The Biggest Thoroughbred Betting Weekend of the Summer — And It's All Happening At MyWinners
CHURCHILL DOWNS — STEPHEN FOSTER DAY | SATURDAY 27 JUNE
| Race | Our Pick | Odds | The Angle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) | Magnitude | 7/2 | Dubai World Cup winner, perfect in two 2026 starts, lands the rail-side speed. We take him over the 6/5 favourite Sovereignty every day. |
| Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) | Splendora | 9/4 | Reigning Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint champ. Sharpest at the trip. Immersive is the danger if her juvenile class carries. |
| Wise Dan Stakes (G2) | Lagynos | 6/5 | Bidding for five straight stakes wins. Prolific, consistent, clear on figures. Fort Washington the each-way saver. |
Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) | $2,000,000 | 1⅛m Dirt
This is the race. The $2 million Stephen Foster is the richest dirt race in America this side of the Breeders' Cup Classic — and Churchill Downs has assembled a field worthy of the price tag.
Sovereignty (6/5) heads the market as Horse of the Year and Kentucky Derby winner, trained by the meticulous Bill Mott. He's done nothing wrong, but at 6/5 on a hot summer afternoon in Louisville, you're paying a premium for a horse who hasn't faced anything like this. He has now.
Because lining up against him is Magnitude (7/2), the Dubai World Cup winner. A dirt mile-and-a-quarter specialist who put the world's best away in the desert, Magnitude brings a different kind of class — and connections who know exactly what they're doing. At 7/2, he's the one to be on.
White Abarrio (3/1) completes a big three that reads like a Hall of Fame ballot. The Breeders' Cup Classic and Pegasus World Cup winner has forgotten more about big-race delivery than most horses ever learn. He's no forlorn hope at the odds.
Baeza, the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby winner, rounds out the quartet. Combined career earnings north of $25 million between the five runners. This is as good as it gets.
Pick: Magnitude (7/2) — world-class form, proven on the surface, and a juicy price next to the favourite.
Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) | $500,000 | Fillies & Mares, Dirt
Three serious fillies, one interesting race. Shred the Gnar took the Grade 1 La Troienne, Splendora is the reigning Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint champion, and Immersive — Champion 2-Year-Old Filly of 2024 — will be trying to prove her juvenile brilliance translates to this company. Splendora's sprint form makes her the one to beat at the trip, but Immersive could be anything.
Wise Dan Stakes (G2) | $500,000 | 1¹⁄₁₆m Turf
Lagynos goes for five straight stakes wins and is the clear standout on paper. Multiple graded stakes winner, prolific, consistent. Fort Washington won the Dinner Party on the Preakness undercard and won't make up the numbers, and defending champion Brilliant Berti will be trying to end a five-race winless run. Lagynos is the bet.
THE CURRAGH — DUBAI DUTY FREE IRISH DERBY FESTIVAL | 26–28 JUNE
Pretty Polly Stakes (G1) | €600,000 | 1m2f Fillies & Mares | Saturday 27 June
Joseph O'Brien's Thundering On arrives here as the Epsom Oaks winner and is the horse they all have to beat. She's classy, she handled Epsom's contours with ease, and the step back to a mile-and-two on good-to-yielding Irish turf should suit her down to the ground.
The danger comes from veteran five-year-old Estrange, trained by David O'Meara, who clearly feels his mare is up to Group 1 company — and with a full preparation behind her, she might just prove the point. But Thundering On is the right favourite.
Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (G1) | €1,250,000 | 1m4f | Sunday 28 June, 4:35pm
And here it is. The race of the weekend — arguably the race of the summer.
| Race | Our Pick | Odds | The Angle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (G1) | Christmas Day | 3/1 | Won the Epsom Derby by nearly three lengths. The market backs stablemate Benvenuto Cellini at 6/4 on what should-have-been, but Christmas Day already did it on the track. We take the proven winner at a price. |
| Pretty Polly Stakes (G1) | Thundering On | 5/4 | Epsom Oaks winner dropping back to 1m2f on ground that suits. The one they all have to beat. Estrange the each-way alternative. |
| Irish Derby each-way saver | Raaheeb | 3/1 | Unbeaten Sandown Classic Trial winner, brother to Baaeed, swerved Epsom for this. The live outsider of the front three. |
Christmas Day (c. 5/2) gave trainer Aidan O'Brien yet another Epsom Derby — winning by almost three lengths with Ronan Whelan in the saddle. Dominant, authoritative, he looked like a proper middle-distance horse. The question has never been his ability. The question is the rematch.
Benvenuto Cellini (c. 5/2) is the horse who should have run at Epsom. A son of Frankel trained by O'Brien, he was the market leader for the Derby until his left hind got caught in the starting stalls, and the stewards ruled he hadn't received a fair start. He's carried none of that baggage into his reputation — he remains highly regarded — and a clean run at The Curragh on Sunday is exactly what he needs.
And then there's Lambourn — last year's Epsom Derby and Irish Derby winner, now four, back to defend his crown and prove that what he did in 2025 was no fluke. His presence gives this race a dimension most renewals don't have: a genuine champion being tested by a new generation.
Three horses. Three stories. €1.25 million on the table. With the world pool fully active for Irish Derby Day, this will be one of the most heavily wagered races in Europe all year.
Pick: Benvenuto Cellini — unfinished business, a trainer who knows how to place a horse, and a price that reflects the drama at Epsom more than his actual ability.
WOODBINE — CANADA DAY RACING WEEKEND | SATURDAY & SUNDAY 27–28 JUNE
| Race | Our Pick | Odds | The Angle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highlander Stakes (G2) | One Timer | 2/1 | Franklin-Simpson (G2) winner returns to Woodbine turf as the one they chase over 6f. Silent Poet the obvious threat. |
| Singspiel Stakes (G3) | Silent Poet | 5/2 | Multiple graded-stakes winner steps up on the Sunday card. Class edge in a winnable spot. |
| Trillium Stakes (G3) | Best price on the day | TBC | Sunday card adds the Trillium and My Dear Stakes. Check the MyWinners card for live prices before declarations firm up. |
Woodbine delivers a superb two-day Canadian stakes festival across the weekend, with five graded races and a host of Listed action.
Highlander Stakes (G2) | $250,000 | 6f Turf | Saturday 27 June
Six furlongs on Woodbine's E.P. Taylor Turf Course, and One Timer heads south of the border to defend his grade. The son of Trappe Shot won the Franklin-Simpson (G2) at Kentucky Downs last September and returns to Woodbine as the one they all have to chase. Silent Poet is the multiple graded-stakes winner in the field and won't be far away. Sharp, fast turf sprinting at its best.
The Sunday card adds the Singspiel Stakes (G3), Trillium Stakes (G3), My Dear Stakes and more — a full day of quality Canadian racing to close out the weekend.
LAUREL PARK — DE FRANCIS DASH DAY | SATURDAY 27 JUNE
Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash | $175,000 | 6f Dirt
| Race | Our Pick | Odds | The Angle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash | Pentathlon | 5/2 | Claude McGaughey III's Speightstown sprinter heads ten runners over Laurel's honest 6f chute. Faust the one to beat for Asmussen. |
| De Francis Dash overlay | Faust | 3/1 | Asmussen's runner brings the form to make Pentathlon work for it. This race throws up lively prices most years. |
The Mid-Atlantic's premier sprint and a proper regional showcase. Ten runners go to post with Claude McGaughey III's Pentathlon (Speightstown) among the standouts alongside Steven Asmussen's Faust. Laurel's six-furlong chute is as honest a test as you'll find on the East Coast, and this race consistently turns up lively overlays.
The Weekend in Numbers
$2m Stephen Foster — the headline act on dirt
€1.25m Irish Derby — the race of the weekend, full stop
€600k Pretty Polly — a proper Group 1 fillies' clash
$500k Fleur de Lis + $500k Wise Dan — Churchill's supporting cast
Five graded stakes across two days at Woodbine
$175k De Francis Dash — the East Coast sprint showpiece
This is what a big racing weekend looks like. Don't miss it.
Bet the Biggest Weekend of the Summer at MyWinners
Four meetings, six million in prize money, and a clash of champions on two continents. This is exactly the weekend you want a bet on, and MyWinners gives you every angle on it. We price up Stephen Foster Day from the Twin Spires, the full Irish Derby Festival card from the Curragh, the Canada Day action at Woodbine, and the De Francis Dash at Laurel. One account, every race that matters.
Win and place, exactas, trifectas, superfectas, the multi-race Pick options on the Churchill card, plus the full world pool for Irish Derby Day. The pools on a weekend like this get huge, and bigger pools mean bigger paydays. Take Magnitude at 7/2 over the odds-on favourite, back Christmas Day at 3/1 to land the Derby double, or build a cross-meeting multiple that ties the whole weekend together.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The €1.25 million Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh on Sunday 28 June is the richest race of the weekend. The $2 million Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs is the dirt headliner on Saturday 27 June.
Sovereignty is the 6/5 morning-line favourite. Our pick is Dubai World Cup winner Magnitude at 7/2, who we rate the value against the odds-on favourite.
Benvenuto Cellini is the 6/4 favourite after his controversial Epsom non-run. Epsom Derby winner Christmas Day is next at 3/1, and that is the one we side with at the bigger price.
The Stephen Foster is Race 11 on the Churchill Downs card, off at approximately 6:14pm ET on Saturday 27 June. First post on the 12-race program is 12:45pm ET.
Bet online at app.mywinners.com, on the MyWinners iOS or Android app, or in person at Winners venues across Connecticut. Online betting is open to all customers aged 18 and over.
