Tag Archives: Grade 3 stakes

Indiana Derby 2026 Preview and Picks

By Jarrod Horak The Grade 3 Indiana Derby headlines the Saturday card at Horseshoe Indianapolis, offering a $300,000 purse for three-year-olds competing at 1 1/16 miles. Let’s go through the field using recent Today’s Racing Digest performances, pace scenario, and speed figures. Pace Analysis A few entrants appear intent on the lead, including Creole Chrome, […]

Victory Ride Stakes 2026 Preview & Picks

By Jarrod Horak The Grade 3 Victory Ride Stakes headlines the 10-race program at Saratoga on Friday, July 10. The $225,000 event is contested at 6½ furlongs on the main track for three-year-old fillies, and it goes as Race 9 with a scheduled post time of 5:40 p.m. ET. Predicted Pace The early pace should […]

Hanshin Stakes 2026 Preview and Picks

By Jarrod Horak The Grade 3 Hanshin Stakes goes as Race 10 on Sunday at Churchill Downs and features a competitive field of ten older horses competing over one mile around one turn on the main track. Scheduled for 5:28 p.m. ET on June 28, the $300,000 race brings together multiple horses with proven form […]

Maxfield Stakes Preview at Churchill Downs

By Jarrod Horak The Grade 3 Maxfield Stakes tops Sunday’s card at Churchill Downs, serving as Race 9 with a $250,000 purse for three-year-olds sprinting seven furlongs on the main track. Scheduled for a 4:56 p.m. ET post, the race features a balanced field of promising sophomores. Using the speed and pace figures from Today’s […]

Bango Stakes 2026 Preview at Churchill Downs

By Jarrod Horak The Grade 3 Bango Stakes brings together a solid group of older sprinters at Churchill Downs on Saturday, and several runners enter in sharp form. While proven stakes performers such as Cornucopian and Dr. Venkman command respect, the improving Built appears poised to continue his strong transition into a sprint specialist. Race […]

Grade 3 Ohio Derby 2026 Preview and Analysis

By Jarrod Horak The Grade 3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown on June 20 has a purse of $500,000 and a field of ten sophomores are set to travel 1 1/8 miles on the main track. Pace Scenario Favors the Favorites One of the most important handicapping factors in this year’s Ohio Derby is the projected […]

San Juan Capistrano Stakes 2026 Preview

By Jarrod Horak Santa Anita’s closing-weekend feature is Sunday’s Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano Stakes, a $100,000 turf marathon contested at the demanding distance of 1 3/4 miles. The race attracted a field of ten older horses. The race serves as a true test of stamina, and with several entrants stepping into unfamiliar territory distance-wise, […]

Penn Mile Stakes 2026 Picks at Penn National 

By Jarrod Horak The Grade 3 Penn Mile at Penn National on Friday, May 29th features an intriguing field of talented three-year-olds going one mile on the turf for a $400,000 purse. This race drew a mix of proven graded stakes runners, improving turf specialists, and a few lightly raced runners with upside. Using the race […]

Pimlico Special 2026 Picks & Analysis at Laurel

By Jarrod Horak The Grade 3 Pimlico Special headlines the Friday, May 15 card at Laurel Park as race 12, featuring a $250,000 purse for older runners going 1 3/16 miles on the main track. Scheduled post time is 5:37 p.m. Eastern, and this year’s edition brings together an interesting mix of tactical speed, proven […]

Dinner Party Stakes 2026 Picks at Laurel Park

By Jarrod Horak The Grade 3 Dinner Party Stakes shifts to Laurel Park this year while Pimlico undergoes construction, and this turf route drew an interesting mix of proven stakes veterans and improving runners heading into Preakness Saturday. From a handicapping perspective, this race offers a nice blend of established class, current form, and tactical […]