Horse Racing This Weekend: Key races, top horses & best bet on horse racing, August 28
Fierceness takes charge in the Travers while Thorpedo Anna (second from left) is just getting in the clear (Photo by Dom Napolitano/Coglianese Photos)
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Get ready for horse racing this weekend
Discover everything you need to know about horse racing this weekend, including top horses, best bets on horse racing, tournaments, key races, and many great promotional bonus offers you just can't say no to.
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Breeders' Cup 2026 Corner
Come here every week to discover everything you need to know about Breeders' Cup 2026 hosted at Keeneland this year in Lexington, KY.
- Breeders’ Cup Roundup: Sovereignty rebounds in Whitney - Aug. 10
- Breeders’ Cup Roundup: Sovereignty, Magnitude meet again - Aug. 3
- Breeders’ Cup Roundup: Kalpana, Moonrise qualify at Ascot - July 27
- Breeders’ Cup Roundup: Survie strikes in Christophe Clement - Aug. 17
- Breeders’ Cup Roundup: Knightsbridge crushes Pacific Classic - Aug. 24
Jason Beem Horse Racing Podcast
Jason welcomes in James Scully to talk Travers (G1), Travers Day, history of the race at Saratoga, and much more!
Top horses and best bets on horse racing this weekend
Click to jump to each race listed!
Best Bets for the 2026 Travers Stakes
Read the full analysis here: Tipsheet: 2026 Travers Stakes
A stellar cast of 10 sophomores will run 1 1/4 miles on the Saratoga main strip in Saturday’s storied $1.25 million Travers (G1).
Travers Stakes Picks
- #7 Sea Strike
- #9 Golden Tempo
- #5 Renegade
- #4 The Puma
Travers Stakes Wagers
- $5 exacta key box 7 with 4,5,9
- 50-cent superfecta 7 with 4,5,9 with 4,5,9 all
Top Horses for the 2026 Travers Stakes
#7 SEA STRIKE (5-1): Upset selection looked like a star in the making in the Curlin S. at this venue in his route debut last time for Chad Brown. The $650,000 son of Midshipman gave me the impression of a horse who will love the move to 1 1/4 miles, and the colt continues to train like a serious runner as well. I expect the rising sophomore to move to the lead in the midstretch, with regular pilot Flavien Prat staying in the silks.
#9 GOLDEN TEMPO (5-2): Current leader in the division is a dual Classic winner who is proven on the course and at the distance for Cherie DeVaux. The Curlin homebred has gone last-to-first in a pair of electric tallies in succession and comes into the tilt fresh with some very good recent morning moves on the oval. Regular rider Jose Ortiz will bring the colt from the back of the pack once again.
#5 RENEGADE (3-1): Grade 1 victor had a fine prep for this when rallying to capture the Jim Dandy (G2) on the course most recently and will be doing his best work in the lane in this endeavor. The classy Into Mischief colt has reportedly been training in great fashion in preparation for the feature and will make one run late under new pilot Tyler Gaffalione.
#4 THE PUMA (8-1): Tampa Bay Derby (G3) winner checked in fourth in the Haskell off the layoff last time and will improve on this occasion for Delgado. The chestnut son of Essential Quality has posted some fast morning drills in advance of his local bow and can surely be in the mix late with a forward move second time back beneath Javier Castellano.
Saratoga (Photo by Coglianese Photos)
Spot plays for 2026 Travers Day at Saratoga
Outside of Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup weekends, few cards during the course of the season get as much attention from bettors as does Travers Day at Saratoga. In addition to all the major stakes action, I’ll be eyeing a couple of the two-year-old maiden races as well as a couple of turf offerings during the course of the eight-hour program.
- Race 1: Maiden, 11:05 a.m. ET: #6 Beau Valor (4-1)
- Race 6: Maiden, 2:09 p.m. ET: #6 Saytara (10-1)
- Race 7: Allowance, 2:44 p.m. ET: #9 Counterintuitive (4-1)
- Race 10: Lake Placid (G2), 4:33 p.m. ET: #4 Deep Learning (4-1)
Nitrogen wins the Alabama at Saratoga. (Photo by Coglianese Photo)
Kentucky Derby Alumni at the Travers: Do Derby Winners Win the Midsummer Derby?
The Travers Stakes has been around since 1864, and the Kentucky Derby has existed since 1875. Yet fewer horses have won both races than have won the Triple Crown – 11 compared to 13. So what’s going on?
It’s worth trying to analyze this link as we head to another Travers, where Golden Tempo attempts to become the 12th dual winner. What do the statistics tell us about the two races?
AG Bullet wins the Never Say Die Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs. (Photo by Coady Media)
Pick 5 of the Week: Kentucky Downs Saturday, August 29
I will be ambitious and take a shot at the middle Pick 5 on the fantastic card on opening day at Kentucky Downs on Saturday.
Race 4 Wager
50-cent Pick 5: 1,6,9 with 8,11 with 3,7 with 4,9 with 1,7,11,12 ($48)
Best Bets for the 2026 Forego Stakes
Read the full analysis here: Betting With, and Against, Book’em Danno, in the Forego Stakes
Champion #5 Book’em Danno (1-1) is a towering presence in Saturday’s $500,000 Forego (G1) at Saratoga. The stellar son of Bucchero is a neck shy of riding in on a six-race win streak dating back to last campaign, and the course specialist will also aim to defend his crown in the event after coming home a stylish winner of the heat in 2025.
Book’em Danno – With
Book’em Danno – Against
- $5 trifecta 1,4 with 1,4,5 with 1,4,5 ($20)
- 50-cent trifecta 1,4 with 1,4,5 with all ($12)
- 30-cent superfecta 1,4 with 1,4,5 with 1,4,5 with all ($8.40)
Top Horses for the 2026 Forego Stakes
#5 Book’em Danno (1-1), trained by Derek Ryan, the dark bay gelding boasts a strong 6-5-0-0 line at Saratoga in his career and has also won or placed in all but one of his eight lifetime tries at seven-eighths. The New Jersey-bred will be especially strong on Saturday with something close to his best as he landed in a reasonable field for a Grade 1 endeavor, and the tactical five-year-old will also go in a tilt lacking a lot of early speed from the gate. Regular rider Paco Lopez will have the favorite placed in second early on, before making his move as the cast turns for home.
#1 Tip Top Thomas (5-1) looks like the pace of the race from the rail and comes off a smart runner-up finish on the oval in his seasonal debut on July 26. The Grade-3 winning son of Volatile will appreciate getting more ground in the seven-furlong tussle on Saturday, and the chestnut colt will also move forward in his second run of the season. He’s posted three solid morning moves in advance of the heat and could get brave if he is left alone for too long up top with Flavien Prat signed on.
#4 Crazy Mason (12-1) has a winning chance at a price for conditioner Gregory Sacco. The five-year-old son of Coal Front was third by 1 3/4 lengths in the event in 2025 and really likes this venue with a win and two placings from a trio of local efforts to date. He is void of early foot, which always makes his job difficult, but the gray will not have as much ground to make up in this particular race, which figures to have a modest early tempo, and he has also won or placed in every try at what might be his best distance, too. He would not be a surprise to me with Manny Franco taking the reins.
Gimmie A Nother wins the Beverly D Stakes (G2) at Coloial Downs. (Photo by Coady Media / Credit to Brayden Cook)
Pick 3 of the Week: Colonial Downs Saturday, August 29
The Jamestown S. will close out the Pick 3 of the Week at Colonial Downs on Saturday.
Race 5 Wagers
- $1 Pick 3: 2,4,6,8,9 with 6 with 1,5,6,8 ($20)
- $1 Pick 3: 6 with 2,5,6,8 with 1,5,6,8 ($16)
TwinSpires Jury
The TwinSpires Jury goes supersized for one of the biggest race days of the summer! Kali Francois, Darin Zoccali, Nick Tammaro, and Travis Stone form a four-person “Grand Jury” to handicap Travers Stakes Day at Saratoga Race Course, analyzing three major Grade 1 stakes and sharing their strongest wagering opinions across the card.
Best Bets for the 2026 Ballerina Stakes
Read the full analysis here: Exotics Plays for the Ballerina Stakes
A fabulous field of 12 fillies and mares will jaunt seven-eighths on the Saratoga main strip in Saturday’s $500,000 Ballerina (G1). Many major races for fillies and mares sprinting on this circuit often begin with the Chad Brown-trained #7 Ways and Means (9-5), and deservedly so. The classy daughter of Practical Joke has displayed massive ability dating back to her juvenile season. She almost always delivers with a huge effort, evidenced by her brave tally in the Bed o’ Roses (G2) on the course on June 5.
Ballerina Exotics
- $2 exacta box 1,7,11,12 ($24)
- 50-cent trifecta 1,7 with 1,7,11,12 with 1,2,7,8,10,11,12 ($15)
- 10-cent superfecta 1,7 with 1,7,11,12 with 1,7,11,12 with all ($10.80)
Top Horses for the Ballerina Stakes
#7 Ways and Means (9-5) sports a robust 6-5-0-1 mark on the Saratoga dirt in her lifetime, and she will be fresh coming off a taxing race when she had to battle back late to collar a very good foe who was clear in the lane. Her string of drills on the Oklahoma training surface in preparation for the heat has been strong, and while I’m not in love with her morning-line price in a deep affair, she is a must-use, nonetheless. Flavien Prat retains the ride.
#1 Echo Sound (15-1) is one of two in the heat for trainer Rusty Arnold, the four-year-old bay is six-for-nine in her career and rolled home a facile winner in her 2026 debut at Monmouth last time out. The filly was a dominant victress of the Victory Ride S. (G3) on the surface last season, and while she has a tricky slot on the rail at a distance that she is not proven over, she is still immensely talented and too big of a price for me to ignore with Saez in the silks.
#12 Eclatant (3-1) has elevated her game in 2026 with three wins from three tries led by a game victory in the Madison (G1) at Keeneland in the spring. Cox's trainee is six-for-eight in sprint races in her career with three tallies at seven panels, and she possesses enough tactical speed to avoid being left behind from the widest post in the dash. The Into Mischief filly could be any kind on this surface with Manny Franco inheriting the mount.
#11 Beauty Reigns (15-1) is thriving right now, and I will give her a big chance at a fine number. The daughter of Into Mischief has never been better and has improved her Brisnet Speed rating in a trio of races in succession. She was a sharp allowance heroine on the surface in advance of this tilt, and the Grade-1 placed filly also fired a bullet on the Oklahoma in her latest morning move, too. The four-year-old will need some luck from off the pace but fits well in my opinion beneath Junior Alvarado.
Barbadian Runner (Photo by Equi-Photo/Monmouth Park)
Tipsheet: 2026 Charles Town Classic
A deep field of 10 will run 1 1/8 miles on the dirt in Friday’s lucrative, $1 million Charles Town Classic S. (G2).
Charles Town Classic Picks
- #9 Barbadian Runner
- #8 Banishing
- #10 Skippylongstocking
- #4 Full Screen
Charles Town Classic Wagers
Stronghold is the one to beat in the Triple Bend (G3) (Photo by Horsephotos.com)
How to bet the Pat O'Brien Stakes
A well-matched field of 10 will vie in the $250,000 Pat O’Brien S. (G2) at Del Mar on Saturday. The seven-eighths heat on the dirt attracted a cast with very little early speed signed on for a sprint at this level, which I feel will benefit Grade 1 winner #1 Stronghold the most. Trained by Phil D’Amato, the five-year-old son of Ghostzapper is generally pretty quick from the gate and he seems to be perfectly placed on the rail to stay close from the break in the heat.
O’Brien Wagers
- 50-cent superfecta 1 with 2,8,10 with 2,8,10 with all ($21)
- 50-cent superfecta 1 with 2,8,10 with all with 2,8,10 ($21)
Trainer Aidan O'Brien's Breeders' Cup contenders for 2025 at Del Mar
How to bet the Torrey Pines Stakes
A well-matched cast of seven will run 1 1/16 miles on the Del Mar dirt in Sunday’s $150,000 Torrey Pines S. (G3). The top-two finishers of the Fleet Treat S. for California-bred runners on the course on July 24 are back to face open company in the affair, and I think that the duo could finish first and second once again.
Torrey Pines Wagers
- $10 win and place #2 She’s No Quant ($20)
- $2 trifecta 2,5 with 2,3,5 with 2,3,5,7 ($16)
- 50-cent superfecta box 2,3,5,7 ($12)
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