Saratoga Weekend Betting Guide: Alabama Day Headlines August 21 to 23
Saratoga comes back to life this week after a short mid meet dark stretch, and it returns with one of the best days on the entire summer calendar. The track resumes racing on Wednesday, August 19, then builds through Friday and Sunday state bred stakes into Saturday's Alabama Day, the marquee card that sits between Whitney Day and the DraftKings Travers. The Grade 1 Alabama tops a loaded Saturday that also includes the Grade 2 Ballston Spa, and New York bred features frame both ends of the weekend with the Fleet Indian on Friday and the Albany on Sunday. Here is everything we know heading into the weekend, along with how to bet it.
Weekend Stakes Schedule at a Glance
Four stakes worth a combined $1.35 million headline the three day stretch. Friday, August 21 opens with the $200,000 Fleet Indian, a New York bred test for 3 year old fillies. Saturday, August 22 is the marquee day, with the Grade 1, $600,000 Alabama and the Grade 2, $300,000 Ballston Spa both on the card. Sunday, August 23 closes the weekend with the $200,000 Albany, a New York bred feature for 3 year old colts and geldings. Gates open at 11am Eastern each day, with first post at 1:10pm on Friday and Sunday. Saturday's card gets going earlier, with first post at 12:35pm Eastern for Alabama Day, so bettors and fans planning to attend should build their day around the earlier start.
| Date | Race | Grade | Purse | Conditions | Distance | Surface | First Post (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Aug 21 | Fleet Indian | NYB | $200,000 | F 3YO, New York bred | 1 1/8 miles | Dirt | 1:10pm |
| Sat, Aug 22 | Alabama pres. by Keeneland Sales | Grade 1 | $600,000 | 3YO fillies | 1 1/4 miles | Dirt | 12:35pm (card start) |
| Sat, Aug 22 | Ballston Spa pres. by STIHL | Grade 2 | $300,000 | F&M 3YO and up | 1 1/16 miles | Turf | 12:35pm (card start) |
| Sun, Aug 23 | Albany | NYB | $200,000 | 3YO, New York bred | 1 1/8 miles | Dirt | 1:10pm |
Gates open at 11am Eastern each day. Saturday, August 22 (Alabama Day) has an earlier first post than a standard Friday or Sunday card, at 12:35pm Eastern for the first race, rather than the usual 1:10pm. Exact post times for the Alabama and Ballston Spa themselves depend on their position in the running order and are confirmed closer to race day.
Saturday's Feature: The Grade 1 Alabama Stakes
The 146th running of the Alabama at Saratoga is the third jewel of the Filly Triple Tiara, following the Acorn and the Coaching Club American Oaks, and it is the longest Grade 1 dirt test open to 3 year old fillies anywhere in North America at 1 1/4 miles. The $600,000 purse and the deep Saratoga crowd make it one of the true highlights of the meet, and this year's edition looks set to turn into a showdown between two of Chad Brown's and Mark Casse's better fillies.
Mark Casse's Counting Stars, a daughter of Honor A.P., heads into the weekend as the probable favorite. She already owns Grade 1 wins in this year's Acorn Stakes and Coaching Club American Oaks, plus a Grade 2 win in the Fantasy at Oaklawn, and both of those Grade 1 scores came at the expense of Kentucky Oaks winner Always a Runner. That rivalry will not run its third leg here though, since Chad Brown announced Always a Runner will skip the Alabama entirely and instead point toward the $1 million Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx on September 19, with Brown saying the filly runs her race but simply might not be at her best over the Saratoga surface.
Brown will still have a filly in the Alabama field. My Gun's Loaded, also a Gun Runner filly and also owned by Douglas Scharbauer, will make her stakes debut off two wins from two starts this year, a maiden score at Saratoga on June 6 by 4 1/4 lengths and a one mile allowance win on July 24 by three lengths. She is unproven at graded level but arrives fresh and undefeated, which makes her one of the more interesting shippers in a race that traditionally draws a small, high quality field.
NYRA has not yet drawn official entries for the Alabama as of this preview, with the draw typically landing in the days before Saturday's card. We will update this guide once the final field, posts and morning line odds are confirmed, and as always we would recommend checking NYRA's entries page or the Daily Racing Form close to post time before placing any bets.
Counting Stars, by Honor A.P. and trained by Mark Casse, has already won the Acorn (G1) and the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) this year, plus the Fantasy (G2) at Oaklawn Park. My Gun's Loaded, by Gun Runner and trained by Chad Brown, is a perfect 2 for 2 this season with a maiden win at Saratoga on June 6 and a mile allowance win on July 24, and makes her stakes debut in the Alabama. Always a Runner, also by Gun Runner and also trained by Brown, won this year's Kentucky Oaks (G1) but will bypass the Alabama for the Cotillion (G1) at Parx on September 19. She is worth knowing since she is the reigning Kentucky Oaks winner and Counting Stars' biggest rival this year, even though she will not actually start on Saturday.
| Horse | Sire | Trainer | 2026 Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counting Stars | Honor A.P. | Mark Casse | Won the Acorn (G1) and Coaching Club American Oaks (G1), also won the Fantasy (G2) at Oaklawn Park |
| My Gun's Loaded | Gun Runner | Chad Brown | Perfect 2 for 2 this year, maiden win at Saratoga June 6 and a mile allowance win July 24, stakes debut in the Alabama |
| Always a Runner | Gun Runner | Chad Brown | Winner of the 2026 Kentucky Oaks (G1), will bypass the Alabama for the Cotillion (G1) at Parx on September 19 |
The Ballston Spa Puts Turf Fillies and Mares on Show
Saturday's undercard feature is the Grade 2, $300,000 Ballston Spa, a 1 1/16 mile turf test for fillies and mares 3 years old and up run over Saratoga's Mellon turf course. It is one of the meet's better turf races for older female horses, sitting between the Grade 2 Glens Falls and the Grade 3 Waya on Saratoga's turf stakes calendar, and it has produced a run of tight finishes in recent renewals. Ozara took last year's edition for trainer Miguel Clement, running her Saratoga turf record to a perfect mark at the time and holding off a determined closing bid to win by a length and a half.
As with the Alabama, this year's Ballston Spa field had not been officially entered as of this preview. It is the 38th running of the race, and it sits on the calendar one week ahead of the Grade 3 Waya on August 28. NYRA typically finalizes turf stakes entries with the rest of Saturday's card in the days leading into the race, so check back for post positions and morning line prices once they are released.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Distance and surface | 1 1/16 miles, Mellon turf course |
| Conditions | Fillies and mares, 3 years old and up |
| Purse | $300,000 |
| Running | 38th |
| 2025 winner | Ozara, trained by Miguel Clement |
| Where it sits on the calendar | Runs the same card as the Grade 1 Alabama, one week ahead of the Grade 3 Waya on August 28 |
Friday's Fleet Indian and Sunday's Albany Frame the Weekend
New York bred racing gets its moment on both ends of the weekend. Friday's $200,000 Fleet Indian is a 1 1/8 mile main track test for 3 year old fillies bred in New York State, and it regularly draws a competitive field of state bred stakes winners looking to add black type before the meet moves toward its closing weeks. Sunday's $200,000 Albany, the 49th running, does the same job for 3 year old colts and geldings at the same 1 1/8 mile trip on the main track.
Both races are restricted to New York breds and sit outside the graded stakes system, but they carry some of the strongest purses on the state bred calendar and often feature horses who have already tasted stakes success earlier in the meet or at other New York tracks. Entries for both were not yet available at the time of writing.
| Horse | Post | Jockey | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power of Women | 1 | Flavien Prat | Stakes debut, perfect 2 for 2 this year, front running win by 10+ lengths at Belmont Park in June |
| Venetta | TBC | TBC | Seeking 4th straight win and 2nd stakes score, won the Bouwerie June 3 at Saratoga |
| Hot Currency | TBC | TBC | Runner up to Venetta in the Bouwerie, then won by 7 1/2 lengths, first try beyond 7 furlongs |
| Lady Rose | TBC | TBC | Owned by CJ Stables, won a one mile race by 5 lengths on August 15 |
Fleet Indian is Race 9 on Friday, August 21, first post 1:10pm Eastern. Full 8 horse field, posts and jockeys to be confirmed closer to race day. Sunday's Albany (NYB, $200,000, 3YO colts and geldings, 1 1/8 miles) had not been entered as of this preview.
Chad Brown and Linda Rice Battle for the Meet Title
Alabama weekend also arrives with a genuine training title race in full swing. Linda Rice put together a five win day on Saturday, August 15, the third time in her 39 year career she has hit five winners in a single day and the first time she has done it at Saratoga rather than Aqueduct. That day pushed her to 23 wins for the meet, good for second place but still three behind leader Chad Brown, who is chasing his own share of the Saratoga training title after splitting it with Rice back in 2023. Rice is the only woman to win the Saratoga training title outright, having done so in 2009.
Brown also has a filly to watch beyond the Alabama field. Two year old Libby Lloyd, a daughter of Into Mischief, romped by 10 lengths on debut on August 15 and earned Rising Star recognition, though Brown has already ruled out a run in the Spinaway on September 5 and will instead wait for the Frizette at the new Belmont Park in October. On the colt side, Todd Pletcher's Jim Dandy winner Renegade remains the divisional leader heading into the Travers on August 29, with stablemate Ted Noffey, last year's champion 2 year old colt, back in training at Saratoga but not expected to race again until the fall. The meet runs through Monday, September 7, Labor Day.
How to Bet the Weekend at Saratoga
The Alabama and Ballston Spa both carry exotic wagering across the Saturday card, including Pick 4 and Pick 5 sequences that typically run through the two stakes given their spot on the program. With Alabama fields tending to run small, six to eight fillies is a realistic range based on recent renewals, so exacta and trifecta prices can shrink fast once a heavy favorite like Counting Stars is on top of the board. The Ballston Spa's turf form lines up as a tougher, more open puzzle, and it is worth watching the going report on Saratoga's Mellon course through the week since rain can shift a firm turf course toward yielding and change which fillies and mares handle it best.
New York bred fans should not overlook the Fleet Indian and Albany either. Purses of $200,000 for state bred company draw plenty of value into exotic wagers since public attention skews so heavily toward the Grade 1 and Grade 2 features on the same weekend.
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Leading trainer | Chad Brown, 26 wins through August 16 |
| Second in standings | Linda Rice, 23 wins, including a 5 win day on August 15 |
| Travers favorite in waiting | Renegade, trained by Todd Pletcher, winner of the Jim Dandy (G2) |
| Meet closes | Monday, September 7, Labor Day |
Get Ready for Alabama Weekend at Saratoga
Saratoga's Alabama weekend is one of the best three day stretches of the summer, and getting your bets in early on the Fleet Indian, Alabama, Ballston Spa and Albany means you are set up no matter which way the fields shake out once entries are drawn.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The 146th running of the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes goes Saturday, August 22, 2026 at Saratoga Race Course. It is a 1 1/4 mile dirt race for 3 year old fillies with a $600,000 purse.
No. Kentucky Oaks winner Always a Runner will skip the Alabama. Trainer Chad Brown announced she will instead point toward the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx on September 19. Brown will still saddle the filly My Gun's Loaded, who makes her stakes debut in the Alabama.
Alongside the Alabama, Saturday's card also carries the Grade 2 Ballston Spa for turf fillies and mares. Friday features the New York bred Fleet Indian for 3 year old fillies, and Sunday features the New York bred Albany for 3 year old colts and geldings.
Chad Brown leads the standings heading into Alabama weekend. Linda Rice sits second after a five win day on August 15, her third career five win day and her first at Saratoga, putting her three wins behind Brown.
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