Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets, Sept. 26

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.

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
• Breeders’ Cup Roundup: Leading Change upsets the Travers - Aug. 31
• Breeders’ Cup Roundup: Tiffany stars in Kentucky Turf Cup - Sept. 7
• Breeders’ Cup Roundup: Forever Young wins Classic prep - Sept. 21

Belmont Park Saturday and Sunday horse racing

Live racing has been canceled for Belmont Park for Saturday and Sunday due to a powerful storm moving in that will bring high winds and heavy rain to Long Island throughout the weekend, with gusts exceeding 50 mph. 

The six graded stakes (Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, Flower Bowl, Vosburgh, Gallant Bloom, Belmont Turf Sprint, and Winter Memories) will be rescheduled from Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27 to Thursday October 1. The Joseph A. Gimma, originally scheduled for October 1, will now be on October 2.

We hope everyone in the Long Island area and along the coast of New York stay safe and well. 

Top horses and best bets for horse racing this weekend

Click to jump to each race listed!

Best Bets for the 2026 Good Wood Stakes

Read the full analysis here: Tipsheet: 2026 Goodwood Stakes

Espanol: Ficha informativa: Goodwood Stakes 2026

A strong cast of nine will vie in the $300,000 Goodwood (G1) at Santa Anita on Saturday. 

Goodwood Stakes Picks

• #7 Forged Steel
• #9 Nevada Beach
• #6 Mr. A. P.
• #4 Original Sin

Goodwood Stakes Wagers

• $10 win and place #7 Forged Steel
• $3 exacta key box 7 with 4,6,9
• $.50-cent superfecta 7,9 with 7,9 with 4,6 with all

Top Horses for the 2026 Goodwood Stakes

#7 FORGED STEEL (5-1): Top pick from the Saffie Joseph shedrow has run into a pair of huge winners in the graded ranks in a pair of runs in succession and looks like a great fit in this spot. The expected pacesetter aired in the Gold Cup (G2) on the course three back in his local debut, and I expect him to lead the way throughout the event with Edwin Gonzalez in for the ride. 

#9 NEVADA BEACH (7-5): Defending champ from the Baffert barn will make his first appearance since finishing unplaced in the lucrative Saudi Cup (G1) in the spring. The talented son of Omaha Beach sports a strong 4-2-2-0 mark on the surface and could benefit from being drawn outside of his foes to ensure a clear trip in the feature. His morning moves in advance of his return have been positive, and go-to rider Juan Hernandez will be in the irons atop the deserving favorite. 

#6 MR A. P. (8-1): Grade-1 placed sophomore returns to the main oval following a trio of showings on the grass this campaign for trainer Vladimir Cerin. The bay son of American Pharoah broke his maiden in a lone prior attempt on the strip and has trained in swift fashion in preparation for his return to the main track. Joel Rosario retains the ride. 

#4 ORIGINAL SIN (6-1): Brendan Walsh pupil rallied late to finish a clear second in the Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar in his latest effort and is an obvious contender in this one. The Curlin four-year-old is two-for-two at nine panels and will be making one run from the back of the pack under the guidance of Kimura. 

Best Bets for the 2026 Ack Ack Stakes

Read the full analysis here: Exotics Plays for the Ack Ack Stakes

Espanol: Los Exotics compiten por el Ack Ack Stakes

A very competitive field of eight will vie in Saturday’s $400,000 Ack Ack (G3) at Churchill Downs. The one-mile test, contested around one turn, features a full cast of accomplished stakes winners, including my top pick, 2025 Tampa Bay Derby (G3) victor #3 Owen Almighty (7-2). Trained by Brian Lynch, the bay colt tailed off following his big win in Tampa last season but has come back with fine form this season, led by two good runs in succession. 

Ack Ack Exotics

• $5 exacta key box 3 with 4,6 ($20)
• $3 trifecta key 3 with 4,6,8 ($18)
• $.50-cent superfecta box 3,4,6,8 ($12)

Top Horses for the 2026 Ack Ack Stakes

#3 Owen Almighty closed well from off the pace to be a clear second in the Hanshins (G3) on this oval two back, which preceded a wire-to-wire score in the Cowboy Jones S. at Ellis Park in his latest venture. The four-year-old has finished first or second in each of his four career tries at the eight-furlong distance, and he has arguably never been better in advance of this race. Francisco Arrieta will ride the versatile top pick. 

#4 Bishops Bay (9-5) has a fantastic 17-10-5-0 career mark for trainer Brad Cox and is a must-use in the heat. The six-year-old son of Uncle Mo is a multiple graded-stakes hero and a distance specialist with a 6-4-2-0 mark at one mile in his lifetime. Purchased for $1.3 million in November, the bay is consistently very good and a fine fit at the level for his Churchill Downs debut. Tyler Gaffalione inherits the mount. 

#6 Coal Battle (8-1) is winless since eclipsing the 2025 Rebel (G2), but he has run some big ones in the interim and could get an ideal voyage in the contest. The Lonnie Briley pupil has been pretty good in his last two performances, and the late runner could get a fine voyage in a field with plenty of early speed in the mix. Juan Vargas will take the reins and have this one making one run late. 

#8 Nu What’s New (3-1) bagged the Hanshin on the course in his latest performance and comes in fresh for the contest. The Munnings gelding has shown major improvement since moving out from sprint distances and has what could be an ideal outside post slot to aid his running style with the pace to his inside. The Kentucky-bred bay will force the action from the break with Luis Saez in the irons. 

RELATED: Churchill Downs Spot Plays for Sept. 26, 2026

TwinSpires Jury

The TwinSpires Jury is back with a coast-to-coast Breeders’ Cup stakes preview, breaking down three major races with Breeders’ Cup World Championships implications!

Best Bets for the 2026 Santa Anita Sprint Championship

Read the full analysis here: How to bet the Santa Anita Sprint Championship

Espanol: Cómo apostar en el Campeonato de Velocidad de Santa Anita

The $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) at Santa Anita on Sunday lacks quantity, with just five signed on, but the field's quality more than makes up for the lack of runners set to go postward. 

Sprint Championship Wagers

• $10 exacta box 1-5 ($20)
• $5 trifecta 1,5 with 1,2,5 with 1,2,5 ($20)

Top Horses for the Santa Anita Sprint Championship

#1 Listenupshance has evolved into one of the top sprinters in the country since having the blinkers removed for trainer Doug O’Neill. The former $20,000 claimer has won or placed in six straight appearances with the hood off, led by a strong score in the deep Bing Crosby (G1) at Del Mar in his latest venture. An unlucky third in the True North (G3) two back at Saratoga, the Shancelot gelding finished a clear second in two stakes tries on the oval earlier this campaign, but is a better horse now and continues to train steadily in advance of his local return. The rail draw is not ideal, but the four-year-old is fast and figures to be the one to catch turning for home with Jaramillo in the controls. 

#5 Maximum Bourbon might have been a touch unlucky to have missed by a nose in the Bing Crosby most recently, but the lightly raced son of Maximum Security will surely get his graded win at some point for trainer Phil D’Amato. The four-year-old gelding has compiled a 6-4-2-0 mark on the dirt in his career leading up to Sunday, and he has room to improve with just seven career outings under his belt, too. He gets an ideal slot on the outside of the compact field for the dash, which will allow Umberto Rispoli to see how things unfold before asking his mount for his best. The Kentucky-bred has trained swiftly on the strip as of late, and wouldn’t be a surprise. 

#2 Imagination, one of two in the field for Baffert, beat a strong field in this race last campaign and will return to a surface where he has done some of his best running. The Into Mischief five-year-old, second in the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), has tussled with some of the best one-turn horses in training in 2026 and could get back to his best on Sunday while coming in fresh. The late runner comes into a field with ample early foot signed on to aid his closing kick, and his top showing could be good enough to win this with Juan Hernandez in the stirrups. 

Promotional Bonus Offers