Saratoga Weekend Preview: Belmont Derby and Belmont Oaks Headline Opening Weekend
Saratoga opening weekend arrives with the track's longest meet ever, and it lands the same week Aqueduct ran the final race in its 132-year history. The Big A has gone quiet for good, and the summer game now belongs entirely to the Spa. Friday, July 3 through Sunday, July 5 brings the July 4th Racing Festival, three days of stakes racing worth well over $2 million, headlined by a pair of Grade 1s on Saturday. Here's our full breakdown of Saratoga opening weekend, the horses to watch, a bit of history, and what to look out for before you bet.
A Bit of Saratoga History
Saratoga Race Course first opened in 1863, making it the oldest organized sporting venue of any kind still operating in the United States, older than the sport of baseball as we know it today. The track earned its nickname, the Graveyard of Champions, after the legendary Man o' War suffered the only defeat of his career there in 1919, upset by a colt named Upset at odds against him. That reputation for shock results has followed the Spa for over a century, and it's part of why seasoned horseplayers never take a Saratoga favorite for granted. This year's meet carries extra weight: with Belmont Park still finishing its rebuild, Saratoga hosts the July 4th Racing Festival for a third straight year, and it's the last time these Grade 1 turf features run at the Spa before shifting back to a new Belmont Park in 2027.
Friday's Card: The Schuylerville Stakes Opens the Meet
Opening day, Friday, July 3, centers on the $200,000 Schuylerville Stakes for 2-year-old fillies going 6 furlongs, a race that has launched Hall of Famers Cicada, La Prevoyante and Ashado. Luminous Beauty is the 3-1 morning-line favorite for trainer Jena Antonucci, coming off a 6 1/4-length romp at Saratoga under Flavien Prat. Madeleine Swann, an easy debut winner at Monmouth Park for trainer Jorge Delgado, and New York-bred Prime Aurora, an 8 3/4-length debut winner for Abraham Gardea, both loom as the chief threats. John Velazquez, aboard Prime Aurora, has won this race a record five times. Friday's card also carries two turf features, the Wild Applause for 3-year-old fillies and the Saranac for 3-year-olds, both worth $150,000.
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Morning Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Voyager | Jose Ortiz | Mark Casse | 7-2 |
| 2 | Prime Aurora | John Velazquez | Abraham Gardea | 9-2 |
| 3 | Pot's Right | Ricardo Santana Jr. | Philip Antonacci | 12-1 |
| 4 | Madeleine Swann | Javier Castellano | Jorge Delgado | 8-1 |
| 5 | Washton | Tyler Gaffalione | Steven Asmussen | 4-1 |
| 6 | Harper's Corner | Paco Lopez | Cathal Lynch | 6-1 |
| 7 | Costa Linda | Xavier Perez | John Robb | 10-1 |
| 8 | Luminous Beauty | Flavien Prat | Jena Antonucci | 3-1 (fav) |
Saturday's Belmont Derby and Belmont Oaks Anchor the Weekend
Saturday, July 4 is the marquee day of Saratoga opening weekend, with four graded stakes on one card starting at 12:35pm. The $750,000 Belmont Derby (G1) goes at 5:20pm over 1 1/8 miles of turf, and Remember Mamba is our idea of the horse to beat. Named for Kobe Bryant, Cherie DeVaux's colt won his first three starts on turf before finishing a troubled second, from the rail draw, to Stark Contrast in the American Turf (G1) at Churchill Downs. Jose Ortiz rallied him from last to be beaten just 2 1/4 lengths that day, and he takes a clear class drop back into this field. Morning-line favorite West End Kid carries a three-race turf winning streak, while Brad Cox's Touch of Fire makes his graded debut off an Audubon Stakes win.
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Morning Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackmail | Javier Castellano | Mark Casse | 12-1 |
| 2 | Bottas | Manuel Franco | Miguel Clement | 10-1 |
| 3 | Remember Mamba | Jose Ortiz | Cherie DeVaux | 7-2 |
| 4 | Third Coast | Jose Lezcano | Thomas Proctor | 20-1 |
| 5 | Turf Star | Dylan Davis | H. Graham Motion | 30-1 |
| 6 | Pacific Avenue | William Buick | Charlie Appleby | 6-1 |
| 7 | Tiernanogue | Ricardo Santana Jr. | Brendan Walsh | 10-1 |
| 8 | West End Kid | Tyler Gaffalione | William Walden | 3-1 |
| 9 | Title Role | John Velazquez | Simon and Ed Crisford | 5-1 |
| 10 | Touch Of Fire | Flavien Prat | Brad Cox | 5-1 |
The $600,000 Belmont Oaks (G1) follows at 4:06pm, also at 1 1/8 miles on turf, and it's a genuinely open renewal. Charlie Appleby's English raider Abashiri is the 5-2 morning-line favorite off the strength of her form against two of Europe's best 3-year-old fillies in the English and Irish 1000 Guineas, but she's untested on turf so far in her career. Chad Brown, a six-time winner of this race, saddles Fitz Right, a perfect three-for-three in 2026 and a likely pace-presser under Flavien Prat. Imaginationthelady, fresh off an Edgewood (G2) win, and Regret (G3) winner Faithful Departed both carry live claims in a field with no standout.
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Morning Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Just Aloof | Manuel Franco | Chad Brown | 8-1 |
| 2 | Time To Dream | Edgard Zayas | Todd Pletcher | 12-1 |
| 3 | Kensington Lane | Joel Rosario | Donnacha O'Brien | 10-1 |
| 4 | Faithful Departed | Jose Ortiz | Grant Forster | 5-1 |
| 5 | Storm's Wake | Dylan Davis | Brian Lynch | 10-1 |
| 6 | Fitz Right | Flavien Prat | Chad Brown | 6-1 |
| 7 | Carmensita | Ricardo Santana Jr. | Horacio De Paz | 30-1 |
| 8 | Abashiri | William Buick | Charlie Appleby | 5-2 (fav) |
| 9 | Ultimate Love | John Velazquez | Michael Trombetta | 10-1 |
| 10 | Imaginationthelady | Tyler Gaffalione | Brendan Walsh | 4-1 |
The Suburban and Sanford Add Dirt and Youth to Saturday
The $500,000 Suburban (G2) at 1 1/4 miles on the dirt is a rematch of last year's renewal, when Phileas Fogg held off Antiquarian by a head. Antiquarian, fresh off a fourth to Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Nysos in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1), is the 3-1 favorite for trainer Todd Pletcher this time. Forged Steel arrives in career-best form after a nearly 10-length demolition of the Hollywood Gold Cup (G2) field, and Hit Show, a past Dubai World Cup (G1) winner, adds serious international class to a genuinely deep 11-horse field.
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Morning Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Classicist | Javier Castellano | Todd Pletcher | 20-1 |
| 2 | Forged Steel | Flavien Prat | Saffie Joseph Jr. | 4-1 |
| 3 | Yo Daddy | Ricardo Santana Jr. | Linda Rice | 15-1 |
| 4 | Parchment Party | Jose Lezcano | Bill Mott | 8-1 |
| 5 | Tiztastic | Jose Ortiz | Steven Asmussen | 12-1 |
| 6 | Phileas Fogg | Kendrick Carmouche | Gustavo Rodriguez | 8-1 |
| 7 | Antiquarian | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher | 3-1 (fav) |
| 8 | Hit Show | Manuel Franco | Brad Cox | 5-1 |
| 9 | Stars and Stripes | Junior Alvarado | Bill Mott | 6-1 |
| 10 | Original Sin | Tyler Gaffalione | Brendan Walsh | 10-1 |
| 11 | Obstacle | Joel Rosario | Paulo Lobo | 30-1 |
The $225,000 Sanford Stakes (G3) is the summer's first added-money race for 2-year-old colts, a 6-furlong sprint that has a habit of throwing up surprises rather than future classic winners. Waggley is the lone proven stakes winner in the field after a front-running score in the Kentucky Juvenile, while Booked, Vissino and newcomer Pocket Listing all arrive off eye-catching debut wins. Trainer Mark Casse sends out debut winner Vissino, who overcame trouble at the start to win by a half-length at Churchill Downs.
Sunday's Kelso Stakes Closes Out the Festival
Sunday, July 5 wraps up the festival with the $225,000 Kelso Stakes (G3) at 1 mile on turf for older horses, followed by the $200,000 Harvey Pack, a flat-out turf sprint. Chad Brown, who trains multiple runners under consideration for the Kelso, has a strong hand with Zulu Kingdom, a gate-to-wire winner of the Maker's Mark Mile (G1) at Keeneland in April who also captured the Manila (G3) and Pilgrim (G2). Bill Mott's Capitol Hill, second in the Poker (G3) at Saratoga last time, and Mark Casse's My Boy Prince both loom as the chief challengers in what shapes as a genuinely competitive finish to Saratoga opening weekend.
What to Look Out For This Weekend
The single biggest factor for Saratoga opening weekend has nothing to do with the horses. A heatwave is forecast to hit the region, with heat indexes potentially topping 100 degrees, and several tracks around the country have already canceled or rescheduled cards to avoid it. Saratoga could adjust or cancel parts of Saturday's or Sunday's program, so check NYRA's official channels before you travel or lock in exotic bets. On the track, Saratoga's Graveyard of Champions reputation is always worth remembering. Morning-line favorites don't have a great record at the Spa on opening weekend, and with three fields carrying no standout, particularly the Belmont Oaks and the Suburban, there's real value to be found underneath the favorites in exactas and trifectas.
Our Tips for the Weekend
In the Belmont Derby, we're siding with Remember Mamba. He's already shown he belongs with the best 3-year-old turf horses in the country, and a repeat of his American Turf running style, without the traffic trouble, should be more than good enough at 7-2. In the Belmont Oaks, we'd rather take a stand against the 5-2 favorite Abashiri given her lack of turf form, and use Fitz Right's tactical speed and Chad Brown's record in this race as our top selection at 6-1. In the Suburban, Antiquarian's Metropolitan Handicap form stacks up well at 3-1, but we like using Forged Steel underneath at 4-1 given how effortlessly he handled 1 1/4 miles last time out.
The Spa Big Exotic Cash Splash
MyWinners is running The Spa Big Exotic Cash Splash across all three days of Saratoga opening weekend, Friday, July 3 through Sunday, July 5. Cash 9 winning exactas or trifectas across separate races over the three days to share in a $2,000 prize pool, paid out as 800,000 reward points. Every race on the Belmont Derby, Belmont Oaks, Suburban, Sanford, Schuylerville and Kelso card counts toward your total, so it pays to stay active across the whole weekend rather than just the biggest races. Full terms are available in the MyWinners app.
How to Bet on Saratoga This Weekend
You can bet on every race across Saratoga opening weekend through MyWinners.
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.
