Belmont Park hands us two big storylines on Saturday, November 7. First, Ted Noffey, the unbeaten 2025 champion two year old, returns from a year off in the Dwyer. Meanwhile, Grade 1 winners Bodacious Bay and Iron Orchard meet in the Grade 2 Mother Goose Stakes. So this Belmont Park preview runs through all four stakes on the card, with full fields, riders and our picks.
First post comes at 11:40am Eastern on a 10 race card. Then for the rest of the weekend, from Flemington to Del Mar, see our weekend racing preview.
Mother Goose Stakes 2026: Field and Riders
The Mother Goose Stakes is a Grade 2 worth $300,000 for three year old fillies over 1 1/16 miles on the dirt. In all, eleven fillies drew in. Chad Brown won it last year with Fully Subscribed, and he sends out Cognition from the rail this time.
Bodacious Bay arrives as the filly to beat in the Mother Goose Stakes, because she won the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx on September 19. In fact, she won it by 3 1/4 lengths, with Always a Runner second. Before that, she broke her maiden at Churchill Downs in June and then ran second in the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks. Saffie Joseph Jr. trains her, while Micah Husbands rides from post 7.
Joseph also saddles Laken and Tahlequah, so his barn holds three of the eleven. Even so, Bodacious Bay is clearly his first string.
| Horse (Post) | Jockey and Trainer |
|---|---|
| Cognition (1) | Flavien Prat for Chad Brown |
| Answered Prayers (2) | Junior Alvarado for Bill Mott |
| Tap to Open (3) | Manny Franco for Brad Cox |
| Laken (4) | Vincent Cheminaud for Saffie Joseph Jr. |
| Iron Orchard (5) | Dylan Davis for Steve Asmussen |
| Ati Girl (6) | John Velazquez for Bill Mott |
| Bodacious Bay (7) | Micah Husbands for Saffie Joseph Jr. |
| Ivy Girl (8) | Antonio Fresu for Amelia Green |
| Tahlequah (9) | Paco Lopez for Saffie Joseph Jr. |
| Intrepids Fantasy (10) | Jorge Ruiz for Gary Capuano |
| Run Wild (11) | Samuel Marin for Miguel Clement |
Morning lines were not yet published at press time. Check the MyWinners racecards for current prices.
Iron Orchard and the Unbeaten Intrepids Fantasy
Iron Orchard is also a Grade 1 winner. The New York bred took the Frizette at two by a nose for Danny Gargan, then sold for $2.5 million and moved to Steve Asmussen. She also won the Fleet Indian at Saratoga in August. However, she finished off the board behind Bodacious Bay in the Cotillion, so she needs to bounce back.
After those two, Intrepids Fantasy is the wild card. She is three for three, and her last two wins at Delaware Park came by 12 3/4 and 8 1/4 lengths. Still, trainer Gary Capuano admits she has questions to answer. After all, this is her first stakes, her first one turn race and her first start without Lasix.
So in the Mother Goose Stakes, we side with Bodacious Bay. She has already beaten a Grade 1 field by more than three lengths, and that form tops anything else in the race. For value, Intrepids Fantasy goes underneath in our exactas, because she won her last two by a combined 21 lengths. Cognition also deserves a look for Brown and Flavien Prat after a four length maiden win at Keeneland on her comeback.
Dwyer Stakes 2026: Ted Noffey Returns
Next up, the Listed Dwyer runs over a one turn mile on the dirt for three year olds, with a $200,000 purse. Ten colts drew in, but Ted Noffey takes all the attention. After all, he went four for four at two, winning the Grade 1 Hopeful, the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Then bone bruising stopped him in late January, and he has not raced since.
| Horse (Post) | Jockey and Trainer |
|---|---|
| Bravaro (1) | Paco Lopez for Saffie Joseph Jr. |
| Overtime Rules (2) | Samuel Marin for Arnaud Delacour |
| Stimulate (3) | Junior Alvarado for Bill Mott |
| White Smoke Rising (4) | Kendrick Carmouche for Charlton Baker |
| Stop the Car (5) | Dylan Davis for Brendan Walsh |
| Ted Noffey (6) | John Velazquez for Todd Pletcher |
| Decisive Win (7) | Antonio Fresu for Doug O'Neill |
| Igniter (8) | Manny Franco for Rick Dutrow Jr. |
| Sea Strike (9) | Flavien Prat for Chad Brown |
| Mailata (10) | Mychel Sanchez for Butch Reid Jr. |
Morning lines were not yet published at press time. Check the MyWinners racecards for current prices.
Sea Strike Drops Back to a Mile
Even so, Sea Strike looks the main danger. He won the Curlin at Saratoga on August 2 by 8 1/4 lengths, his first stakes win. After that, he ran sixth in the Travers, but the cut back to a mile should suit him. Once again, Prat rides for Brown.
Igniter adds proven class too. He won the Ellis Park Derby by four lengths and then finished fifth in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby. Meanwhile, Bravaro comes off a win in the Robert Hilton Memorial at Charles Town for Joseph.
Our Dwyer Picks
Ted Noffey has the class, but a year away is a long time. Still, his team says he is as fit as they can make him without a race. So we put Sea Strike on top and use Ted Noffey second, with Igniter third in our trifectas.
Pumpkin Pie and Carle Place Stakes Preview
Elsewhere on the card, the Listed Pumpkin Pie goes as Race 6 over seven furlongs on the dirt for fillies and mares, three and up, with a $175,000 purse. Only six go to post. Starting from the rail, Indy Bay (Micah Husbands, Saffie Joseph Jr.) leads in Amalfi Drive (Antonio Fresu, Michael Stidham) and Beauty Reigns (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott). Then come Senza Parole (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown), Shore War (Samuel Marin, Amelia Green) and Icona Mama (Manny Franco, Flint Stites).
| Horse (Post) | Jockey and Trainer |
|---|---|
| Indy Bay (1) | Micah Husbands for Saffie Joseph Jr. |
| Amalfi Drive (2) | Antonio Fresu for Michael Stidham |
| Beauty Reigns (3) | Junior Alvarado for Bill Mott |
| Senza Parole (4) | Flavien Prat for Chad Brown |
| Shore War (5) | Samuel Marin for Amelia Green |
| Icona Mama (6) | Manny Franco for Flint Stites |
Morning lines were not yet published at press time. Check the MyWinners racecards for current prices.
For us, Senza Parole is the pick, since she ran a career best 100 Beyer last time and is still chasing a first stakes win. On the other hand, Icona Mama has hit the board in her last 10 starts, so she makes a strong bet for second or third.
Meanwhile, the Carle Place is a $175,000 turf sprint over six furlongs for three year olds. In fact, Miguel Clement saddles four of the ten: Big Destroyer, Illmatic, Intricate Spirit and Blazing Tiger. Prat rides Illmatic, so we start there. Beyond the Clement four, Doubting Thomas (Jorge Ruiz, Michael Trombetta) and Highwaytothemoon, who ran in the Kings Plate at Woodbine, complete our shortlist.
Where to Bet Belmont Park This Saturday
Morning lines were not yet public when we went to press, so check the MyWinners racecards for prices before you build tickets. Also, the pool payout settles every bet, and Belmont Park is open to all MyWinners customers 18+, online and in venue.
Bet online at app.mywinners.com, on the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app on iOS or Android, or go here to find your nearest MyWinners or Winners venue in CT.
Image by Mike Lizzi. Licensed under CC by 2.0.
