Saratoga Weekend Betting Guide: Christophe Clement Turf, Galway and Mahony Stakes Preview
Saratoga runs a full Friday through Sunday card this week, and the weekend builds toward the Grade 1 Christophe Clement Turf on Saturday, the first running of the race under its new name. We break down all four stakes on the docket, the Listed Smart and Fancy on Friday, the Christophe Clement Turf and Galway on Saturday, and the Grade 3 Mahony on Sunday, plus the betting angles worth knowing before you fill out a ticket.
Saratoga Stakes Schedule, August 14 To 16
Racing resumes Wednesday, August 12 after Saratoga's midweek dark day, but the stakes action doesn't get going until Friday. Here's the full slate:
Friday, August 14: Smart and Fancy Stakes (Listed), first post 1:10pm Eastern.
Saturday, August 15: Christophe Clement Turf Stakes (Grade 1) and Galway Stakes (Listed), first post 12:35pm Eastern.
Sunday, August 16: Mahony Stakes (Grade 3), first post 1:10pm Eastern, run alongside the track's second annual Corgi Cup.
Friday, August 14: Smart And Fancy Stakes
Friday's card is topped by the Smart and Fancy Stakes, a turf sprint for fillies and mares that has settled into its slot as the Friday feature ahead of the bigger Saturday program. Run at 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon turf course, the race carried a $150,000 purse in 2025, when Mike Trombetta trainee Future Is Now went off the 6/5 favorite off the back of a Grade 3 Caress win and a close second in the Grade 2 Intercontinental.
Entries for this year's renewal had not been drawn as of this writing. Fillies and mares who have been building toward a turf sprint spot all summer at the Spa, out of races like the Caress or the Coronation Cup, are the type to watch for once the field is finalized. We'll update with confirmed runners and connections as soon as NYRA posts them.
| Detail | Smart and Fancy Stakes |
|---|---|
| Date | Friday, August 14, 2026 |
| Grade | Listed |
| Distance | 5 1/2 furlongs, Mellon turf course |
| Conditions | Fillies and mares, 3 years old and up |
| 2025 Purse | $150,000 |
| First Post | 1:10pm Eastern |
| 2025 Winner | Future Is Now (Mike Trombetta, Paco Lopez) |
| 2026 Field | Entries not yet drawn, check back closer to raceday |
Saturday, August 15: Christophe Clement Turf Stakes (Grade 1)
Saturday's marquee event is the 52nd running of the race long known as the Sword Dancer, renamed for 2026 to honor the late Hall of Fame trainer Christophe Clement, who won it a record five times before his death in May 2025. The Grade 1, $750,000 test goes 1 1/2 miles on Saratoga's inner turf course and hands its winner an automatic berth into the $5 million Breeders' Cup Turf on October 31 at Keeneland. It runs as Race 9 on Saturday's 12-race card, with the Galway following as Race 10.
A field of seven goes to post, three of them shipped in from Europe. Amo Racing USA's Ancient Egypt, a son of Frankel trained by Charlie Johnston, arrives off a head-second in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris and a similarly close second in Royal Ascot's King Edward VII Stakes. David Egan rides from post 1. Michael Tabor's mare Survie, trained by George Boughey, steps in off a runaway win in the Grade 2 Glens Falls on August 2 and gets Manny Franco, who won this race with Channel Maker in 2020, from post 7. Mrs. Fitri Hay's Fort George, trained by Ed Walker, was a nose behind Ole Crazy Bone in the Grade 2 Bowling Green last out and takes post 5 under Kieran Shoemark.
On the home side, Flying P Stable's Ole Crazy Bone heads out from post 3 with Irad Ortiz Jr. up for trainer Mike Maker, fresh off that Bowling Green win and closing in on $2 million in career earnings. Peachtree Stable's Tawny Port, trained by Miguel Clement, son of the race's new namesake, comes off a track record setting Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup win and picks up Kendrick Carmouche from post 2 as Clement chases what he's called one of the three races he wanted most this Saratoga season. Klaravich Stables' Program Trading, trained by Chad Brown, stretches out to 12 furlongs for the first time off back to back wins at Monmouth Park and gets Flavien Prat from post 4. OXO Equine's Minaret Station, trained by Will Walden, rounds out the field from post 6 with Jose Ortiz aboard, third last out in the Bowling Green beaten a half length.
No morning line had been posted as of this writing. We'll confirm final odds once NYRA and Equibase publish them closer to Saturday's first post.
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ancient Egypt | David Egan | Charlie Johnston | Amo Racing USA |
| 2 | Tawny Port | Kendrick Carmouche | Miguel Clement | Peachtree Stable |
| 3 | Ole Crazy Bone | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Mike Maker | Flying P Stable |
| 4 | Program Trading | Flavien Prat | Chad Brown | Klaravich Stables |
| 5 | Fort George | Kieran Shoemark | Ed Walker | Mrs. Fitri Hay |
| 6 | Minaret Station | Jose Ortiz | Will Walden | OXO Equine |
| 7 | Survie | Manny Franco | George Boughey | Michael Tabor |
Saturday, August 15: Galway Stakes
The Listed Galway follows the Christophe Clement Turf as Race 10 on Saturday and carries a $200,000 purse for 2026, up from its usual $150,000 mark in recent years. It's traditionally a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for sophomore fillies on the Mellon course, and past runnings have doubled as a Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint prep for fillies who show well against the boys earlier in the meet.
As with Friday's Smart and Fancy, the 2026 Galway field had not been drawn as of this writing. Recent renewals have drawn well regarded 3-year-old fillies fresh off wins in the Coronation Cup or Quick Call, so expect a similar type of form line once entries are in.
| Detail | Galway Stakes |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, August 15, 2026 |
| Grade | Listed |
| Distance | 5 1/2 furlongs, Mellon turf course |
| Conditions | Fillies, 3 years old |
| 2026 Purse | $200,000 |
| First Post | 12:35pm Eastern (Race 10) |
| 2026 Field | Entries not yet drawn, check back closer to raceday |
Sunday, August 16: Mahony Stakes (Grade 3) And The Corgi Cup
Sunday's stakes feature is the Mahony, upgraded to Grade 3 status in 2025 and carrying a $225,000 purse for this year's renewal. Named for longtime NYRA mutuels executive Patrick Mahony, the race is set at 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf for 3-year-olds and has been won by the likes of Archidust, who took the inaugural 2019 running as the 6/5 favorite under Javier Castellano.
Sunday is also Saratoga's second annual Corgi Cup, with Corgi races run on the main track between the horse races and a pin giveaway for fans who stick around. It's a lighter note to close the weekend, and it means bigger crowds than a typical Sunday card even with the Mahony as the only stakes on offer.
Entries for the Mahony had not been drawn as of this writing. We'll update this section with confirmed runners, jockeys and trainers once NYRA posts them.
| Detail | Mahony Stakes |
|---|---|
| Date | Sunday, August 16, 2026 |
| Grade | Grade 3 |
| Distance | 5 1/2 furlongs, turf |
| Conditions | 3 years old |
| 2026 Purse | $225,000 |
| First Post | 1:10pm Eastern |
| Also On The Card | Saratoga's second annual Corgi Cup, run between races on the main track |
| 2026 Field | Entries not yet drawn, check back closer to raceday |
Betting Angles For The Weekend
The Christophe Clement Turf is the release valve on the weekend and the one race where we already know exactly who we're up against. Ole Crazy Bone's trainer Mike Maker has built a run of hard knocking turf marathon types over the years, from Zulu Alpha to Oscar Nominated, and this gelding fits that mold, durable and always trying. Tawny Port's connections have been building to this specific race, skipping the Bowling Green to keep him fresh, and Miguel Clement racing his father's namesake event adds a real emotional angle that shouldn't be dismissed as just a storyline. On the European side, Ancient Egypt's back to back close seconds at the top level in Europe read better than the bare results suggest, and trainer Charlie Johnston has been open that the switch to a flatter, faster surface in America was made specifically because it should suit this horse better than another try on Europe's softer ground.
Once the Smart and Fancy, Galway and Mahony fields are drawn, the turf bias at Saratoga this meet has favored on pace and stalking trips over pure closers, so early position matters more than the running style stereotypes would suggest, particularly in the shorter turf sprints. Keep that in mind rather than assuming the deepest closer in the field is automatically the one to beat.
How To Bet Saratoga This Weekend
Whether you're betting the Christophe Clement Turf's international field or waiting on the Galway and Mahony entries, you can get down on every race at Saratoga this 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Grade 1 Christophe Clement Turf Stakes runs Saturday, August 15, 2026 at Saratoga Race Course as Race 9, with first post set for 12:35pm Eastern. It's contested at 1 1/2 miles on the inner turf course and carries a $750,000 purse.
The race long known as the Sword Dancer Stakes was renamed the Christophe Clement Turf Stakes starting in 2026, honoring the late Hall of Fame trainer Christophe Clement, who won the race a record five times before his death in May 2025.
A field of seven goes to post, including three European shippers, Ancient Egypt, Fort George and Survie, alongside American contenders Tawny Port, Ole Crazy Bone, Program Trading and Minaret Station. The winner earns an automatic berth into the Breeders' Cup Turf on October 31 at Keeneland.
The Mahony Stakes is a Grade 3 turf sprint for 3-year-olds run at 5 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga. It runs Sunday, August 16, 2026 with a $225,000 purse, on the same card as the track's second annual Corgi Cup.
You can bet online at app.mywinners.com, through the MyWinners: Racing & Sports app on iOS or Android, or in person at a MyWinners or Winners venue in Connecticut. Online betting is open to all customers 18 and up.
