Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets [Jan. 16, 2026]
Racing at Fair Grounds (Photo by Hodges Photography)
January 17th, 2026
Jump to each section below for easy access to everything you need for horse racing this weekend!
Get ready for horse racing this weekend
Discover everything you need to know about horse racing this weekend, including top horses, best bets, tournaments, key races, and many great promotional bonus offers you just can't say no to.
Come back to find more weekly horse races and promotional offers every weekend.
Kentucky Derby Corner
Come here every week to discover everything you need to know about the 2026 Kentucky Derby.
- Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: 5 wins for proven trainers
- Kentucky Derby Roundup: So Happy, Robusta win at Santa Anita
- Horses to follow in 2026: Nanda Dea
Weekend Windup
Pool 3 of the @KentuckyDerby Future Wager (KDFW) is officially OPEN! @AshleyAnd502 gives you 3️⃣ horses with big prices who could be in play the first Saturday in May. 🌹
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) January 16, 2026
Wager here 👉 https://t.co/qMAuuIG3I7 pic.twitter.com/xGmEya2RIw
Happy 10th Anniversay to Jason Beem's Horse Racing Podcast
As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the podcast, Jason welcomes in Pete Laverick who hired him at BetAmerica. They talk about the start of the show, racing marketing in those days, trouble they got in within the industry, and more!
Top horses and best bets for horse racing this weekend
Click to jump to each race listed!
Best Bets for the 2026 Lecomte Stakes
Read the full analysis here: Tipsheet: 2026 Lecomte Stakes
A super competitive field of 11 sophomores will travel 1 1/16 miles over the Fair Grounds main oval in Saturday’s $250,000 Lecomte (G3). The 2026 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series contest will reward the top five across the wire with qualifying points on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis. What is your best bet?
Lecomte Stakes Picks
- #10 Stop the Car
- #3 Crown the Buckeye
- #8 White Tiger
- #7 Mesquite
Lecomte Stakes Wagers
Top Horses for the 2026 Lecomte Stakes
#1 QUALITY MISCHIEF (10-1): The first of three in the field for Brad Cox gets an advantageous rail post and comes off a solid fourth in the Gun Runner S. on the oval most recently. The $300,000 Into Mischief colt has improved with each career run to date and will be in the hunt with another move in the right direction beneath Pedroza.
#2 CARSON STREET (8-1): Street Sense colt aired in an off-the-turf maiden tilt on the course in his latest venture and has never run a bad one in his career. One of two in the cast for Brendan Walsh, the Kentucky-bred will be forwardly placed in his stakes debut with Axel Concepcion in the irons.
#3 CROWN THE BUCKEYE (4-1): Multiple stakes winner gave way late in his third-place finish in the Gun Runner last out and will be the one to catch as the field turns for home on Saturday. The Mike Maker trainee has very good early foot, and the son of Yaupon will improve while making his second run off the short layoff. Ricardo Santana, Jr., inherits the mount.
#4 EXOSOME (20-1): Candy Ride colt graduated second time out, going a route of ground at Keeneland, and has trained forwardly in the interim. The Kelsey Danner pupil will have to get faster to upset this deep group, but he is lightly raced with room for improvement and could grab a share late with a leap forward under Loveberry.
RELATED: Meet the Contenders: 2026 Lecomte Stakes
Willy D’s wins the Michael G Schaefer Memorial at Horseshoe Indiana. (Photo by Coady Media / Credit to Ashleigh Schlitt)
Fair Grounds spot plays for 2026 Lecomte Day
The Saturday card at Fair Grounds is long — 13 races — but undeniably a fun one with few apparent stickouts among the baker's dozen. The three-year-old maiden races preceding the stakes look like really good betting races, too.
Here are some of the runners I'll be looking at on Lecomte Day.
Best Bets for the 2026 Kentucky Derby Future Wager (Pool 3)
Read the full analysis here: Hanson, Scully handicap Pool 3 of Kentucky Derby Future Wager
- Vance Hanson's 2026 Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pick: Napoleon Solo (40-1)
- James Scully's 2026 Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pick: Canoneer (15-1)
- Consensus Selection for the 2026 Kentucky Derby Future Wager: Nearly (50-1)
Top Horses for the 2026 Kentucky Derby Future Wagers
#27 Napoleon Solo (40-1): For those who were taken by the eye-catching victory by Napoleon Solo in October’s Champagne (G1), Pool 3 looks like the opportune time to get down on the son of Liam’s Map. Although the form of the Champagne hasn’t been exactly flattering in the interim, Napoleon Solo beat that field like a drum while earning a 98 Brisnet Speed rating, still among the highest turned in by anyone in the crop for a stakes-winning effort.
#6 Cannoneer (15-1): A $1.75 million son of Into Mischief, the sire of three Kentucky Derby winners, Cannoneer delivered a spectacular performance breaking his maiden the second time out at Churchill Downs, registering a 100 Brisnet Speed rating for the 7 1/4-length decision. Trained by Brad Cox, the bay colt is gearing up for his three-year-old opener, and I am bullish on Cannoneer heading into his stakes debut.
#28 Nearly (50-1): After finishing a well-beaten sixth in his first start at Aqueduct, rebounded smartly at Gulfstream Park, defeating Florida-bred maiden rivals by nine lengths. The Todd Pletcher-trained son of Not This Time confirmed himself as a Kentucky Derby contender when rolling to an impressive win over entry-level allowance rivals on Jan. 2, netting a 97 Brisnet Speed figure in the seven-furlong test.
RELATED: Field, morning-line odds for KDFW Pool 3 [Jan. 16-18, 2026]
Bear River wins at Churchill Downs. (Photo by Coady Media)
Pick 4 of the Week: Fair Grounds Saturday, Jan. 17
The Pick 4 of the Week comes from Fair Grounds on Saturday, and I will attack the middle of the three individual four-race plays that are offered on the excellent 13-race card. What is your best bet?
Race 6 Wager
- 50-cent Pick 4: 2,3,5,6,10 with 3,4,9 with 2,5,7,12 with 6,8 ($60)
Smoovin Saturday winning his debut at Del Mar (Photo by Benoit Photo)
Pick 3 of the Week: Santa Anita Saturday, Jan. 17
I will take aim at the all-stakes Pick 3 that closes out the big day of action at Santa Anita on Saturday, and I feel that the sequence could pay very well if my handicapping is on point.
Race 7 Wager
- $1 Pick 3: 3,6,7 with 4,6,7,8 with 5,8 ($24)
TwinSpires Jury
The Road to the Kentucky Derby heats up as Ashley Anderson, Darin Zoccali, and James Scully return for Episode 125 of the TwinSpires Jury, breaking down a key Saturday of stakes action with major implications for bettors.
The panel previews three featured stakes races:
Lecomte Stakes (Fair Grounds) – A pivotal early stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby 152, offering insight into which contenders are ready to take the next step
Leonatus Stakes (Turfway Park) – Another important Derby trail race where synthetic form and development take center stage
Colonel E. R. Bradley Stakes (Fair Grounds) – A competitive turf test with value opportunities for sharp players
Beyond identifying top contenders, the Jury digs deeper into the betting landscape by calling out morning-line favorites to fade, highlighting where the odds may not tell the full story. The discussion focuses on pace, form, class, and price—giving players the tools to bet smarter, not just louder.
Best Bets for the 2026 Louisiana Stakes
Read the full analysis here: Betting With, and Against, Just a Touch in the Louisiana Stakes
A solid field of eight will travel 1 1/6 miles on the dirt at Fair Grounds in Saturday’s $175,000 Louisiana (G3). Leading the way in the penultimate race on the card is the Brad Cox-trained #8 Just a Touch (8-5), who seeks to secure his initial graded stakes trophy. However, if your heart is not set on Just a Touch, here are some best bet options.
Just a Touch – With
- $2 superfecta 8 with 1,7 with 1,7 with all ($20)
- $1 superfecta 8 with 1,7 with all with 1,7 ($10)
Just a Touch – Against
- $5 trifecta 1,7 with 1,7,8 with 1,7,8 ($20)
- 50-cent trifecta 1,7 with 1,7,8 with all ($12)
Top Horses for the Louisiana Stakes
#8 Just a Touch (8-5), by Justify, the five-year-old is the clear one to beat and owns two Grade-1 placings in his lifetime, with a runner-up result in the 2024 Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland as well as a third in the Met Mile (G1) at Saratoga in the summer. Unraced following a second in the Monmouth Cup (G3) on July 19, the bay has been working in swift fashion leading up to his 2026 debut and has secured a fine post slot on the outside of the field. Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be forcing the tempo early atop the formidable Kentucky-bred.
#1 Moonlight (9-2) broke through with his first stakes triumph last time out when rallying late in the Cherokee Mile S. at Churchill Downs in his 2025 finale. The Chris Block pupil boasts the top turn of foot in the cast, and in a field with plenty of early pace in the mix, the son of Audible might sit a dream trip from the fence while saving ground throughout under Jose Ortiz. He was a 9 3/4-length allowance victor in his most recent attempt over the Fair Grounds oval, too.
#7 Willy D’s (4-1) has been an outstanding claim by his current connections, and the stakes hero was last seen finishing a commendable second in the Tinsel S. at Oaklawn Park on Dec. 20. The five-year-old son of Lookin at Lucky possesses excellent early speed and has a trio of lifetime wins at the distance, as well, in preparation for his first run at this venue. Kentucky-bred gelding earned a strong 99 Brisnet Speed rating most recently and will be a major force against this cast with even minor improvement under the guidance of Ricardo Santana, Jr.
Baby max wins the Leonatus Stakes at Turfway Park. (Photo by Coady Media)
Exotics Plays for the Leonatus Stakes
A cast of nine three-year-olds will run one mile on the Tapeta at Turfway in Saturday’s $125,000 Leonatus S. A pair of runners are sure to take a good portion of the wagers in the tilt, but I feel this is more than a two-horse race, and I’ll try to find some value in the feature.
Leonatus Exotics
Weigh the Risks wins the Pumpkin Pie at Aqueduct. (Photo by Coglianese Photo)
How to bet the Ladies Stakes
An accomplished field of eight fillies and mares will go postward in Saturday’s $135,000 Ladies S. at Aqueduct. The 1 1/8-mle affair on the main surface is led by the surging #1 Weigh the Risks (3-5), who has won five of her last six assignments since moving back to the dirt. Trained by Chad Brown, the five-year-old sports a fine 5-4-1-0 on this strip and comes in off a powerful score in the Go For Wand S. locally at the one-mile distance.
Ladies Wager
- $3 superfecta 1 with 3,7 with 3,4,6,7 with 3,4,6,7 ($36)
Sunland Park - Coady Photography
How to bet the Riley Allison Derby
A competitive field of nine will travel one mile on the Sunland Park main strip in Sunday’s $100,000 Riley Allison Derby. I’ll look inside for my top two picks in the event.
Riley Allison Wagers
Promotional Bonus Offers
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