Loaded Fair Grounds Card on Tap

Feb 14th, 2026

So Far In 2026 Our Exotic Predictions Have Paid $609,693

The Road to the Derby Heats Up

Forget the roses and chocolate - this Valentine's Day weekend, the real romance is on the racetrack. Saturday, February 14 delivers one of the most loaded domestic cards of the young 2026 season, headlined by a six-stakes blockbuster at Fair Grounds that features two critical stops on the roads to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. On Sunday, Santa Anita and Sunland Park keep it rolling with stakes action of their own. Let's break it all down.

The centerpiece of the weekend is Fair Grounds' Louisiana Derby Preview Day, a 12-race program in New Orleans carrying six stakes races worth a combined $1.425 million in purses. The late Pick 5 is an all-stakes affair - the kind of sequence that rewards sharp handicappers who do their homework. First post is noon CT, and the stakes action builds throughout the afternoon toward a thrilling finish.

The headliner is the Risen Star Stakes (G2), a $500,000 test at 1⅛ miles on the dirt that serves as the first prep of 2026 to virtually guarantee its winner a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate. With points awarded on a 50-25-15-10-5 scale, the winner will rocket to the top of the Derby leaderboard. A field of eight will load the gate as the last race on the card, scheduled to go off around 6:30 PM CT. Paladin (8-5 ML) is the horse everyone has to beat. The Chad Brown trainee is undefeated, having turned the tables on Sam F. Davis winner Renegade to take the Remsen (G2) by two lengths at Aqueduct. His speed figure is one of the best in the field, and Brown's horses always draw heavy action at the windows. He'll stalk from just off the pace under Joel Rosario. The main danger is Golden Tempo (5-2 ML), who brings his own perfect two-for-two record into the race, including a come-from-behind score in the Lecomte (G3) right here at Fair Grounds. He's a one-run closer who came from dead last in both career wins, and the key question is whether the pace will be honest enough to set up his late kick. If they crawl up front, he's in trouble. Also watch Chip Honcho (6-1), the Gun Runner Stakes winner for Steve Asmussen, who can make it five career Risen Star wins for the barn; Carson Street (8-1), who'll show speed from the outside; and Universe (8-1), a multiple graded-stakes placed runner who gets blinkers back on for Kenny McPeek. Pace is everything here - Paladin, Carson Street, and Chip Honcho all like to run near the lead, but none are confirmed front-runners, so jockey tactics from the break will be fascinating to watch. If the fractions are slow, the closers may find it hard to make up ground.

Just before the Risen Star, the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2) offers a $300,000 test for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles. This race has become a premier launching pad for Kentucky Oaks contenders - last year's winner, Good Cheer, went on to capture the Oaks, joining Monomoy Girl (2018), Serengeti Empress (2019), and Pretty Mischievous (2023) on that honor roll. Like the Risen Star, it awards 50-25-15-10-5 qualifying points, so the winner essentially punches her ticket to Churchill Downs on May 1. Bella Ballerina (2-1 ML) is the headliner for Godolphin and trainer Brendan Walsh. Unbeaten in two starts, she pressed the pace and fended off challengers to capture the Golden Rod (G2) at Churchill Downs, a race that has often pointed toward Oaks success. She makes her 3-year-old debut here and figures to take plenty of money. The threats include Just Singing (7-2), a talented filly with tactical speed who could press the favorite into an uncomfortable spot; Majestical (4-1), who drew well and showed a sharp pressing style when she broke her maiden by 4½ lengths at Fair Grounds; and Luv Your Neighbor (6-1), a consistent presence in the local Oaks prep series who already has 15 qualifying points banked and picks up Luis Saez. Powered by Family (9-2) broke her maiden with a flashy late rally in the mud here, but this is a significant step up in class and she'll need to prove she belongs.

The Fair Grounds undercard is no afterthought. The Mineshaft Stakes (G3) ($175,000, 1 1/16 miles, dirt) assembles a quality group of older horses, and the Fair Grounds Stakes (G3) ($175,000, 1⅛ miles, turf) offers an interesting puzzle for turf routers - the tactical Montador (6-1) is a live longshot there, while Brilliant Berti (4-1) and Lagynos (7-2) are the likely favorites but both have questions. Brilliant Berti's connections have said this race is a prep, and Lagynos hasn't run since October. That's the kind of information that can create value for alert horseplayers. The Albert M. Stall Memorial ($100,000, 1 1/16 miles, turf) rounds out the stakes menu, with Medoro (9-5) the one to catch.

Out west, Santa Anita's Saturday feature is the San Marcos Stakes (G3) ($100,000, 1¼ miles, turf), a stamina test for older turf routers that serves as a springboard toward the bigger turf events during the Classic Meet. It's a good spot to identify turf horses rounding into form heading into the spring. Sunday's headliner is the Palos Verdes Stakes ($100,000, 6 furlongs, dirt), which pits Madaket Road against the streaking Man O Rose in a six-furlong sprint for older horses. Though recently reclassified from Grade 3 to Listed status, the Palos Verdes remains one of the early-season sprints that California speed demons target, and it often produces horses who go on to compete in the bigger sprint stakes later in the spring.

At Aqueduct, Saturday's card features a trio of $135,000 New York-bred stakes - the East View, the Damon Runyon, and the Say Florida Sandy - which may be restricted fields, but NYRA bettors know these races often deliver tricky handicapping puzzles and solid mutuel payoffs. Speaking of Aqueduct, we nailed the $6k Pick 6 on yesterday's card!

Down in New Mexico on Sunday, Sunland Park hosts a compelling doubleheader on the roads to Churchill Downs. The $500,000 Sunland Derby is the crown jewel of the Sunland meet, a 1 1/16-mile test for 3-year-olds offering 20-10-6-4-2 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. Though the race lost its graded status for 2026, it still carries a hefty purse and has produced meaningful Derby starters over the years - most famously Mine That Bird, who parlayed a fourth-place Sunland finish into a stunning 50-1 upset in the 2009 Kentucky Derby, and Firing Line, the 2015 Derby runner-up. This year's field of eight features an intriguing cast of shippers and locals. Express Kid (3-1 ML) is the morning-line favorite after romping by 6¼ lengths in the Remington Springboard Mile at 34-1 odds, a performance eye-catching enough that he was scooped up for $800,000 in a Fasig-Tipton digital flash sale and transferred to trainer Justin Evans. His workouts at Sunland have been encouraging, and top jockey Juan Hernandez flies in to ride. Bricklin (7-2 ML) is a serious threat after leading every step to win a $125,000 allowance at Oaklawn by 3¼ lengths, posting a great speed figure in that effort. He's improved with every start and could take another step forward. Daneyko (9-2 ML) won the local Riley Allison Derby prep by rallying from well back, and with plenty of pace signed on here, another closing run is in play. Sharons Beach (10-1) is an upset candidate who posted a solid WP speed figure in a near-miss at Santa Anita, and Hall of Famer John Velazquez ships in to ride - always worth noting when a big-name jockey takes a flight to New Mexico. The Sunland Oaks, also on Sunday's card, awards the same 20-10-6-4-2 points on the Kentucky Oaks trail and attracted interest from East Coast barns, including reports that some fillies were rerouted here after scratching from races at Aqueduct. For anyone tracking the points races, Sunland's Sunday card is a two-for-one special.

The bottom line: this is the weekend where the 2026 Kentucky Derby and Oaks pictures start coming into real focus. The Risen Star winner will likely sit atop the Derby leaderboard, and the Rachel Alexandra winner could do the same on the Oaks trail. Add in a loaded supporting cast across multiple tracks, and you've got one of the best weekends of the racing season.

Happy Valentine's Day, horseplayers. May all your sweethearts run first.

Sign in, pick up your E-Z Win^® Forms, and hit a Big 'Un or two this Valentine's weekend!

Take a Closer Look
by Ed Meyer

I don't know about you, but this winter crap can take a hike. Snow, sleet, ice, and our favorite ovals cancelling. Even for the tracks that race in prime weather, things can still go wrong for the surface, riders, etc. - But the sour weather has me watching for the weekend stakes that appear at our favorite ovals as we are just 85 days away from the run for the roses. But who's counting?

Recent Big 'Uns

Santa Anita

Feb 8 (R 9)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$9,057.80

Aqueduct

Feb 13 (R 3-8)

$1 Pick 6

$6,058.97

Tampa Bay Downs

Feb 6 (R 4)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$2,581.40

Aqueduct

Feb 13 (R 4-8)

50¢ Pick 5

$1,853.94

Tampa Bay Downs

Feb 11 (R 6)

$1 Super High 5

$1,562.40

Tampa Bay Downs

Feb 12 (R 2)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$1,529.30

Tampa Bay Downs

Feb 8 (R 6)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$1,507.90

Charles Town

Feb 12 (R 8)

$1 Super

$1,260.50

Tampa Bay Downs

Feb 8 (R 3)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$1,158.20

Upcoming Weekend Stakes Races

Saturday, Feb 14th

Aqueduct
$135,000 Damon Runyon S.
$135,000 East View S.
$135,000 Say Florida Sandy S.
Fair Grounds
$500,000 Risen Star S. (G2)
$300,000 Rachel Alexandra S. (G2)
$250,000 Mineshaft S. (G3)
$175,000 Fair Grounds S. (G3)
$100,000 Colonel Powell S.
$100,000 Albert M Stall Memorial S.
Gulfstream
$175,000 Royal Delta S. (G3)
Laurel
$200,000 Barbara Fritchie S.
$200,000 General George S.
$100,000 Nellie Morse S.
$100,000 Post Time S.
Oaklawn
$150,000 Dixie Belle S.
Santa Anita
$100,000 San Marcos S. (G3)
Tampa Bay
$100,000 Lightning City S.
$199,000 Turf Dash S.
Turfway
$125,000 Dust Commander S.

Sunday, Feb 15th

Santa Anita
$100,000 Palos Verdes S.
Sunland Park
$500,000 Sunland Park Derby
$250,000 Sunland Park Oaks
$100,000 Bill Thomas Memorial S.
$100,000 Harry Henson S.
$100,000 Peppers Pride S.
$100,000 Red Hedeman Mile

Testimonials

"Dear Winning Ponies,

Another bone crushing win has been delivered by your service ($25 Super paid over $87,000!).

I took your Top Horse - Maximum Security for the Florida Derby and put it on top of the next four horses and connected for a big win.

Made a mistake by not betting the exacta or the trifecta, which paid out very nice, but this will have to suffice for now :-)

I'm pretty sure we killed the payout and were paid half of the pool for all superfectas."

- Mark A., Fort Lauderdale, FL

Picks/Results For 2019 Florida Derby

"Love the winning ponies in the mud angle this time of year just hit early pic 4 as well as 20 exb in the 3rd and in the second 5 came second woulda had 20 on the 98 dad but can't win em all and I woulda took out the pic 4 pool X 2$$$$$$$ Thanks WP"

- John O., Grand Island, NY.

Picks/Results For Early Pick 4 at Finger Lakes

3370 N Hayden Rd #205

Scottsdale, AZ 85251

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