Video analysis of the $175,000 Forever Together Stakes at Belmont Park on Sunday, September 20, 2026.
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Saturday, September 19, 2026
Pennsylvania Derby 2026 Analysis (9-19-26)
The competitive 11-horse field features four graded-stakes winners, and the Grade 1 race offers plenty to analyze from both a pace and class perspective.
Here is a look at the field and the key Digest numbers.
Pennsylvania Derby Field
1. Zihnal (8-1)
Zihnal enters off an impressive victory in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer on August 9. He added blinkers and returned to Lasix that day and responded with a 6 1/4-length victory at 1 1/8 miles.
He should be forwardly placed from the inside post, and trainer Jonathan Thomas has been winning at a solid rate with dirt-route starters. John Velazquez takes the mount again.
The concern is whether Zihnal can duplicate that career-best effort while losing Lasix. I liked him in the West Virginia Derby, but this is a significantly tougher test.
2. Iron Honor (5-1)
Iron Honor is a logical top three contender in the Pennsylvania Derby.
The Chad Brown trainee is adding blinkers again and gets Jose Ortiz aboard. He won the Grade 3 Gotham earlier this year and has subsequently placed in two Grade 1 races.
He finished second in the Preakness and third in the Haskell, with the latter coming over a sloppy track.
His recent Today’s Racing Digest ratings include a 141 in the Preakness and a 128 in the Haskell. If he can return to something around that 141 level, he should be extremely competitive.
There are also reasons to forgive some of his other races. He had a difficult trip in the Wood Memorial, drawing post 12 and encountering early trouble before racing wide and finishing seventh. In the Preakness, he tracked wide and made a strong move toward Napoleon Solo before settling for second.
The Haskell was also run over a wet track that may not have suited him.
With the race flow potentially in his favor and a return to a fast track, Iron Honor looks like an attractive horse at his 5-1 morning-line price.
3. Our Moneyman (8-1)
Our Moneyman has been remarkably consistent, entering off back-to-back runner-up finishes in Grade 3 competition.
He earned Today’s Racing Digest final ratings of 137 and 147 in those races, while his pace ratings of 150 and 152 indicate that he should be in a good tactical position.
The Indiana Derby form is particularly interesting. Leading Change won that race and subsequently captured the Grade 1 Travers, while Zihnal, who finished fourth, came back to win the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby.
Our Moneyman should get a good trip from his inner post, and Manny Franco takes the mount for the first time.
He’s difficult to dismiss and could once again find his way into the top three.
4. Igniter (8-1)
Igniter was my top choice in the Ellis Park Derby and delivered with a four-length victory.
He tracked the pace from second and produced a career-best 150 Today’s Racing Digest final number.
The question is whether he can duplicate that effort at 1 1/8 miles against a deeper and more accomplished field. The Ellis Park Derby had only five runners, whereas this race brings together 11 horses and multiple graded winners.
There are also several horses with similar tactical speed who may compete for the same position.
I respect his recent form, but this is a much more difficult assignment.
Read more at Today's Racing Digest
Floral Park Stakes 2026 Analysis (9-19-26)
Video analysis of the $175,000 Floral Park Stakes on Saturday, September 19.
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Cotillion Stakes 2026 Analysis (9-19-26)
The Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion Stakes co-headlines the stakes action at Parx Racing on Saturday, September 19. The race is the 13th on the card and is scheduled to be run at 1 1/16 miles on the main track for three-year-old fillies.
With a field of nine entered, the race features several proven stakes runners, including Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks winner Always a Runner, Grade 2 winner Zany, and a number of fillies coming into the race in good form.
The key question for handicappers is how the pace will develop. Multiple horses possess early speed, which could create a legitimate pace and set the race up for a patient runner.
The Field
1. My Miss Mo (5-1)
Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., My Miss Mo has won her last two starts, including the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan and Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks.
Tyler Gaffalione returns to ride, having previously guided her to victory in the Black-Eyed Susan. My Miss Mo went wire-to-wire in the Monmouth Oaks last time.
The concern is the expected pace. Her two most recent victories came when she was able to take advantage of relatively soft early fractions. Earlier in the season, when she faced faster-paced races in the Grade 2 Davona Dale and Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, she finished second in both.
From the inside post, she may have to go faster early than she did in her last two races.
2. Bodacious Bay (8-1)
Bodacious Bay enters the race with an impressive four-start record: one win and three runner-up finishes.
She was second to My Miss Mo in the Monmouth Oaks last time after chasing that rival through moderate fractions. That was also her first start on a fast dirt surface.
Bodacious Bay now moves into the Saffie Joseph Jr. barn, where Joseph has done well with horses making their first start for him. She should be able to save ground and track the speed from the inside.
A bullet four-furlong workout at Saratoga adds another positive sign. At 8-1 on the morning line, she could be interesting for underneath wagers.
3. Zany (9-2)
Zany is perhaps the biggest question mark in the field.
Earlier in her career, she looked like one of the top Kentucky Oaks contenders. She won her first three starts, including the Grade 2 Demoiselle and Suncoast Stakes, before finishing second in the Grade 1 Ashland.
Her form subsequently declined. She finished sixth as the 5-1 favorite in the Kentucky Oaks and then fourth in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks.
Zany is cutting back from 1 1/8 miles to 1 1/16 miles, and that could help. John Velazquez rode her last time and gets back aboard here.
Her earlier speed figures show the ability is still there. The question is whether she can return to the form that produced back-to-back 134 final-time ratings in the Suncoast and Ashland.
Read more at Today's Racing Digest
Friday, September 18, 2026
Churchill Downs 2026 Stakes Analysis (9-19-26)
Race 6 – $300,000 Harrods Creek Stakes
3-year-olds | 7 furlongs | Main Track | Scheduled post: 8:30 p.m. ET
The Harrods Creek Stakes brings together a field of three-year-olds at seven furlongs. There doesn’t appear to be an abundance of early speed, which could give an advantage to horses capable of staying close to the pace.
#1 Gilded Bandit
Gilded Bandit is a $550,000 son of Charlatan trained by Bill Mott. He has two wins from five starts and has already won at Churchill Downs.
His best races have produced final time ratings of 137 and 138, so he has the ability to compete with this group when he is at his best. The problem is that both of those victories came with lasix.
He has struggled in his last two graded-stakes appearances without lasix, losing those races by a combined 20 1/4 lengths. He is also a horse who prefers to make his run from off the pace.
#2 American Man
American Man is one of the most logical horses in the field and figures to be the favorite.
He has two wins and two seconds from five starts and has performed well at Churchill Downs. He also finished second in the Grade 3 Maxfield Stakes at seven furlongs, where he tracked the pace.
His pace figures are particularly impressive, with ratings of 155, 156, 143, 146 and 156 in his recent races. His final-time ratings have also been competitive, including a couple of figures in the high 130s.
He should be forwardly placed again, and the lack of significant early speed could work in his favor.
#3 Stop the Car
Stop the Car is a late-running horse for trainer Brendan Walsh. He has two wins and two thirds from seven starts and has won at Churchill Downs.
He earned a 137 final time rating in the Ellis Park Derby last time out. He also recorded a 131 when winning at Churchill at a one-turn mile.
The shorter seven-furlong distance should be an asset, but his running style is the biggest concern. He needs a pace to develop in front of him, and this race does not appear to contain enough speed to guarantee that scenario.
Read more at Today's Racing Digest
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Presque Isle Masters 2026 Video Analysis (9-18-26)
Video analysis of the Grade 2, $300,000 Presque Isle Masters on Friday, September 18.
Check out horse racing free picks and more at The Runaway Horse.
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Jockey Club Gold Cup 2026 analysis (9-18-26)
The $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup is scheduled as the fifth race on the card, with a post time of 4:14 p.m. Eastern. The race is for three-year-olds and up and will be contested at 1¼ miles on the main track.
Jockey Club Gold Cup Field
No. 1 — Baeza (9-2)
Baeza could be dangerous if he finally gets a clean start.
The biggest concern with this horse has been his behavior leaving the starting gate. He has hesitated at the start twice this year and was off slowly in another race. Those poor starts may have cost him victories in the Grade 2 Alysheba Stakes and Grade 1 Stephen Foster.
He was fourth in the Grade 1 Whitney in his most recent start, again having trouble getting away cleanly.
Baeza has plenty of class, however, and his recent speed ratings are competitive. He has recorded strong Today’s Racing Digest numbers throughout his recent races, including 100 Fire Numbers in each of his last three starts.
The move back to 1¼ miles is interesting. He has three starts at the distance with a pair of third-place finishes.
Blinkers are coming off, Junior Alvarado gets back aboard for Bill Mott, and Baeza is coming off a sharp workout at Saratoga on September 12, where he covered five furlongs in 1:01 flat.
If he gets a clean break, he is capable of making an impact. The problem is that he hasn’t won since taking the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby as a sophomore last September, and he was no match for Forever Young in the Breeders’ Cup Classic last fall.
No. 2 — Stars and Stripes (15-1)
Stars and Stripes is another Bill Mott trainee and brings plenty of stamina to the race.
He is 5-for-9 lifetime with a second and third-place finish and has already demonstrated that longer distances are well within his capabilities.
He won the Grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes at 1 3/16 miles and most recently stretched out to 1¾ miles, winning the Birdstone Stakes by a nose.
The concern here is the drastic cutback in distance.
Stars and Stripes was able to stalk the pace in the Birdstone, but the fractions were slow. It remains to be seen whether he will have enough speed to keep up with this group at 1¼ miles.
He faced Friday’s rival Phileas Fogg in the Grade 2 Suburban and was beaten 17 lengths, although Stars and Stripes subsequently came back to win the Birdstone.
He has the stamina, but the class and pace questions make him more attractive underneath than on top.
Read more at Today's Racing Digest
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