The Morning Line by MyWinners: Travers Day. Golden Tempo vs Renegade. $93K Pick 6 winner.
The weekly email newsletter from MyWinners - 08/28/2026
Hi there
I'm writing this with a green spinach smoothie in my hand that my wife insists I drink called Raw Power, Dolly on the speakers in tribute, and a Saratoga card pulled up on one screen. The juice tastes like I'm drinking the flower bed. The other screen has tomorrow's Travers field, which I've been staring at since Tuesday.
Last Friday, Mr. C, one of our Connecticut customers, sat down and placed a $2 Pick 6 at Del Mar starting in Race 3. Six races later, he had $93,266 in his MyWinners account. A $2,592 ticket. A 36/1 return. Our entire office was cheering his last race home because we wanted to see that pick hit as badly as he did. Mr. C, if you're reading this: nicely done sir. The community salutes you. And please don't spend it all on lobster.
Tomorrow is Travers Day. The biggest day of the Saratoga meet. Five Grade 1 stakes, $3.25 million in purses, and the 157th running of the Mid Summer Derby. Golden Tempo and Renegade haven't been in the same race since the Belmont. That changes tomorrow at 6:35pm ET. Kentucky Downs opens the same day with $3 million in stakes of its own. College football is back. The Premier League rolls into Week 2. And this is your last Boost Your Bankroll Friday, so bet $157+ at Saratoga today and your bonuses arrive tomorrow on Travers Day.
Let's go.
What's on this week
Today (Fri Aug 28) — 🇺🇸 Saratoga: Waya, West Point. 🇨🇦 Woodbine Mohawk Park: Maple Leaf Trot eliminations (harness).
Tomorrow (Sat Aug 29) — 🇺🇸 Saratoga: TRAVERS DAY, featuring the DraftKings Travers (G1, $1.25M), Personal Ensign (G1), Ballerina (G1), Forego (G1), H. Allen Jerkens (G1), and Lake Placid (G2). 🇺🇸 Kentucky Downs: OPENING DAY, with the Ladies Turf Sprint (G1, $1.75M), Juvenile Sprint ($750K), and Tight Spot ($500K). 🇺🇸 Del Mar: Del Mar Handicap and Pat O'Brien (G2). 🇺🇸 Fairmount Park: St. Louis Derby. 🇨🇦 Woodbine Mohawk Park: Wellwood Memorial (G1, $570K), Peaceful Way (G1, $425K), and Canadian Pacing Derby eliminations (harness).
Sunday (Aug 30) — 🇺🇸 Kentucky Downs: Untapable ($750K), Tapit ($500K). 🇺🇸 Saratoga: Yaddo ($200K).
Thursday (Sep 3) — 🇺🇸 Kentucky Downs: Bowling Green Gold Cup ($750K). 🇺🇸 Saratoga: Bernard Baruch ($200K).
Tonight — 🏈 NFL Preseason Week 3: Giants at Jets, 7:30pm ET.
Tomorrow — ⚽ Premier League Week 2. 🏈 College Football Week 0: USC vs San Jose State, North Carolina at TCU, Hawaii at Stanford.
Travers Day: The 157th Mid Summer Derby at Saratoga
This is the race the entire Saratoga meet builds to.
The DraftKings Travers is the $1,250,000 Grade 1 that defines the three-year-old division every August. Ten horses. A mile and a quarter. Tomorrow at 6:35pm ET. Five Grade 1s on the card. First post 11:05am ET.
Golden Tempo (5/2) is the morning line favorite, the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner, and the horse who made Cherie DeVaux the first female trainer to win the Derby. His career record is 6: 4-0-2 with $3.4 million in earnings. Jose Ortiz rides. He stumbled at the gate in the Belmont, settled last of nine, and still closed from the outside to win. He missed the Jim Dandy with a minor illness. The layoff is the concern. The talent is not. He drew post 9 in a field of ten.
Renegade (3/1) won the Jim Dandy right here at Saratoga on August 1, rallying from twelve lengths back to catch Commandment in deep stretch. That was Todd Pletcher's ninth Jim Dandy. Renegade was runner-up to Golden Tempo in the Derby. Tyler Gaffalione picks up the ride after Irad Ortiz Jr. was injured. Pletcher has won the Travers three times, all with Jim Dandy winners: Flower Alley in 2005, Stay Thirsty in 2011, and Fierceness in 2024. He's been pointing to this race all summer.
Napoleon Solo (8/1) is the Preakness winner, the leg Golden Tempo skipped. Chad Summers trains, John Velazquez rides. If the pace is hot, he's dangerous closing.
Sea Strike (5/1) gives Chad Brown two shots in the race alongside Emerging Market (15/1). Flavien Prat rides Sea Strike. Baby Vino (10/1) for Lindsay Schultz with Paco Lopez is a price worth respecting. The Puma (8/1) trained by Gustavo Delgado with Javier Castellano, Leading Change (12/1) for Brad Cox, Silent Tactic (10/1) who was third in the Jim Dandy for Mark Casse, and Ocelli (20/1) complete the field.
The undercard is absurd. Personal Ensign (G1, $500K), Ballerina (G1, $500K), Forego (G1, $500K), H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1, $500K), Lake Placid (G2, $400K). It's the deepest single-day card in American racing. Rob's full preview is on the blog: Travers Stakes 2026.
Mike B's Exotic of the Week
That's three correct picks in a row. Serenity. Luster. Counting Stars. The mood around here is dangerously confident. Natalie is loving it. So is Lisa, our head of Customer Support. I'm not saying I can't lose, but I am saying I haven't yet. So obviously I'm going straight for the Travers, where the universe will correct things.
A $1 exacta keying Golden Tempo and Renegade on top over each other and over Sea Strike, Napoleon Solo, and Baby Vino. That's eight combos for $8. If either of the big two wins and one of the closers fills the place spot, you're looking at a solid return. If I'm wrong, it cost you a couple of coffees.
⚠️ Carryover Alert
Woodbine Mohawk Park's Jackpot Hi-5 has C$228,901 waiting in the pool, with wagering available tonight ahead of Saturday's mandatory payout. And looking ahead to Tuesday, Assiniboia Downs has a huge C$251,117 Jackpot Pick 5 carryover — and that MUST GO with a mandatory payout on September 1. That's nearly C$480,000 in carryover money across two huge pools. Check the live carryovers on MyWinners and get involved. Small plays. Big wins.
Kentucky Downs Opens: $3M Stakes
Kentucky Downs opens tomorrow with one of the richest day-one cards in the country. The $1,750,000 Ladies Turf Sprint (G1) headlines, with Ag Bullet going for the threepeat. Add the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint ($750K) and the Tight Spot Overnight Handicap ($500K) and you're looking at $3 million in stakes on Opening Day alone.
Sunday adds the Untapable Stakes ($750K) and Tapit Stakes ($500K). Kentucky Downs runs through September 9 with over $25 million in total stakes purses. This place is no longer a novelty. It's one of the richest meets in the country.
Tonight: Charles Town Classic Night
Nine stakes. $2.8 million in purses. First post 5pm ET.
The $1,000,000 Charles Town Classic (G2) headlines the biggest night of racing in West Virginia. Banishing is back to defend, but Skippylongstocking is the story. He's going for a third Classic win, which would break the all-time record. Four horses have won it twice. Nobody has won it three times. The $750,000 Charles Town Oaks (G2) features G2 winner My Miss Mo, G3 winner Luv Your Neighbor, and Mashallah.
This card runs tonight while you're reading this. Get on it.
Harness: Big Week on the Sulky
Last Saturday at Pocono Downs, Nordic Catcher S tied the world record for a four-year-old trotting stallion on a five-eighths-mile oval, winning the Sebastian K Trot in 1:50.3. Brandon Blvd took the Hempt Memorial in 1:48.2. Sangria Summer set a stakes record in the Lynch Memorial at 1:48.4. For Once Inmy Life lit up the Always B Miki Pace at 18/1, paying $39.80. Records everywhere.
Tomorrow night at Woodbine Mohawk Park: the $570,000 Wellwood Memorial (G1), the $425,000 Peaceful Way (G1), and the Canadian Pacing Derby eliminations with Best Chip, the fastest pacer in North America this year (1:46.1). Jackpot Hi-5 mandatory payout at C$228,901. Post time 6:45pm ET.
More Racing This Weekend
🇺🇸 Del Mar. G2 doubleheader tomorrow: Del Mar Handicap ($300K) and Pat O'Brien Stakes ($250K). Rob's Del Mar Weekend Racing Guide.
🇺🇸 Fairmount Park. St. Louis Derby ($250K) on Saturday.
🇺🇸 Saratoga midweek. Jonathan Sheppard Memorial (NSA-1, $150K, steeplechase, 2⅜ miles) Wednesday. Bernard Baruch ($200K) Thursday.
🇺🇸 Kentucky Downs. Back Thursday with the Bowling Green Gold Cup Invitational ($750K).
🇬🇧 Goodwood. Celebration Mile (G2, £200K) on Saturday. One of the better mile races of the European flat season.
🇮🇪 Curragh. Three Group 3s on Saturday: Round Tower, Snow Fairy, and the Newtownanner Stud Stakes. Plus the Irish Cambridgeshire (€100K).
🇦🇺 Caulfield. Memsie Stakes (G1, A$750K) on World Pool. Saturday. Melbourne spring starts here.
College Football Is Back: Week 0
The World Cup is in the rearview. The August sports calendar is officially over. And we are saved, as always, by college football.
Meet Victor, our resident college football man. He spent a decade hosting a football podcast that, by his own admission, "garnered at least a few hundred listens." He's basically as qualified as every other expert out there.
Not to be outshone by Natalie and her Exotic of the Week sign, Victor has stepped into the limelight. That's Kenyette from the team helping him look official.
Week 0 is a small slate, but Victor has three picks:
USC -38.5 vs San Jose State. The only ranked team playing this week and a five-touchdown spread. Victor likes the Trojans against what he calls "a JV roster.”
North Carolina +8 vs TCU (Dublin, Ireland). This one's at the Aviva Stadium. The Aer Lingus College Football Classic, 12pm ET. Bill Belichick's offseason may have been spent figuring out how TikTok works, but Coach GOAT needs this season to start well. Victor smells a close game.
Hawaii +5.5 at Stanford. Why? Because we're all going to be riding Hawaii at some point this season for the late-night sweat, and for that, we are grateful.
More picks and a proper season preview coming next week. Hold Victor to his record.
Sports: NFL (Pre) + EPL (Wk2)
⚽ Premier League Week 2. Saturday: Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest (12:30pm ET), Bournemouth vs Everton, Coventry City vs Hull City, Tottenham vs Newcastle (5:30pm ET). Sunday: Chelsea vs Brighton (2pm ET), Leeds vs Brentford, Manchester United vs Ipswich Town (4:30pm ET). Monday: Aston Villa vs Arsenal (8pm ET).
My picks from last week still stand. Arsenal to win the title. Chelsea for both cups. I put $200 on Chelsea to win the FA Cup at +800 last Friday while wearing a jersey my wife says I need to retire. I admit, it's a tight fit.
🏈 NFL. Preseason finale tonight: Giants at Jets, 7:30pm ET. Fantasy draft parties still booking at Bobby V's Windsor Locks and Stamford. Regular season starts September 9: Seahawks vs Patriots, a Super Bowl LX rematch. Meanwhile, 49ers owner Jed York made headlines in Ohio this week for all the wrong reasons. The man owns an NFL franchise and that's the play he drew up.
Promotions
We've changed Leon's name to Liberace due to his frivolous spending activities. He is the biggest tipper in the company, and with good reason. If you haven't jumped on any of his promo bandwagons, it's time. See below before the money runs dry.
Last chance: Boost Your Bankroll. This is the final qualifying Friday. Bet $157+ at Saratoga today, earn your $5 bonus. All bonuses from the entire summer are credited tomorrow on Travers Day. If you've qualified every Friday, that's $35 hitting your account on the biggest day of the meet. Win, place and exotic bets count. MyWinners online only.
Bet and Get at Finger Lakes and Mountaineer Park. Cashback this week: 3% on US and Canadian harness, 4% on Australian greyhound.
$2,000 Exotic Cash Splash. Opt in and cash exotics for your shot at a share of $2,000. Opt in here →
Sign-off
The 157th Mid Summer Derby. Five Grade 1s at Saratoga. Kentucky Downs with $3 million on Opening Day. College football is back. And one of our regulars just proved that a Pick 6 win can change your whole summer.
See you at the rail.
Mike B VIP & Community, MyWinners
Tel: +1800 468 2260 (support)
P.S. Jai Alai is coming soon. The fastest ball sport in the world, live from Magic City in Miami. Season starts September 15. You'll be able to bet it on MyWinners. More details here.
P.P.S. New on MyWinners: advanced DRF data on every card. DRF Picks, Projected Odds, and the TimeformUS Pace and Finish Projectors are now built into our race cards. 130 years of racing data, right where you're placing your bets. No extra cost. Go look. More about this next week.
P.P.S. Hotel Motel Holiday Inn. If you're staying near Bobby V's in Windsor Locks or Bobby V's Stamford, check the back of your hotel keycard. We are likely on there. Your home while you're away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Golden Tempo is the 5/2 morning line favorite. He won both the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes and is trained by Cherie DeVaux with Jose Ortiz riding.
The Travers Stakes is set to go off at 6:35pm ET on Travers Day at Saratoga, with first post on the card at 11:05am ET.
Travers Day also features the Personal Ensign, the Ballerina, the Forego, and the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial, all Grade 1 stakes, plus the Grade 2 Lake Placid.
Tyler Gaffalione takes over on Renegade after Irad Ortiz Jr. was injured. Renegade won the Jim Dandy at Saratoga on August 1 for trainer Todd Pletcher and is the 3/1 second choice.
Kentucky Downs opens its meet the same day with $3 million in Opening Day stakes, headlined by the $1,750,000 Ladies Turf Sprint.
