Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets [Jan. 3, 2026]

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2026 Kentucky Derby Corner

Welcome to the 2026 Kentucky Derby Corner as we bring you up-to-date 2026 Kentucky Derby expertise and news as the Road to the Derby heats up. 

• Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Secured Freedom steps forward
• Kentucky Derby Roundup: Smarty Jones, Jerome kick off 2026
• Kentucky Derby Power Rankings: Questions to be Answered for Derby Contenders [Dec. 30]

Jason Beem Horse Racing Podcast

Jason continues his look back at 2025, talking about the Preakness and Belmont, the summer meets, and fall Breeders' Cup preps. 

RELATED: Thursday Thoughts with Jason Beem for Jan. 1, 2026

Top horses and best bets for horse racing this weekend

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Best Bets for the 2026 Jerome Stakes

Read the full analysis here: Tipsheet: 2026 Jerome Stakes

A compact field of four sophomores will travel a one-turn mile on the Aqueduct dirt in Saturday’s $150,000 Jerome S. The 2026 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series event will reward the four finishers with points on the 10-5-3-2 structure.

Jerome Stakes Picks

• #3 My World
• #4 Balboa
• #1 Enforced Agenda

Jerome Stakes Wagers

• $20 win #3 My World
• $10 exacta box 3-4 

Top Horses for the 2026 Jerome Stakes

#3 MY WORLD (7-5): Top pick from the Brad Cox shedrow is two-for-two on the Aqueduct dirt and comes off a decisive victory in the Nashua S. last time out. The $350,000 son of Essential Quality comes in fresh with six morning drills in advance of his third local assignment, and I expect him to press the pace early before edging clear late with Jaime Rodriguez retaining the ride. 

#4 BALBOA (8-5): The $875,000 Not This Time colt has shown nice progression since coming to the Russell barn. The Kentucky-bred colt was last seen finishing a clear third behind a pair of good ones in the Remsen (G2) in his local debut, and the sophomore might relish the cut back in distance on Saturday. The speedy bay has posted a pair of positive morning drills in preparation for the event and looms large as the potential pacesetter with Manny Franco in the stirrups. 

#1 ENFORCED AGENDA (9-2): The Liam’s Map colt was a sharp debut winner on the oval and at the distance for George Weaver. The gray colt toppled a solid field in his unveiling and will seemingly improve with more experience going forward. Flavien Prat picks up the ride and will have the homebred close to the action from the outset. 

RELATED: Meet the Contenders: Jerome Stakes 2026

Best Bets for the 2026 Smarty Jones Stakes

Read the full analysis here: Tipsheet: 2026 Smarty Jones Stakes

A field of nine juveniles will travel 1 1/16 miles over the Oaklawn Park oval in Saturday’s $250,000 Smarty Jones S. The 2026 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series contest will reward the top five across the wire with qualifying points on a 10-5-3-2-1 basis. 

Smarty Jones Stakes Picks

• #4 Silent Tactic
• #5 Rancho Santa Fe
• #1 Universe
• #6 Oscar’s Hope

Smarty Jones Stakes Wagers

• $10 win and place #4 Silent Tactic
• $3 exacta key box 4 with 1,5,6
• 50-cent trifecta box 1,4,5,6

Top Horses for the 2026 Smarty Jones

#4 SILENT TACTIC (12-1): Upset pick ran two good ones on the synthetic at Woodbine to commence his career and has posted a pair of useful morning moves on this strip in anticipation of his initial dirt try. The Grey (G3) runner-up brought $500,000 in the spring; he possesses a sturdy turn of foot, and I expect the bay to be moving best of all late at a big price with Jaime Torres in the stirrups. 

#5 RANCHO SANTA FE (5-2): Brad Cox trainee is unblemished from two route tilts to begin his career and makes a lot of sense as the morning-line choice. The Tapit homebred was best in a deep allowance outing at Keeneland in his latest endeavor and has trained swiftly in the interim. Regular pilot Floren Geroux will guide the fine prospect. 

#1 UNIVERSE (3-1): Global Campaign three-year-old has a fine foundation from a solid juvenile season and is surely a win candidate in his first local appearance. The McPeek pupil comes off a trio of graded stakes placings and has shown improvement since the blinkers were removed two back. The $75,000 yearling purchase will have Joel Rosario in the irons. 

#6 OSCAR’S HOPE (8-1): Tom Amoss trainee has been first or second in each of his handful of lifetime tries in advance of Saturday. The Twirling Candy colt was a popular stakes winner at Delta Downs most recently, and the Kentucky-bred is cut out to handle the added ground in this contest, too. Ricardo Santana will have the $150,000 yearling purchase in range throughout. 

RELATED: Meet the Contenders: Smarty Jones Stakes 2026

TwinSpires Jury

The TwinSpires Racing Roundtable and Jury collide for a special holiday handicapping edition featuring James Scully, Vance Hanson, Darin Zoccali, and Ashley Anderson. The group first takes a look at the weekend's Road to the Kentucky Derby and Oaks prep race results before they deliver their picks for the trio of Grade 1s at Santa Anita for opening day, Dec. 28.

Best Bets for the 2026 Turfway Prevue Stakes

Read the full analysis here: Exotics Plays for the 2026 Turfway Prevue Stakes

A total of seven three-year-olds will travel 6 1/2 panels on the Tapeta at Turfway Park in Saturday’s $125,000 Turfway Prevue S. 

Turfway Prevue Exotics

• $5 exacta key box 4 with 2,5 ($20)
• $5 trifecta key 4 with 2,5 ($10)
• 20-cent superfecta 4 with 2,5 with all with all ($8)

Top Horses for the 2026 Turfway Prevue Stakes

#4 Trendsetter (3-1) comes off of a pair of turf sprints in deep fields and gets a measure of class relief on this occasion. Trained by Ben Colebrook, the son of Modernist was purchased for $130,000 in the spring and won his first pair of tries on the dirt to begin his career at Colonial Downs, led by a triumph in the Hickory Tree S. 

Trendsetter was never much of a factor in the lucrative Juvenile Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs, and he was last seen showing late life when being defeated by 3 1/2 lengths in the Indian Summer S. on the Keeneland grass in his first go with blinkers on. The Kentucky-bred gelding comes in fresh for his local bow, and I expect him to thrive on the surface with Luan Machado retaining the mount. 

#2 Shipmate (5-2) cuts back in distance for trainer Nolan Ramsey after finishing fourth in the Pulpit S. at Gulfstream Park in his latest venture. The chestnut son of Mendelssohn graduated like a good thing in a dash on the synthetic in the Sunshine State two back and will relish the cut back to one-turn in this tilt. The $40,000 weanling buy has posted three morning drills in preparation for his first run on the oval and will be forwardly placed throughout with Miguel Vasquez in the silks. 

#5 Hometown Bound (2-1) earned a healthy 96 Brisnet Speed rating in his debut win on the main oval at Laurel Park and is the one to beat in the heat. The Mitole colt was a $350,000 juvenile purchase and showed why at first asking, when driving home a convincing, three-length victor on Nov. 8. The gray colt has posted a trio of local morning moves leading up to Saturday, and the Kentucky-bred will be a major force if he takes to the surface change in this spot. He will be forcing the action from the break with Victor Carrasco coming in to ride. 

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