How to bet the 2026 Triple Bend Stakes

A compact, but talented, field of five will dash seven-eighths on the dirt in Sunday’s $100,000 Triple Bend S. (G3) at Santa Anita. 

The Mark Glatt-trained #4 Simple Song (5-1) will make his stakes debut in the heat, and I feel that it could surely be a winning one. By Munnings, the four-year-old was a $350,000 weanling purchase that didn’t make it to the races until October, but the chestnut flashed a lot of speed and potential from the start.

Triple Bend Wager

• $30 exacta 4 with 5 ($30)
• $5 trifecta 4,5 with 4,5 with 3 ($10)

Simple Song graduated second time out in November, and following a pair of failed allowance tries against strong opposition, the Kentucky-bred roared home a sharp allowance victor on the course on March 7. 

In that tally, the top pick was equipped with blinkers for the initial time, and the equipment change was a great one for him. The gelding rated early and finished fast in the lane to post a healthy 98 Brisnet Speed number in the process, and he has a lot of room to improve being relatively lightly raced. It’s a significant class rise, but I expect him to be up to the task with regular pilot Kazushi Kimura in the stirrups. 

Grade 1-winning millionaire #5 Stronghold (1-1) came off the bench to dead-heat for the win in a strong allowance field going 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn Park last time out and reverts to a distance that I feel is better suited for him in this spot. 

The Ghostzapper five-year-old has been third in each of his prior runs at the trip, including fine efforts in both the 2024 Malibu S. (G1) and 2025 Pat O’Brien S. (G2), and he will come into this test off some swift morning moves, too. The Phil D'Amato runner likes the surface and trip, and drawing outside in the small field can only aid his chances, in my opinion. Antonio Fresu will ride the homebred and have him in striking range every step of the way. 

The wildcard in the feature is Chilean Horse of the year #3 The Goat (9-5) for trainer John Sadler. Unraced since 2024, the bay son of Midshipman has never lost on dirt and has produced some fast morning moves on the local strip in advance of his stateside debut. I feel that this is a realistic spot for him to return, and getting pilot Emisael Jaramillo to take the reins atop the five-year-old is a positive, as well.