Week 7 of 8 at Del Mar gets underway with an 8-race card on Thursday as we look to bounce back from a subpar handicapping week ($1.21 back on each $2 bet, our second losing week against 5 winning weeks at the meet). Managed to close with a couple of Sunday winners at short prices and still hold a strong $2.31 return on every $2 win bet from 112 Del Mar summer plays in this space. Let’s regain momentum for the final few weeks.Each day this summer at Del Mar, I’ll be handicapping the action with my top plays on the card – including full-card selections for a featured program each week (this week’s full-card will be Sunday – providing more focus away from Travers Saturday at Saratoga).Del Mar: Race 3 | 6:01 pm ET#4 Movingwithpurpose (8-1 morning line odds) tries to buck a forgettable summer meet for trainer Richard Baltas, who clearly hasn’t been as effective as he once was. But 2-year-old maiden turf sprinters are a spot where he has shown up huge in the past, 12: 4-2-3 at Del Mar in recent years, including 10: 3-2-3 with first-time starters like this. Works are fast at San Luis Rey away from the cameras and note Baltas’ success with Twirling Candy offspring of all ages turf sprinting locally – 11: 3-4-2 and his star Ag Bullet is 0-2 with a couple of Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint placings among those defeats. Win bet #4. Exacta key-box 4 with 6,8,10 (also eligible). Picks 4-6-8Del Mar: Race 5 | 7:03 pm ET#4 Jet Black Jewel (3-1 morning line odds) looks like the strongest play on the card and multi-race single. Switches to Juan Hernandez and makes the maiden special to maiden claiming drop in what looks like go time for Bob Hess Jr. Split good field last out that included next-out repeat allowance winner Goodies. Win bet #4. Daily Double 4 with 8-2. Picks 4-2-5Del Mar: Race 6 | 7:34 pm ET#8 Swaggish (12-1 morning line odds) warrants a longshot look despite a class rise in claiming price. Plenty of pace here that I don’t trust and his 95 BRIS lace pace figure last out was earned in a very fast overall time for the trip when beaten just over a length. Got an excellent trip that day and may need that again, but kept trying throughout and should be finishing best with dangerous #2 Ya’ll Come (7-2 morning line odds). Win bet 8. Exacta box 8-2. Daily Double 8,2 with 1.Del Mar: Race 7 | 8:05 pm ET#1 Winika (5-1 morning line odds) removes all variables as rail speed in an apparently paceless race and can take advantage of the infield elbow chute start that’s pseudo 3 turns. Steps up off maiden claiming tally but love to see Jeff Mullins’ charge back on work tab just 9 days after winning and apparently bounced out of the race great. Barn has been aces in turf races this summer. Half this field of rivals exits the same race July 30 in which the winner came back and ran sixth in a state-bred allowance last week. Win bet #1. Picks 1-4-7

The thoroughbred action continues in Saratoga Springs, NY on Thursday afternoon for Travers Week with a nine-race card that kicks off at the normal 1:10 PM eastern start time. The card is led by the $200k Skidmore for 2YOs traveling 5.5-furlongs over the turf. The featured event goes as Race 8 making it a key race within all late horizontals. Here are the horses I like most on the Thursday slate.Race 5:This MSW for 2YO fillies traveling 5.5-furlongs over the turf is comprised of mostly full-time starters and appears wide-open given the fact there is a 7-2-ML favorite. I will try one of the debut runners not expected to take too much public support #3 Brickyard Belle. The $600k OBS April ’25 purchase is bred to be quick being by Yaupon out of a More Than Ready mare that finished her career with 2 wins in 10 starts on the grass, including a third-place finish on debut over the Ellis lawn. She has been even more productive thus far as a broodmare producing six-figure turf sprint earners Joe Shiesty and Johnny Unleashed. The pedigree is there to be good early in one-turn races over the grass. Hopefully, the newest member of the family can fire bit at first asking for trainer Miguel Clement.Play: #3 Brickyard Belle (8-1 ML)Picks: 3-1-6Race 8: Skidmore#6 Titan Ready was made the 8-5-ML favorite by oddsmaker David Aragona in this $200k turf sprint for juveniles. The Title Ready colt enters his first start on the grass a maiden after a pair of runner-up efforts in races at the same 5.5-furlong distance over the Woodbine all-weather. The $12k FTK October ’25 purchase now moves into the Brad Cox barn and appears to be the speed of the speed, but his inability to win twice as the public choice in Canada, as well as his lack of experience over the lawn make him tough to endorse at his ML offering.The field is pretty suspect for the purse to be honest, but I will try to beat the favorite with 5-2-second choice #5 River of Deceit. The Hard Spun colt makes the second start of his career after a solid runner-up effort to a 2-1-shot that got the jump on him in mid-June at Aqueduct. He was back on the work tab regularly shortly after the debut and appears to have been pointed for this spot all summer by trainer Tom Morley. Hopefully, he takes a step forward and runs by this bunch late under Junior Alvarado.Play: #5 River of Deceit (5-2 ML)Picks: 5-8-6Race 9:The finale is a state-bred $50k starter at 1 1/16-miles over the Inner Turf where I understand the appeal of 8-5-ML choice #4 Coach Case. The son of Slumber draws favorably, retains one of the best riders in the country, and is coming in off a pair of near misses over this surface and distance. That said, he has had plenty of chances to earn his second win making him tough to get excited about at his likely final price. Instead, I will try to wire the field with #6 Naguile. The Three Diamonds Farm runner makes his third start of the year going long on the grass at the Spa for trainer Keri Brion. He broke his maiden in gate-to-wire fashion at Aqueduct before a pair of off-the-board finishes against NY-bred allowance foes. Brion drops the Summer Front gelding down in class and finds a spot where he appears to have a pace advantage. Naguile will likely need things his way to spring the upset, but certainly can do so if Hall of Famer John Velazquez can back down the speed early. Brion has had a slow summer in terms of wins in upstate New York, but has had several runners finish in the money. Hopefully, she can get herself a victory to close the Thursday card.Play: #6 Naguile (6-1 ML)Picks: 6-4-2

The $1 million Charles Town Classic will go post-ward this Friday, Aug. 28, with added appeal for bettors. The 1-1/8-mile, Grade 2 event is surrounded by five 7F stakes races that make up a Pick 6 wager featuring a $96,814 carryover pool and, more importantly, a mandatory payout. It only costs 20 cents to play, but if your ticket is alive late in the sequence, you’ll have to stay awake until almost midnight to see the tail end of the 13-race card play out.Charles Town Race 8 (8:32 p.m. EST) MYSTIC LAKE is back to defend her title in the $300,000 Pink Ribbon Stakes, but the speed that carried her to a 13-for-26 record and $1.6 million bankroll will be fully tested if the field remains intact. Soon-to-be millionairess IRISH MAXIMA has six wire-to-wire wins at 7F – though none around two turns that the distance mandates at Charles Town – by a combined 33-1/4 lengths in the last two years. FOIS GRAS is the top pick in the leadoff leg. She bid 3-wide at the top of the Churchill Downs stretch last out from post 8 and led until the closing yards against odds-on favorite Eclatant, a Grade 1 winner and runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Fillies & Mares Sprint. ICONA MAMA is a big longshot to consider. She posted escalating speed figures with Lasix to start her 4-year-old season, finishing behind 1-to-9 winner Kappa Kappa and between two next-out allowance winners when a “willing” third two starts back. She draws the rail with Manny Franco in from New York to ride.Charles Town Race 9 (9:05 p.m. EST) SOLITUDE DUDE, one of three entrants for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. in the Robert Hilton Memorial for 3-year-olds, just missed after a stretch battle against Local Knowledge (103 Beyer) in the Grade 2 Amsterdam at Saratoga last out. SCULCOS FOLLY won three consecutive stakes races at as many distances against New York breds by a combined 19-1/2 lengths before the streak ended in a fast-paced 1-1/16-mile route race. Both are entered in the $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial the next day at Saratoga but would face 3-to-5 morning-line favorite Englishman if they run there. If SOLITUDE DUDE runs here, he is a solo play in the Pick 6. If he is scratched, use SCULCOS FOLLY and LANGVAD on the ticket.Charles Town Race 10 (9:44 p.m. EST) Local sensation AT A PREMIUM toyed with 19 overmatched rivals to win her four starts by a combined 40-1/2 lengths. She draws outside of post 2 for only the second time and will get the class test in the $750,000 Charles Town Oaks (G-2). LUV YOUR NEIGHBOR raced 3- and 4-wide much of the way but found more in mid-stretch to win the Delaware Oaks going a route of ground, upgrading three consecutive graded stakes placings. LITTLE MISS CURLIN is 4-for-4 and a three-time minor stakes winner at 6F with jockey Jareth Loveberry aboard. She could sit the right trip from just off a projected lively pace in her first try around two turns.Charles Town Race 11 (10:25 p.m. EST) BULLARD ‘sustained a solid bid,’ earned a 102 Beyer and finished second to multiple Grade 3 winner Navajo Warrior (10-19, $632k) on a night when four stakes races at Prairie Meadows were won in wire-to-wire fashion. Defending Charles Town Classic champ BANISHING arrives to the $1 million race at 1-1/8 miles off a 6-1/2F minor stakes victory as he did last year. He reportedly will bypass the Forego Stakes at Saratoga this weekend to run in this spot. SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING disappeared in his bid for a Classic three-peat in 2025, but he turned the tables on BANISHING in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G-1) earlier this year. Don’t sleep of ‘Skippy’s’ stablemate, FULL SCREEN, who posted four 97-plus Beyers in his last five route races and adds blinkers after drifting in the Saratoga stretch last out.Charles Town Race 12 (10:55 p.m. EST) West Virginia breds take center stage in the $75,000 Frank Gall Memorial and, aside from longshot DIRECT APPEAL, the field is a combined 31-for-71 at the 7F distance. TECHINTHERELEASE opened a commanding lead and won last year’s Gall in the midst of an 8-for-10 winning streak with an average 86 Beyer. He fired three bullet workouts at the bullring for his second start this year. JUBAWITHATWIST, a model of consistency who doesn’t shy from the photo-finish camera, will eclipse a half million in earnings if he wins. SPOTAFREEONE rallied to win 7 of his last 10 starts, three by a neck and two in WV-bred stakes company.Charles Town Race 13 (11:25 p.m. EST) MALIBU YEARS, a $5,000 claim in March, has blossomed into one of the favorites in the $75,000 Sadie Hawkins Stakes for fillies and mares. She swept by the favorite on the turn to win on a muddy track two back, then drew even at the top of the lane and won going away on a good track en route to her career-best 80 Beyer. ZIP START, a three-time WV-bred stakes winner around two turns, followed the move of MALIBU YEARS to finish second at a distance which she’s conquered 4 of 8 times. OVERNIGHT POW WOW went post-ward as the odds-on favorite in 18 of 21 starts at Charles Town, winning 11 times from start to finish but only drawing outside of post 6 three times. She is as game as they come.Suggested Pick 6CT 8th Race: 1,3, 5, 8CT 9th Race: 3 (If scratched, use 4 and 6)CT 10th Race: 5, 7, 9CT 11th Race: 4, 6, 8, 10CT 12th Race: 3, 5, 7CT 13th Race: 2, 5, 8Cost for a 20-Cent ticket: $86.40

The Lead:The 157th edition of the Midsummer Derby rolls out the red carpet Saturday at Saratoga. The guest list includes the 1-2-3 finishers of the Kentucky Derby, the 1-4 finishers of the Preakness, the 1-3 finishers of the Belmont Stakes, the 1-2-4 finishers in the Haskell and the 1-3 finishers in the local Jim Dandy prep. GOLDEN TEMPO looks to seal the 3-year-old championship on the back of his victories in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont, a similar path Sovereignty took before floating the Travers canoe in his colors a year ago.Horseplayers at Xpressbet and 1/ST BET be sure to take advantage of the bonus money up for grabs in the $10,000 Trifecta-Thon promotion on Saturday's Saratoga card. The first of 14 races begins at 11:05 am ET.​​Field Depth:A Who’s Who of 3-year-olds are lined up, headed by Grade 1 winners GOLDEN TEMPO, RENEGADE, NAPOLEON SOLO and BABY VINO. EMERGING MARKET is a Grade 2 winner. Seven of the 10 entries are Grade 1-placed.​Pace:Expect a solid pace for 1-1/4 miles led by NAPOLEON SOLO and LEADING CHANGE and BABY VINO on the engine. SEA STRIKE and SILENT TACTIC could be close to the mix with a significant gap back to a group of sustained closers.Our Eyes:Here are my horse-by-horse notes.1-EMERGING MARKET: Louisiana Derby winner in his second start was the good news, but it launched him into Triple Crown consideration and he’s not been effective since. Thought he looked very good working solo Aug. 22 on video with a big gallop-out and distance always appeared to be his friend. Flavien Prat jumps to ride Chad Brown stablemate Sea Strike and he winds up with Ricardo Santana Jr., a rare pairing for these connections and a speed jockey that may not fit a true closer. Could pass several for a minor share but prefer others.2-LEADING CHANGE: Unbeaten Indiana Derby winner has the field’s lightest resume with 2 starts. We don’t see that kind of Travers inexperience often, only Uncle Chuck (sixth at 5-2 in 2020 for Bob Baffert) in the past decade-plus. Brad Cox trained ’21 Travers winner Essential Quality, who had a much more complete resume. Picks up 8 pounds while adding 330 yards in additional real estate from the Indiana Derby. Jockey Manny Franco – a Travers winner aboard Tiz the Law 6 summers ago – picks up the mount and is having a personal-best Saratoga season. Part of the pace but would take a Herculean effort to see out the trip with such little foundation.3-NAPOLEON SOLO: The last Preakness winner to add the Travers was Bernardini in 2006 – and Point Given (2001) is the only other since Damascus in 1967. Whereas the middle jewel in the Triple Crown often rewards spring brilliance, the Travers has been more of a long game. And that’s the chief talking point with Napoleon Solo. Just how far does he want to go? BRIS late pace figures of 90 and 92 in the Preakness and Haskell don’t appear nearly strong enough to carry his speed 10 furlongs against these. Workout video study of his Saratoga moves indicate a horse who hasn’t finished as strong as I’d like despite flashing some eye-catching times. Three-time Travers winner John Velazquez provides good hands in trying to nurture that speed as Paco Lopez jumps to ride Baby Vino.4-THE PUMA: Raced only once since March, there could be a sense of Grade 1 now-or-never for this colt by 2021 Travers winner Essential Quality. He ran toe-to-toe with many of this division’s better runners in Florida before a series of ailments and setbacks forced him to miss the Triple Crown. Upon his Haskell return July 18, he never made any inroads from off the pace. He’s been asked to gallop-out well beyond his recent workout distances as Gustavo Delgado tries to build a 10-furlong foundation in a colt with 9 furlongs of racing action in 154 days. Javier Castellano’s 7 Travers victories are most all-time and among a 6,000-career victory milestone this week. Can contend for a placing but prefer others on top.5-RENEGADE: The Jim Dandy winner has wheeled back to win the Travers 4 of the last 5 years. His 123 BRIS late pace figure on the back end of that local prep is one of the highest I’ve ever seen and the visuals absolutely backed up his fantastic finish. The twist? Irad Ortiz Jr. is sidelined with an ankle injury, so Tyler Gaffalione takes the call. He’s compiled 7 stakes victories over the years for Pletcher, 4 of them with Grand Sonata (most recently February’s Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream). While he’s 0-2 at 1-1/4 miles (second Derby, third Belmont), sire Into Mischief brought us Sovereignty here last year. The Pletcher barn has been on point after a rough patch around Belmont and early Saratoga. Expect his A-game and I project him strictly the horse to beat though his morning workouts – as they have been all season long – don’t give any indication of his afternoon prowess.6-OCELLI: The 70-1 Kentucky Derby third-place finisher keeps punching upward on the class ladder as he seeks his first win in 11 starts. Trainer Whit Beckman and the ownership group remain idealistic that 10 furlongs will bring further bankroll to a colt who has bagged $819K this year without the need of a win photo. I liked what I saw on video of his final Saratoga breeze as he loped early and finished up nicely with a big gallop-out, reminiscent of his running style. The wet track in the Haskell might have had a lot to do with his last-place finish that day, but he still has work to do in order to handle this group. Tyler Gaffalione jumps saddles to Renegade and Edgard Zayas picks up the mount.7-SEA STRIKE: The dominant Curlin Stakes winner over this track August 2 gets the biggest test of his career Saturday and couldn’t be training any better. Absolutely loved what I saw on multiple workout videos just dragging the rider along and galloping out like a beast, earning multiple ‘wows’ along the way. There’s nothing here on pedigree to suggest 10 furlongs and with only 3 career starts it’s a foundation that could leave him needing more gas late. Even brilliant 2016 winner Arrogate had an additional start with 4 Travers priors – so he’ll need to be that kind of animal. But this one’s talent is apparent if he can muster the stamina and fortitude to dispatch rivals and fend off the proven closers over the distance. Trainer Chad Brown is 19: 0-0-3 in the Travers and has not had any luck with established horses or upstarts like this in the past. Big threat but might be an underlay price at anything less than 6-1.8-BABY VINO: The Haskell winner has notched 3 straight, the longest active streak of any of this year’s Travers entrants. His 28-1 victory in Monmouth’s biggest race was a knockdown fight with Preakness winner Napoleon Solo in which he benefitted from a heady rail ride. The Linday Schultz trainee now picks up 7 pounds and tries 10 furlongs for the first time after a career-best 95 BRIS late pace figure. Paco Lopez, who rode him in the Pegasus Stakes win and battled him on Napoleon Solo in the Haskell, takes the mount back and departs his seat on the Preakness winner. Big half-mile work in :47 on Monday at Saratoga where he eased into it effortlessly but didn’t gallop out with big promise. Expect a pressing trip and this one projects to get a potential no lead, no pass journey in the Travers and note no Haskell alum has won the Travers since Keen Ice in 2015 and no horse has swept both since the great Point Given in 2001.9-GOLDEN TEMPO: Bout with an illness kept the Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner from accruing his Travers prep in the Jim Dandy. Now he’ll try to connect the 12-week dots off works alone. Archangelo did that in 2023, but he was the only since Birdstone in 2004. It’s a road literally less traveled, frankly because the Travers is 1-1/4 miles. But that 10-furlong trip has been the great equalizer over the years and Golden Tempo clearly relishes it. Trainer Cherie DeVaux has been consistently working Golden Tempo inside of a workmate to get a little more out of his breezes in terms of competition, but he’s never been let out of a gallop despite a couple of fleet 47s on the clock. Six works all at a half-mile suffice for the training of a horse who obviously was super-fit with a December-June form cycle that featured 6 races in 5-1/2 months. Jose Ortiz is in the midst of a record-breaking Saratoga summer season and it would be no surprise if Golden Tempo passes them all to win and follow Sovereignty’s Derby-Belmont-Travers sweep from a year ago, the first to do so since Thunder Gulch in 1995.10-SILENT TACTIC: Flat late in his last 2 matchups with Renegade in the Arkansas Derby and his Jim Dandy return in August, it’s difficult to project this one outkicking that rival over 10 furlongs in the Travers. And if you watched him struggle in his workout with the solid stakes mare Nerazurri at the Spa on August 19, it’s a case that’s very hard to make. Two-time Travers winner Luis Saez is back aboard this $1.1 million earner who has never missed the board in 7 starts and only 1 exacta misfire. But this is his toughest test yet and I don’t like how he’s coming into the race for the difficulty of the task.Most Likely Exotics Contender:RENEGADE is 8-8 in the money lifetime and exits an impressive rally in the key Travers prep while checking most all boxes.Best Longshot Contender:The logical players will be difficult to unseat from the exacta, but THE PUMA at 8-1 morning line could add mild spice to the bottom of trifectas and superfectas. He’s co-fourth choice so it’s not a big reach.​​Sending it in ($100 bankroll):$50 trifecta RENEGADE over GOLDEN TEMPO over SEA STRIKE. $30 trifecta RENEGADE over SEA STRIKE over GOLDEN TEMPO. $10 trifecta part-wheel RENEGADE with GOLDEN TEMPO, SEA STRIKE with THE PUMA ($20).

Just 2 qualifying weeks – a total of 10 seats to the Labor Day Final Table – remain in the 2026 Xpressbet Fun in the Sun handicapping tournament. Saratoga and Del Mar handicappers will clash this Saturday on the Spa’s biggest day as the 157th Travers matches Kentucky Derby / Belmont winner Golden Tempo against Preakness winner Napoleon Solo and more.Contestant Bryan Ingram brings the hottest hand into Travers Week after posting a season-high $374.10 bankroll total last week to earn the $1,218 weekly first prize. George Scott put up the season’s second-highest total at $356.10 to nab $507.50 in prize money. Frank Campanella earned $304.50 in prizes for his $336.80 bankroll. Other Week 6 Final Table qualifiers were Aaron Gold ($322.90 bankroll) and Christopher Skotz ($308 bankroll).That fivesome brings the Final Table seat total to 30 of 40 qualifiers. Two more qualifying weeks remain. The 2026 Fun in the Sun progressive jackpot now stands at $14,897.50 with $10,000-added from Xpressbet. Week 7 this Saturday once again features the final 5 races at Saratoga and first 5 races at Del Mar. Those contest heats include 4 stakes from the Spa: the Travers, Ballerina, Forego and Lake Placid.Fun in the Sun contestants play for weekly prize money and a chance to join each week’s top-5 players in the tournament’s Final Table on Labor Day. The 9-week Fun in the Sun handicapping contest runs 8 Saturdays from July 18-September 5 and concludes with the Final Table on Labor Day Monday, September 7.Entry is just $25 each qualifying round week and players utilize a $100 live bankroll on the final 5 races from Saratoga and first 5 races from Del Mar ($10 parimutuel win bets in each of the contest races). The top-5 players in accumulated earnings each week qualify for a seat in the final table, where just 40 entries will square off for the grand prize (players can qualify up to 2 entries in the Final Table). Weekly prize pool money will be on the line for the top-3 finishers each Saturday (70% of entry fees paid out weekly, 30% carries over to the Final Table pool).The Final Table format began in 2020 and past champions include Robert Rosen (2020), Wayne Tam (2021), Kevin Saunders (2022), Joe Tambasco (2023), Gordon Maruya (2024) and Andy Muhlada (2025).2026 Tournament DatesSaturday, July 18, 25Saturday, August 1, 8, 15, 22, 29Saturday and Monday, September 5 and 7 (Final Table)Buy-In$125 Buy-In per week, split between $100 Bankroll + $25 Entry FeeHow to PlayTournament consists of the last five (5) races each Saturday at Saratoga and the first five (5) races each Saturday at Del Mar. Players must make a $10 Win bet on one (1) horse in each race via the Contest Wagerpad.Weekly Prize Pool70% of Entry Fees are paid out each week as the Weekly Prize PoolWeekly PrizesTop Five (5) finishers each week automatically qualify for the Final Table1st Place Finisher – 60% of Weekly Prize Pool + Final Table Seat2nd Place Finisher – 25% of Weekly Prize Pool + Final Table Seat3rd Place Finisher – 15% of Weekly Prize Pool + Final Table Seat4th Place Finisher – Final Table Seat5th Place Finisher – Final Table SeatFinal Table Prizes30% of Entry Fees carried over to the Final Table$10,000-added prize pool courtesy of Xpressbet1st Place Finisher: 55% of Final Table Prize Pool2nd Place Finisher: 25% of Final Table Prize Pool3rd Place Finisher: 10% of Final Table Prize Pool4th Place Finisher: 5% of Final Table Prize Pool5th Place Finisher: 5% of Final Table Prize Pool‍For more and to register, visit the Tournaments page.

EXTRA INCENTIVES1 Million 1/ST Rewards Points Hit & Split | Saratoga | today’s racesTOURNAMENT TIME$100 Saratoga Feeder | detailsNOTABLE CARRYOVERSJackpot Pick 5 | Parx | $58,623 | begins Race 1 | 12:40 pm ETJackpot Pick 6 | Thistledown | $247,583 | begins Race 3 | 1:50 pm ETJackpot Pick 5 | Assiniboia Downs | $210,489 (CAN) | begins Race 3 | 9:25 pm ETKEY RACESSaratoga | Race 7 | 4:40 pm ET | Bolton Landing StakesHorseshoe Indianapolis | Race 8 | 5:47 pm ET | Penny HandicapHorseshoe Indianapolis | Race 9 | 6:18 pm ET | Bucchero HandicapLONGSHOT RACE ALERT FROM BETMIXFinger Lakes | Race 5 | 2:51 pm ETHorseshoe Indianapolis | Race 5 | 4:14 pm ETSaratoga | Race 7 | 4:40 pm ETTRAINERS TO WATCHPaul Barrow | Finger Lakes | 5 of 6 entrants 4-1 or less oddsDID YOU SEE?Yesterday | Assiniboia Downs | jockey Kerron Khelawan | 4 wins, 2 seconds, 1 third from 7 mountsPUT US ON YOUR HANDICAPPING TEAMScott Shapiro: Saratoga Spot Plays for WednesdayFrank Carulli & Brian W. Spencer best bets today in Xpressbet.com member’s section

The racing action at Saratoga Race Course returns on Wednesday afternoon where it is the start of Travers Week. The biggest week on the summer calendar in New York kicks off with an eight-race card that is headlined by the $200k Bolton Landing for 2YO fillies sprinting over the sod, The feature goes as Race 7 with post time set for 4:40 PM local time. Here the horses I am most interested in to start Travers Week.Race 4:This MSW for fillies and mares at 5.5-furlongs over the grass is a competitive eight-horse field that kicks off the late Pick 5. Morning line favorites #4 Fletch’s Rockette and #1 Vajra both are capable, but have limited upside at this point having competed four times already without a win. On the other hand, #2 Saint Tropez is more of a wild card. The daughter of More Than Ready makes just her second lifetime start after a speed and fade effort going two-turns over the grass on the Fourth of July. Trainer Phil Antonacci knows how to spot his runners evidenced by his 30% win rate with a 44-start sample size in 2026. This gal is bred more for two-turns, but could end up working out a dream trip on the cutback with Ricardo Santana Jr. back aboard. Her price should be worth the gamble.Play: #2 Saint Tropez (9-2 ML)Picks: 2-1-8Race 5:This state-bred MSW event over the Inner Turf certainly goes through 5-2-ML favorite #9 Al Mowashaah. The Tiz the Law colt moved forward in his first start going long over the lawn after tiring late in a dirt sprint to kick off his career. His effort was encouraging last out in the sense he was able to relax and come with a solid run, but he was from flying home when caught from behind by a first-time starter. Therefore, backing him at a short price is less than ideal. I will try to beat him with #1 House of War. The War Dancer colt debuts for trainer Jorge Abreu after a long series of local drills, including a few on the turf. He draws favorably for a barn that has not sent out a 2YO firster going long on the grass yet this summer at Saratoga, but is 2 for 6 with the runners they have sent out at the Spa over the last five years. Hopefully, he is ready to fire fresh!Play: #1 House of War (8-1 ML)Picks: 1-9-7Race 7: Bolton LandingThe feature is a fun one for juvenile fillies traveling 5.5-furlongs over the sod where a case could be made for many. #3 Side Quest was made the understandable 5-2-ML favorite by oddsmaker David Aragona after stalking in the clear off a longshot speed horse early and pulling away for fun to break her maiden on July 23. A move forward makes her tough to beat, but she is likely to get a much different voyage than she got from her outside draw against lesser last month. I will try to beat her with #6 Allura. The Mind Control filly debuted on July 3 where she showed early speed from the gate and held safe at odds of 12-1. Trainer Kelsey Danner has given her time since the win and now draws favorably to the outside and attracts Flavien Prat. Unless she outbreaks the field, I expect Prat to try to stalk from the outside with this gal in her second lifetime start. Hopefully she is in with a shot late and shows the grit she did to spring the upset over this surface on debut. The price should be fair.Play: #6 Allura (8-1 ML)Picks: 6-2-3

Travers Week is here and we're just over two months until the 2026 Breeders’ Cup World Championships are held at Keeneland Race Course. It’s time to start thinking about what each of the championship races may look like and who the main players might be. Each week, I’ll adjust my personal rankings accordingly based on races and news from the weekend prior. The juvenile divisions will enter the equation once the marquee summer meetings have concluded.Below you’ll find my rankings for nine of the Breeders' Cup divisions, with the top four contenders listed in chronological order. Any changes made, whether they be additions / subtractions or new comments, are italicized.CLASSIC1 - Forever Young (last week: 1)• To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man; likely to prep in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at BEL before heading to Kentucky…the best in the world on dirt when on his game2 - Sovereignty (last week: 2)• The champ was back and arguably better than ever in the Whitney; may indeed be a Saratoga move up but that doesn’t preclude him from winning a race like the Classic at KEE3 - Magnitude (last week: 3)• If you forgive his Saratoga form he’s done nothing wrong; ticks all the boxes at what’s likely a reasonable price assuming you can get past the dud in the Whitney4 - Knightsbridge (last week: 4)• Devastated the G1 Pacific Classic over the weekend, a field that was a G1 in name only; hard to find anyone to dispute his brilliance, but the question remains - can he reproduce that brilliance against the cream of the crop?DISTAFF | VIDEO SPOTLIGHT THIS WEEK1 - Nitrogen (last week: 1)o Ran arguably the best race of her career in defeat in the Whitney; outside chance she takes on boys again but strictly the horse to beat if she tackles the females in the Distaff2 - Counting Stars (last week: 2)• Defeated as the heavy chalk in the G1 Alabama this weekend; clearly not her best but not going to be overly reactionary…she’s still one of the favorites in this division when firing on all cylinders3 - Always a Runner (last week: 3)• The Kentucky Oaks winner is going to run in the Cotillion at Parx; may be of comparable ability to Counting Stars but down in the head-to-head battles4 - Splendora (last week: 4)• Not completely sold that she’s truly a 9F type but hard to argue with her 2026 record to this point; defending BC FM Sprint winner gives Baffert options to either go long or turn her backSPRINT1 - Englishman (last week: 1)• Staggeringly good effort in the Woody Stephens, earning a 115 Beyer; returns in the Allen Jerkens at Saratoga this Saturday, where a repeat of the Stephens would result in another G1 victory2 - T O Elvis (last week: 2)• Lost in the late odds hoopla on Derby Day was just how emphatic his win in the Churchill Downs was; may need to find a bit if Englishman holds his form - but may not need to find much3 - Book’em Danno (last week: 3)• Would have been the first or second-choice in last year’s BC Sprint; two necks away from being undefeated in his last eight starts. Battles Saturday at the Spa4 - Listenupshance (last week: 4)• Narrowly defeated by Danno in the True North but came back to win the G1 Bing Crosby at DMR; seemingly continues to improve as the season progresses…if that trend continues he’s interesting at a priceFM SPRINT1 - Kilwin (last week: 1)• Light on figs but undefeated on dirt in three tries, including a G1; division is fairly deep but have a strong inkling we’ve still not seen this one’s best. In action Saturday at Saratoga2 - Explora (last week: 2)• Filly had been screaming for a turn back all spring but stayed the Oaks course; since the turn back has looked like a monster…figs still light compared to the older fillies and mares but on the right path3 - Eclatant (last week: 3)• The best version of Eclatant is probably the best female sprinter on dirt, but she’s not always fired her best on the clock; good to know her career defining race came over course / distance in spring’s G1 Madison @ KEE4 - Ways and Means (last week: 4)• May simply be a Saratoga freak and a shell of herself away from the Spa -- but runs on her home ground Saturday; how good is her good? Arguably the best - but does that version show up in October at KEE?TURF1 - Burnham Square (last week: 1)• His figs may be tapering off some but his win over course / distance this spring makes him a legit threat against all comers; a 107 Beyer in this race historically puts you right there at the wire2 - Calandagan (last week: 2)• Bit of a leap with any of the Euros regarding who is / isn’t coming over; maybe not visiting the winner’s circle as much as he was in 2025 but still capable of firing elite-level shots at 12F3 - Benvenuto Cellini (last week: 3)• Has long been discussed as being the cream of the 3YO crop in Europe; first try against elders at Ascot was fine…nothing more, nothing less4 - Ethical Diamond (last week: 4)• The surprise winner of last year’s BC Turf (with a 107 Beyer) hasn’t had much of a campaign in 2026; stating the obvious - if he can get back to the Del Mar form he showcased last fall, he’s dangerousMILE1 - Gstaad (last week: 1)• If not for the since retired Bow Echo, we may be looking at an unbeaten 3YO campaign comprised of four G1s to this point; already shown that American style of racing is no issue with last year’s BC Juvenile Turf win @ DMR2 - Blue Bolt (last week: 2)• She’s done little wrong in her career in Europe and has established herself as the clear leader of the filly and mare milers; Juddmonte filly would be extremely dangerous if she came over3 - Notable Speech (last week: 3)• Has been known to lay an egg from time to time but his North American record is quite strong; miserably unlucky at Keeneland in April, likely wins that G1 with any sort of racing luck4 - Deterministic (last week: 4)• Hasn’t lost a turf race since October 2024; five consecutive 100+ Beyers at distances ranging from 8F to 9.5F is no small feat…the best of the American bunch at the momentFM TURF1 - Thundering On (last week: 1)• Time hasn’t been kind to the form of the Epsom Oaks, however her turn of foot was electric that day; assuming she comes over, would have to think she’s in with a big chance for Joseph O’Brien2 - Diamond Necklace (last week: 2)• Unbeaten filly of Aidan O’Brien’s has acted on a variety of ground over a variety of distances…nothing really to knock other than her price come BC Saturday; could see her go longer in BC Turf if connections want 12F3 - Precise (last week: 3)• Another of AOB’s who is at the elite level; she’s not as good as Blue Bolt (and likely others) at the mile, so wonder if a stretch to FM Turf’s 9.5F @ KEE is in the cards4 - Kathynmarissa (last week: 4)• As solid as they come in the U.S., winning the G1 Diana at Saratoga in most recent start; race being run at 9.5F works to her advantage and she’s trained by Chad Brown, who has multiple FM Turf victories on his resumeTURF SPRINT1 - Cy Fair (last week: 1)• Has done nothing wrong in her career and exits a win at Saratoga that has already produced two next-out winners; a 3YO filly won this race last year2 - Bacio (last week: unranked)• Devastating winning the G1 Nunthorpe at York over the weekend for Wesley Ward over a highly-accomplished group; no fault with anyone saying he’s clearly tops, just still believe in the filly at #1’s ability3 - Ag Bullet (last week: 2)• One of the main beneficiaries of the 5.5F trip this year; rock solid mare who fires her best more often than not - back in action Saturday at Kentucky Downs4 - Shisospicy (last week: 3)• Difficult to say what to expect from her with the nonexistent campaign but know her best is as good as anyone’sDIRT MILE1 - Knightsbridge (last week: 1)• Hard to imagine the connections not heading to the Classic despite having both he and Sovereignty but will remain a part of this group for the time being2 - Napoleon Solo (last week: 2)• The Preakness winner would probably be a likelier Classic starter - but would have a better chance of winning the Dirt Mile; tactical speed and already a G1 winner at the mile distance in his career; see him in Saturday's Travers vs. best 3YOs3 - Bishops Bay (last week: 3)• Solid older veteran who probably isn’t a true G1 caliber runner, but depending on who shows up here…this may not be a race of true G1 caliber4 - Chunk of Gold (last week: 4)• Gave Bishops Bay all he could handle in the Iselin - perhaps a rising 4YO who could steal this at a decent number; owns a win over the course last fall by more than 8L