Exotics Plays for the 2026 Jaipur Stakes

An ultra-competitive cast of 10 will speed 5 1/2 furlongs on the Saratoga outer turf oval in Saturday’s $500,000 Jaipur (G1). The race is too deep for me to single a runner, so I will spread with a few talented contenders in the heat. 

Jaipur Exotics

• $2 exacta box 1,6,9,10 ($24)
• 50-cent trifecta 1,6 with 1,6,9,10 with all ($24)

I’m not sure I love #1 Governor Sam (15-1) for the win at big odds in the grassy dash, but the four-year-old has a lot going for him in the heat and will add a lot of spice to the gimmicks under Paco Lopez. The Improbable gelding sports a 3-2-1-0 mark on the course, led by a daylight victory in the Quick Call (G3) here in July. A beaten fourth on the synthetic at Gulfstream Park in his 2026 debut, the George Weaver trainee is pretty quick from the gate in a field without a ton of pace, and with his draw on the fence, I assume that he will be sent hard early to secure good position from the start. The bay has picked up each of his five lifetime wins at the distance, and if he leads early, he will be dangerous late and offer great value. 

Defending champ #6 Ag Bullet (3-1) fired a bullet five-eighths in advance of her six-year-old debut and is a must-use for Richard Baltas. The outstanding gray has amassed more than $2.9 million in her lifetime ahead of her seasonal bow and is proven on the oval. I would have liked to see the daughter of Twirling Candy have a prep run for this heat, but she is a fantastic turf dasher and could surely be up to the task in her second local appearance, nonetheless. John Velazquez retains the mount. 

#9 Twenty Six Black (12-1) lacks the credentials of the top guns in the cast, but the New York-bred bay ran two excellent races on this course in 2025 and has never finished worse than third in six career tries at the distance. Trained by Horacio de Paz, he had a nice tightener for the race with a close second in the Elusive Quality S. in his 2026 debut at Aqueduct, and I expect him to improve second time back. Manny Franco will guide the stalker. 

Mark Casse’s #10 My Boy Prince (5-1) bagged the deep Shakertown (G2) at Keeneland two prior and was also second best in this race last spring. The classy son of Cairo Prince has found his niche as a turf dasher and has the versatility to run from close up, or well back, in the early stages of the race. Jose Ortiz will guide the Ontario-bred once again.