How to bet the 2026 Forego Stakes

A total of 10 will go postward on the Tapeta at Turfway Park on Friday night in the $125,000 Forego S. The well-matched field boasts numerous win contenders, but I will give top billing to #3 Its Bourbon Thirty (7-2) in his 2026 debut for conditioner Jeremiah O’Dwyer. By Outwork, the gelding endured a solid 2025 campaign that was capped by a strong allowance win in his local bow when toppling a nice cast with a strong late run. 

Forego Wagers

• $20 win #3 Its Bourbon Thirty ($20)
• $3 exacta key box 3 with 4,6,9 ($18)
• 50-cent trifecta 3 with 4,6,9 with all ($12)

Its Bourbon Thirty has posted a pair of solid morning moves in advance of the tilt, led by a bullet half-mile spin last time, and the five-year-old has the running style to be well placed at the top of the lane in his return with Luan Machado taking the reins.

The stakes-winning #4 Built (8-1) came home a convincing allowance winner at Fair Grounds on Dec. 18 off the long absence, and the Wayne Catalano pupil will make his first run on the all-weather in his four-year-old debut. By Hard Spun, the four-year-old colt is two-for-three in sprint races and comes in fresh for a solid layoff trainer. The Kentucky-bred colt is a mystery when it comes to handling the surface in his first appearance at this venue, but I can’t ignore him at a nice square price with Jareth Loveberry taking the reins. 

Defending champ #6 Playmea Tune (6-1) has not been overly consistent since capturing this race in 2025, but he has back class and the bay comes in fresh for a heady layoff trainer, as well. The Maclean’s Music six-year-old is five-for-nine with a second on synthetic surfaces in his lifetime and possesses a fine closing kick in a race with some fleet horses signed on. The Ontario-bred will likely make one run from off the early pace with Walter Rodriguez in the stirrups. 

#9 Script (8-1) fits the profile of an exotics contender as he has won or placed in all four lifetime engagements on the course. Trained by Rusty Arnold, the Algorithms seven-year-old concluded his 2025 season with a solid third in the Holiday Cheer S. on the oval and has trained forwardly in the interim. Danny Sheehy will pilot the stalker.