Presque Isle Masters Stakes And Churchill Downs Saturday Betting Guide
Churchill Downs Inc runs two cards worth betting on this weekend, back to back. Presque Isle Downs in Erie hosts its biggest night of the year on Friday, and Churchill Downs itself answers on Saturday with a three race stakes program under the lights. Same ownership group, same weekend, and enough graded and black type action at both to build a full ticket around.
Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes Headlines Friday Night
Churchill Downs is in the middle of its 14 day September meet, which runs 11 stakes worth $3.575 million between September 11 and 28 with no turf racing on the card this year, so every one of Saturday's three features goes over the main dirt track. Presque Isle Downs races exclusively on Tapeta, the synthetic all weather surface the track adopted specifically to keep racing consistent through Erie's unpredictable early fall weather, so the two cards could not look more different on paper even though the same ownership group signs off on both condition books.
Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes Headlines Friday Night
Friday, September 18 is Masters Stakes Race Day at Presque Isle Downs, and the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes is the reason to tune in. It carries a $300,000 purse over six and a half furlongs on the Tapeta surface, post time 8:36pm ET, with FanDuel TV carrying the broadcast. Nine go to post, led by Paradise City for Saffie Joseph Jr and Micah Husbands, who also saddles Reagan's Flame with Edgard Zayas named to ride. Jorge Delgado sends out Paris Carver under Paco Lopez, while Sea Runner (William Morey, Antonio Gallardo), Les Reys (Miguel Clement, Axel Concepcion), Pondering (Brendan Walsh, Pietro Moran), Mitole Magic (Randall Russell, Gaddiel Martinez), Lovely Emma (Peter Eurton, Israel Rodriguez) and Jill Jitterbug (Ryan Walsh, Taylor Kingsley) round out the field. Morning line odds had not been posted at the time of writing, but with no standout among the nine on paper this looks like the most wide open race of the weekend across both tracks.
Earlier on the same card, the $75,000 Power by Far Stakes runs at 5pm for Pennsylvania breds three years old and up over six and a half furlongs. This year's renewal drew 22 nominations, though final acceptances were not yet confirmed. The race is named for the multiple stakes winning Pennsylvania bred Power by Far, now retired to Castle Rock Farm near West Chester, and it has become the reliable undercard feature that gets Masters Stakes Race Day started before the marquee race goes off after dark.
| # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sea Runner | William Morey | Antonio Gallardo |
| 2 | Les Reys | Miguel Clement | Axel Concepcion |
| 3 | Paradise City | Saffie Joseph Jr. | Micah Husbands |
| 4 | Paris Carver | Jorge Delgado | Paco Lopez |
| 5 | Reagan's Flame | Saffie Joseph Jr. | Edgard Zayas |
| 6 | Pondering | Brendan Walsh | Pietro Moran |
| 7 | Mitole Magic | Randall Russell | Gaddiel Martinez |
| 8 | Lovely Emma | Peter Eurton | Israel Rodriguez |
| 9 | Jill Jitterbug | Ryan Walsh | Taylor Kingsley |
Churchill Downs' Saturday Night Stakes Tripleheader
Churchill Downs answers Saturday, September 19 with a Downs After Dark stakes tripleheader spread across three separate races on the card. The Grade 3 Dogwood Stakes for three year old fillies is the headline act, going 7 furlongs for $300,000 at a 9:39pm post. Bob Baffert sends out morning line favorite Explora with Juan Hernandez to ride, fresh off a five length romp in last month's Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga. My Steel Magnolia (Caio Caramori, Cristian Torres), Where Luck Lives (Brian Lynch, Tyler Gaffalione), Conceit (Brad Cox, Mario Gutierrez), Movie Night (Will Walden, Axel Concepcion) and A Fine Chardonnay (Ian Wilkes, Brian Hernandez Jr.) fill out the six horse field.
| Post | Horse | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Explora | Bob Baffert | Juan Hernandez |
| 2 | My Steel Magnolia | Caio Caramori | Cristian Torres |
| 3 | Where Luck Lives | Brian Lynch | Tyler Gaffalione |
| 4 | Conceit | Brad Cox | Mario Gutierrez |
| 5 | Movie Night | Will Walden | Axel Concepcion |
| 6 | A Fine Chardonnay | Ian Wilkes | Brian Hernandez Jr. |
Explora Renews Her Rivalry With Movie Night
Explora is a Blame filly out of Collections Choice, bred by Mesingw Farms and campaigned by Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, the same silks behind Justify and Nysos. Bought for $350,000 as a two year old, she has now won six of ten career starts, including runner up finishes in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and the Del Mar Debutante before finally breaking through at the top level in the Test. That Test win on August 8 came in 1:22.42 for the seven furlongs, and it came at the expense of a familiar rival. Movie Night set the pace before Explora ran her down in the stretch, beating her by five lengths with Percy's Bar third. The pair meet again in the Dogwood, and whether Will Walden's filly can find the lead uncontested this time or gets pressured out of it early is the swing factor in whether Explora's trip is as easy as last time.
Harrods Creek
The $300,000 Harrods Creek goes 7 furlongs for three year olds at 8:30pm, and American Man looks the one to beat for trainer Dallas Stewart and jockey Cristian Torres. The Maclean's Music colt has finished off the board only once in five career starts, that a fourth in the Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga in late July, and arrives off a runner up finish in the Grade 3 Maxfield Stakes at Churchill. He faces Gilded Bandit (Bill Mott, Luan Machado), Stop the Car (Brendan Walsh, Brian Hernandez Jr.), who ran third in the Ellis Park Derby, Tagermeen (Steve Asmussen, Jaime Torres), a recent Saratoga allowance winner, Creole Chrome (Joe Sharp, Axel Concepcion) and Doublecents (Brett Creighton, Francisco Arrieta). Tagermeen is the one interior form line worth flagging beyond American Man, since a fresh allowance win at Saratoga this recently suggests she arrives in career best shape even without the black type resume of the favorite.
| Post | Horse | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gilded Bandit | Bill Mott | Luan Machado |
| 2 | American Man | Dallas Stewart | Cristian Torres |
| 3 | Stop the Car | Brendan Walsh | Brian Hernandez Jr. |
| 4 | Tagermeen | Steve Asmussen | Jaime Torres |
| 5 | Creole Chrome | Joe Sharp | Axel Concepcion |
| 6 | Doublecents | Brett Creighton | Francisco Arrieta |
Listed Seneca Overnight
The Listed Seneca Overnight Stakes closes the trio at 10:40pm, a $200,000 test for three year old fillies at one and one sixteenth miles. Joe Sharp saddles Woodstock for Ben Curtis, Bill Mott runs Answered Prayers under Jaime Torres, and Bob Baffert is doubled up on the card with Consequent for Juan Hernandez. Knickleandime (Randy Morse, Rafael Bejarano), A.P.'s Girl (Peter Eurton, Brian Hernandez Jr.) and In Total Awe (Al Stall Jr., Axel Concepcion) complete the six horse field. Morning line odds for the Harrods Creek and Seneca fields had not been posted at the time of writing, and with Baffert saddling runners in two of the three features, his barn's intentions in the betting will be worth checking as post time nears.
| Post | Horse | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woodstock | Joe Sharp | Ben Curtis |
| 2 | Answered Prayers | Bill Mott | Jaime Torres |
| 3 | Consequent | Bob Baffert | Juan Hernandez |
| 4 | Knickleandime | Randy Morse | Rafael Bejarano |
| 5 | A.P.'s Girl | Peter Eurton | Brian Hernandez Jr. |
| 6 | In Total Awe | Al Stall Jr. | Axel Concepcion |
Betting The CDI Weekend
With Explora the one confirmed short priced favorite across the six stakes races between the two tracks, exotics that spread the Dogwood favorite against the more open Harrods Creek and Seneca fields make sense. Using Explora on top of a Dogwood exacta with Movie Night underneath captures the rematch angle directly, while a Harrods Creek exacta or trifecta built around American Man with Tagermeen as the value price underneath covers the two form lines that stand out on paper. Presque Isle's Masters Stakes offers a genuinely competitive nine horse field with no confirmed favorite, which makes it the one race of the weekend worth spreading wide in a trifecta or superfecta rather than trying to single a winner.
All wagering at Churchill Downs Inc tracks including Presque Isle Downs and Churchill Downs itself is restricted to Connecticut residents for online betting, unlike the rest of MyWinners' racing coverage, so check eligibility before placing a bet on either card.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The $300,000 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes runs Friday, September 18, 2026, going six and a half furlongs on the Tapeta all weather surface with a post time of 8:36pm ET, broadcast live on FanDuel TV.
Churchill Downs runs a Downs After Dark stakes tripleheader on Saturday, September 19: the Grade 3 Dogwood Stakes ($300,000, 7 furlongs, 3 year old fillies), the Harrods Creek ($300,000, 7 furlongs, 3 year olds) and the Listed Seneca Overnight Stakes ($200,000, 1 1/16 miles, 3 year old fillies).
Bob Baffert's Explora is the morning line favorite in the Grade 3 Dogwood Stakes, coming off a five length victory in the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga last month, with Juan Hernandez named to ride.
Both tracks are owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated, and their biggest stakes cards of the week fall back to back, Presque Isle on Friday night and Churchill Downs on Saturday night, making them a natural pair to bet across the same weekend.
Online wagering on Churchill Downs Incorporated tracks, including Presque Isle Downs and Churchill Downs itself, is restricted to Connecticut residents. This differs from the rest of MyWinners' racing coverage, which is open to all customers 18 and over.
