on most of his contenders in the contest, as well. Luan Machado will guide the five-year-old and will put him in the mix from the opening bell. 

I feel that #9 Baby Max (5-1), one of two in the field for conditioner Kelsey Danner, will pose the biggest threat to the top pick. By Maximus Mischief, the colt captured the 2025 Leonatus S. on the surface, which preceded a clear runner-up finish in the subsequent Battaglia Memorial S., and he also kicked off 2026 with a sharp allowance win at Turfway, as well. The Kentucky-bred four-year-old has displayed a measure of positional speed on many occasions in his career, and if the bay can be in range at the top of the lane, then he could upset the field with Gerardo Corrales in the silks. 

There is a drop off after my top two picks, in my opinion, so I will spread with a quartet of runners to help fill out the lower rungs of the exotics. 

#2 Swiss Slang (30-1) might be something of a reach off the claim, but he sports a 10-6-3-0 lifetime mark on the synthetic and is worth using at huge odds. #3 Native Shaman (20-1) was an allowance winner in his lone prior run on an all-weather oval in advance of Saturday and could grab a share at a huge price for Rusty Arnold. Danner’s #5 Welaka (9-2) bested a talented allowance group in his 2025 finale and always performs pretty well at this venue. #10 Smokey Mandate (10-1) is consistent if nothing else, and the Mike Maker charge ran well on the surface in his latest endeavor, too.