Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets, July 25
Ewing wins the Saratoga Special at Saratoga. (Photo by Coglianese Photo)
July 25th, 2026
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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, tournaments, key races, and many great promotional bonus offers you just can't say no to.
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Jason Beem Horse Racing Podcast
Jason welcomes in Kellie Reilly for the International Radar segment and looks ahead to a big Saratoga Saturday card.
Top horses and best bets for horse racing this weekend
Click to jump to each race listed!
Best Bets for the 2026 Bing Crosby Stakes
Read the full analysis here: Tipsheet: 2026 Bing Crosby Stakes
An especially fast field of nine will speed six panels on the Del Mar dirt in Saturday’s $400,000 Bing Crosby (G1).
Bing Crosby Handicap Picks
- #6 Cornucopian
- #2 Listenupshance
- #5 Stronghold
Bing Crosby Handicap Wagers
Top Horses for the 2026 Bing Crosby Stakes
#6 CORNUCOPIAN: Top pick from the Baffert barn will make his first appearance at this venue and comes off a professional tally in the Aristides (G3) in Louisville last time out. The bay four-year-old has performed very well in all but one of his sprint races to date, and he draws well to give Juan Hernandez options in the early stages of the heat. The lightly-traced four-year-old colt will be a force in the latter stages of the heat.
#2 LISTENUPSHANCE: Doug O’Neill trainee was a bit unlucky when a close third after a poor break in the deep True North (G2) at Saratoga last time out and is eligible to improve in this spot. Shancelot gelding has shown marked improvement with the blinkers coming off combined with a move to the main oval, and he is the inside speed of the race with Jaramillo in the saddle.
#5 STRONGHOLD: Classy Grade-1 victor from the D’Amato barn has been very sharp in a pair of clear wins in 2026 and rates an obvious chance in his return to Del Mar. The bay son of Ghostzapper has run two big races from as many tries on the oval, and he might sit an ideal trip from the second flight in the early going, as well. Regular rider Antonio Fresu will be in the controls.
Pick 4 of the Week: Colonial Downs Saturday, July 25
The pair of black-type tilts at Colonial Downs on Saturday will be the middle part of the Pick 4 of the Week:
Race 6 Wager
50-cent Pick 4: 2,3,5,10 with 1,3,4 with 7 with 2,3,5,6,7,9,11 ($42)
Best Bets for the 2026 Coaching Club American Oaks
Read the full analysis here:
A fantastic field of nine sophomore fillies will travel 1 1/8 miles over the main surface at Saratoga in Saturday’s feature, the $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks (G1).
Coaching Club Exotics
$20 exacta 1 with 6 ($20)
$5 trifecta 1,6 with 1,6 with 3,8 ($20)
50-cent superfecta 1,6 with 1,6 with 5,8 with all ($12)
Top Horses for the 2026 Coaching Club American Oaks
#1 Counting Stars, who dominated the Fantasy (G2) three back, which preceded a third in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), comes off a smashing win in the recent Acorn (G1) when she dusted a strong field inside the final furlong to post a convincing, 3 3/4-length victory beneath Irad Ortiz, Jr. The Kentucky-bred bay has reportedly worked well in the interim, and while she didn’t thrive with an inside voyage in the Oaks at Churchill Downs, I like her placement on the fence in this particular spot. She will be formidable with something like her most recent effort.
#6 Always A Runner (9-5) was outkicked late in the Acorn but was clear in second, and I expect her to improve in her second lifetime appearance. Trained by Chad Brown, the Gun Runner sophomore gave up ground throughout last time and still has room for growth, being lightly raced. The seven-figure yearling purchase looks to be doing everything right in the mornings and will be formidable with something resembling her Oaks performance on this occasion. Jose Ortiz retains the ride.
#8 Zany (9-2) in the Oaks, but the ultra-talented miss will appear with blinkers on for the initial time, and she wouldn’t be a major surprise to me in her local debut. The Todd Pletcher pupil was excellent at two and ran a clear second in the Ashland (G1) to commence 2026, so I’ll give her a pass for one subpar effort and use her in a lot of wagers against this fine cast beneath John Velazquez.
#3 La Rascasse (8-1) will likely go straight to the front in hopes of keeping her unbeaten record intact for trainer Will Walden. Purchased for $750,000 as a yearling, the daughter of Authentic has done nothing wrong from a pair of assignments to date, and while this class rise is a substantial one, I feel that she might get brave if left alone on the front end for too long in her first showing at The Spa. Regular pilot Axel Concepcion comes in to retain the mount.
© Coady Photography/Ellis Park
Playing the $3 All-Turf Pick 3 at Ellis Park July 25, 2026
A new wager gaining popularity of late is the $3 All-Turf Pick 3, a player-friendly 15% takeout offering on the menu at both Ellis Park and Del Mar this summer.
Here’s a look at how I’ll be tackling the Ellis Park version on the upcoming Saturday program.
Pick 3 Bet
- $3 Pick 3: 3,4,8 with 1,8 with 4,8 = $36
TwinSpires Weekend Handicapping
Check out the Late Pick 5 for Saratoga and the TwinSpires Jury for all your handicapping needs.
Best Bets for the 2026 Shuvee Stakes
Read the full analysis here: How to bet the 2026 Shuvee Stakes
A classy field of seven will travel 1 1/8 miles over the main surface at Saratoga in Friday’s $250,000 Shuvee (G2). It is very difficult to look past morning-line choice #4 Scottish Lassie (9-5).
Shuvee Wagers
- $12 trifecta 4 with 3 with 1,5 ($24)
- $3 trifecta key 4 with 1,3,5 ($18)
Top Horses for the Shuvee Stakes
#4 Scottish Lassie (9-5) for trainer Jorge Abreu will key her on top in my plays. By McKinzie, the four-year-old has won her last two races at The Spa by a combined 23 1/2 lengths, led by a sensational 15-length romp in Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) last summer. The dark bay filly is a two-time Grade-1 heroine with good early speed and an obvious affinity for the course, and she looked the part in her seasonal bow when blitzing an allowance field going seven panels here on June 7, as well. She’s also proven at the distance and will have the red-hot Jose Ortiz in the irons.
#3 Fully Subscribed (2-1) has been runner-up in a pair of Grade 1 events in succession to commence 2026 and has to be given a long look in the affair. One of two in the field for trainer Chad Brown, the Tiz the Law four-year-old has never finished out of the money from seven lifetime tries in advance of Friday, and she gets a pass for her latest when she ran into the buzzsaw named Nitrogen in the Ogden Phipps (G1) last time out. The four-year-old chestnut is a natural nine-furlong filly who might peak third off the layoff, and she will be stalking the action early with Flavien Prat taking the reins.
#1 Snowyte (6-1) has been getting progressively stronger in her races as of late and comes off a clear second in the Top Flight H. at Aqueduct in March. The $750,000 daughter of Good Magic can be very good on her best days, and if she receives the right type of voyage under Luis Saez, then I could envision her earning a placing in her second local appearance.
#5 Bless the Broken (7-2) finished in a dead heat for second in the Ogden Phipps last time while making her first run for trainer Brad Cox, who is pushing a lot of the right buttons at the current meeting. The $950,000 November purchase is a stakes victress with four Grade-1 placings, and the four-year-old could get a nice setup if the early ones knock heads on the backside of the nine-furlong tilt. Irad will be up.
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