Travers Stakes 2026 Preview

In this horse racing article and video, I preview the Grade 1 Travers Stakes.

The Grade 1 Travers will be held at Saratoga Race Course on 8-29-26, and it is for 3-year-olds traveling 1 1/4 miles on the main track.

Travers Stakes hopefuls (as of 8-16-26): Baby Vino, Commandment, Emerging Market, Golden Tempo, Leading Change, Napoleon Solo, Ocelli, Renegade, Sea Strike, Silent Tactic, The Puma. 

Latest Workouts:

Baby Vino – 3 works since winning the G1 Haskell in the slop. Latest move: 5f in 1:00.40 (2/8) at MTH on Aug. 15.

Commandment – Has not had a published work since finishing 2nd in the G2 Jim Dandy on Aug. 1.

Emerging Market – Clearly second best as the beaten favorite vs. older rivals at 9f at SAR July 25 (OC-80k/2x). Wide closing trip from outside post. 2 works at SAR since his last outing including a 4f breeze in 48.75 (17/54) on Aug. 15.

Golden Tempo – Got sick after the Belmont and missed an intended start in the Jim Dandy. 5 works overall and 4 moves at SAR since the Belmont including a 4f bullet in 47.46 (1/67) on Aug. 15. Out 5f in 1:00.25. 

Leading Change – 2-for-2 for Brad Cox including a stakes win in the G3 Indiana Derby July 11. 4 works at CD since the Indiana Derby including a 5f breeze in 1:00.20 (8/44) on Aug. 15. 

Napoleon Solo – G1 Preakness winner and G1 Haskell runner-up has worked twice at SAR since his last start including a 5f bullet in 58.81 (1/7) on Aug. 12. Final 1/4 in 23.24 and out 6f in 1:11.66, 7f in 1:24.44, and one mile in 1:37.94. John Velazquez was up for the impressive work. He will run next in the Travers or PA Derby.

Ocelli – The maiden did not handle a wet track in the Haskell. He has breezed 3 times at SAR since his last start including a 4f work in 48.80 (24/64) on Aug. 15. In company with stakes winning sprinter Bring the Smoke. Out 6f in 1:14 and 7f in 1:27.70.

Renegade – G2 Jim Dandy winner got back to work with a 4f breeze in 50.66 (99/114) at SAR on Aug. 14. Worked in company with Aug. 1 SAR dirt route winner Sassmaster. Galloped out 5f in 1:03.57. This was just a leg-stretching move 13-days after the Jim Dandy and he showed nice energy and has seemingly bounced out of his last start in good order.

Sea Strike – Nice win vs. restricted stakes foes in the 9f Curlin at SAR on Aug. 2. Got back on the worktab with a 4f move in 47.63 (3/64) at SAR Aug. 15. Out 5f in 1:00.55 and 6f in 1:13.31. Flavien Prat will ride him in the Travers.

Silent Tactic – Jim Dandy show finisher has not returned to the worktab since his last start on Aug. 1.

The Puma – Did not seem to care for the wet track when finishing 4th in the Haskell. Two works at SAR since his last start including a strong 5f bullet in 59.80 (1/10) on Aug. 14. He breezed under his rider Javier Castellano and got his final 1/4 in 23.89. He was out 6f in 1:12.56, 7f in 1:25.38, and a mile in 1:38.91.

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Haskell Stakes 2026 Analysis (7-18-26)

The Grade 1 Haskell Stakes headlines the big 14-race Saturday card at Monmouth Park, bringing together a competitive field of seven 3-year-olds for a $1 million prize. Run at 1 1/8 miles, the Haskell has long served as one of the premier summer tests for sophomores, and this year’s edition features several accomplished stakes winners.

With the possibility of rain in the forecast, wet-track pedigrees could become an important handicapping factor. Here’s a horse-by-horse look at the field.

Pace Outlook

Napoleon Solo appears to have the tactical advantage and could control the tempo if left alone on the front end. Further Ado and Iron Honor are expected to settle just behind the leader, while Baby Vino should also be prominent early.

The Puma and Ocelli will likely make their runs from farther back, but without a contested early pace, they may have too much ground to make up in the stretch.

Horse-by-Horse Analysis

#1 Star Sweeper (30-1)

Star Sweeper faces a difficult assignment after finishing last in the Pegasus Stakes, the local prep for the Haskell. Although he previously earned a stronger speed figure in the Long Branch Stakes, his best efforts still fall short of what will likely be required to win this race.

He will need dramatic improvement against much tougher competition.

#2 Further Ado (2-1)

Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Further Ado enters as the morning line favorite.

His speed figures have alternated between standout performances and more modest efforts throughout his career. His dominant victory in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes demonstrated his top-end ability, while his most recent win in the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes confirmed that he remains in excellent form.

The question is consistency. If he reproduces one of his best races, he is certainly capable of winning.

His pedigree also indicates he should handle a wet surface.

Read more at Today's Racing Digest

Haskell Stakes 2026 Video Update

Video preview of the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park. 

Check out horse racing free picks and more at The Runaway Horse. 

Haskell Stakes 2026 Preview

Video preview of the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park. 

Check out horse racing free picks and more at The Runaway Horse. 

2026 Kentucky Derby 5 Most Likely Winners

In this Kentucky Derby 2026 video, I share my 5 most likely Derby winners.

I covered all of the Kentucky Derby 2026 points races on my channel. Road to Derby video record (37 13-4-7).

Check out horse racing free picks and more at The Runaway Horse.   

Kentucky Derby & Oaks 2026 Video Update (4-18-26)

In this Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks 2026 video, I share the latest Derby and Oaks news (4-18-26). Ottinho will not run in the Derby and Chief Wallabee is the newest addition to the field. 

I covered all of the Kentucky Derby 2026 points races on my channel. Road to Derby video record (37 13-4-7).

I also covered all of the Kentucky Oaks 2026 points races on my channel. Road to Kentucky Oaks 2026 video record (31 14-7-5).

Check out horse racing free picks and more at The Runaway Horse.   

Kentucky Derby 2026 Top 20 Contenders Video (4-13-26)

In this Kentucky Derby 2026 video, I share my Top 20 Derby contenders (4-13-26). 

I covered all of the Kentucky Derby 2026 points races on my channel. Road to Derby video record (37 13-4-7).

Check out horse racing free picks and more at The Runaway Horse.  

Road to Kentucky Derby 2026 Report (4-13-26)

The Grade 3 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland was the final Kentucky Derby 2026 prep race and 36-1 longshot Trendsetter pulled off the upset but does not have enough points to run in the Derby. In this report, I will recap the Lexington, update the points standings, and share my exceptional eleven Derby contenders.

I covered all of the Kentucky Derby 2026 points races on my Runaway Horse video channel, and through 37 points races, my top choices had 13 wins, 4 runner-up finishes, and 7 show finishes.

Kentucky Derby 2026 Points Race Recaps

Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland (4-11-26): My top choice Corona de Oro set the pace from the inside post and The Hell We Did chased from second. Trendsetter ($66.68) stalked from midpack and went past the two aforementioned early runners to win by 2 1/4 lengths (85 BSF). The Hell We Did finished second and Corona de Oro was 4 lengths in front of I Did I Did (4th). Beaten favorite Confessional was 5th and Ezum (6th), Mister T (7th), Ramblin (8th), and Exhibition Only (9th) also ran. Kazushi Kimura rode the winner for Ben Colebrook and the winner picked up 20 Kentucky Derby points. He does not have enough points to run in the Derby and this was probably more of a Preakness prep. Fractions: 23.68, 47.92, 1:12.12, 1:37.71, 1:44.51.

Read more at The Runaway Horse

Kentucky Derby 2026 Video Update (4-12-26)

 In this Kentucky Derby 2026 video, I share the latest Derby news (4-10-26). 

I cover all of the Kentucky Derby 2026 points races on my channel. Road to Derby video record (36 13-4-6).

Check out horse racing free picks and more at The Runaway Horse.  

Kentucky Derby 2026 Video News Update (4-10-26)

In this Kentucky Derby 2026 video, I share the latest Derby news (4-10-26). 

I cover all of the Kentucky Derby 2026 points races on my channel. Road to Derby video record (36 13-4-6).

Check out horse racing free picks and more at The Runaway Horse.  

Kentucky Derby 2026 Video Update (4-6-26)

In this Kentucky Derby 2026 video, I share my Exceptional 11 Derby contenders (4-6-26). 

I cover all of the Kentucky Derby 2026 points races on my channel. Road to Derby video record (36 13-4-6).

Check out horse racing free picks and more at The Runaway Horse.  

Kentucky Derby 2026 Video Report (3-29-26)

 In this Kentucky Derby 2026 video, I share my Exceptional 11 Derby contenders (3-29-26). 

I cover all of the Kentucky Derby 2026 points races on my channel. Road to Derby video record (33 13-4-6).

Check out horse racing free picks and more at The Runaway Horse.  

Kentucky Derby 2026 Video Update (3-8-26)

In this Kentucky Derby 2026 video, I share my Exceptional 11 Derby contenders (3-8-26). 

I cover all of the Kentucky Derby 2026 points races on my channel. Road to Derby video record (27 10-4-5).

Check out horse racing free picks and more at The Runaway Horse.  

Kentucky Derby 2026 Blog (3-8-26)

There were two road to Kentucky Derby 2026 prep races on March 7 and both were captured by unraced 2-year-olds. The Puma graduated in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, and second time starter Potente made the grade in the San Felipe (G2). In this report, I will recap the Tampa Bay Derby and San Felipe, update the points standings, and share my exceptional eleven Derby contenders.

I cover all of the Kentucky Derby 2026 points races on my Runaway Horse video channel, and through 27 points races, my top choices have 10 wins, 4 runner-up finishes, and 5 show finishes. The road to the Derby points race series continues with the Virginia Derby on March 14.

Virginia Derby field (races 9 at Colonial Downs on March 14): 1 – Buetane, 2 – Grittiness, 3 – Epic Desire, 4 – Work, 5 – High Camp, 6 – Lockstocknpharoah, 7 – Incredibolt, 8 – Confessional, 9 – Ocelli, 10 – Clocker Special.

Kentucky Derby 2026 Points Race Recaps

Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs (3-8-26): Longshots Redland Rebels and Talkin were prominent early but neither were factors at the end. This one came down to Kentucky Jockey Club hero Further Ado and a pair of lightly raced runners from outer posts. Second timer Canaletto was the favorite over Further Ado when the dust settled, and he traveled wide from the outside post under Flavien Prat. The Puma ($16.80), a maiden after two starts, was exiting a show finish in the local Sam F. Davis and his race over the track probably made all the difference. He raced even wider than Canaletto if that is possible, and in a 3-horse stretch battle, he prevailed by 3/4ths of a length (89 BSF). Further Ado was second by a head over Canaletto and it was 2 lengths back to early runner Redland Rebels (4th). Talkin (5th), Powershift (6th), Thunder Buck (7th), Hulkamania (8th), and Roger That Dana (9th) also ran. Javier Castellano rode the winner for Gustavo Delgado. Fractions: 23.07, 46.68, 1:11.27, 1:36.47, 1:43.23.   

Read more at The Runaway Horse