13 Sophomores Clash Saturday Night at Turfway Park

Feb 21st, 2026

So Far In 2026 Our Exotic Predictions Have Paid $751,132

The calendar says mid-February, but make no mistake - the road to the Kentucky Derby is shifting into a higher gear this weekend, and Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky, is ground zero for today's action. Add a pair of intriguing stakes at Santa Anita and full cards from coast to coast at Oaklawn Park, Gulfstream Park, Fair Grounds, and Aqueduct, and horseplayers have plenty of reasons to fill their wagering accounts and dig into the past performances.

The weekend's main event is tonight's $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway Park, a 1 1/16-mile test over the Tapeta synthetic that awards Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 20-10-6-4-2 scale to the top five finishers. An overflow field of 13 has been entered, and this is one of those wide-open preps that bettors dream about. Two-time stakes winner Street Beast, trained by Ben Colebrook, drew the rail and figures to be the one they all have to catch. The son of Street Sense was a commanding seven-length winner of the Juvenile Mile at Kentucky Downs before running a creditable fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, and he's coming off a one-length score in the Leonatus Stakes right here at Turfway in January. He has tactical speed and a proven affinity for this surface - but post one in a 13-horse field is no picnic.

The horse drawing the most buzz from sharps might be Two Out Hero, a lightly raced son of War Front who ships in from Canada for trainer Kevin Attard. In just three career starts, Two Out Hero has already delivered a jaw-dropping 12-length maiden victory on the Woodbine Tapeta and a stakes win in the Soaring Free before finishing a game third in the Grade 1 Summer Stakes. He hasn't raced since September, but his work tab has been steady, and Attard is the kind of trainer who has his horses ready off a layoff. The wide post 12 is a genuine concern, but the raw talent here is enormous. Then there's Attfield, making his 2026 debut for Tom Morley with Ricardo Santana Jr. back aboard. A winner of the Central Park Stakes at Aqueduct and Grade 3-placed in the Futurity, Attfield boasts the highest WP speed figure in the field. If he handles the switch from turf to Tapeta, he could be extremely dangerous. And don't overlook Fulleffort, who rallied for second behind Street Beast in the Leonatus at 6-5 and should relish the added distance. At 3-1 on the morning line, he'll likely take money, but this is a race that could produce a bomb at the top of the trifecta. Post time is 9:55 PM ET on FanDuel TV.

Out west, Santa Anita serves up a pair of $100,000 turf stakes that offer tremendous handicapping challenges. Today's Wishing Well Stakes sends a field of nine older fillies and mares sprinting six furlongs on the grass, and the storyline that stands out is the U.S. debut of Irish import Saratoga Special. Purchased for over $450,000 at Tattersalls in December, the daughter of Mehmas is now with Richard Baltas and has been breezing sharply in preparation. She faces a tough test from Jungle Peace, the Grade 3 Senorita winner making her 4-year-old debut for Phil D'Amato, and the undefeated Gratefully, who is a perfect four-for-four and just demolished an allowance field here in early January for Robert Falcone Jr. Add in Grade 3-placed Egyptian Mau from Hall of Famer Neil Drysdale's barn with Juan Hernandez aboard, and this restricted sprint could be a bettor's delight with a wide-open complexion.

Sunday's Pasadena Stakes at Santa Anita shifts the focus to the 3-year-old turfers going a mile on the lawn, and all eyes will be on Bob Baffert's Greenwich Village. The Quality Road colt was last seen firing from dead last to nail the favorite in the Baffle Stakes at about 6½ furlongs on the hillside turf course, and now he stretches out to two turns for the first time. Juan Hernandez is back in the irons. Baffle runner-up Later Than Planned returns for a rematch for D'Amato, while graded-stakes placed Unrivaled Time and the intriguing California-bred Sammy Davis - a Sir Prancealot making his turf debut for John Sadler - round out the key contenders. Can Greenwich Village's closing punch carry him a mile? That's the million-dollar question tomorrow afternoon in Arcadia.

Beyond the stakes, the daily racing product this weekend is strong. Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs rolls out full cards today and tomorrow as its Classic Meet builds toward the Rebel Stakes on March 1. Gulfstream Park continues its Championship Meet in Hallandale Beach with large fields all weekend. Fair Grounds in New Orleans offers its usual competitive Crescent City racing, and Aqueduct grinds through the New York winter with cards today and tomorrow, gearing up for a blockbuster stakes-packed program on February 28 featuring the Gotham (G3), Busher, Tom Fool (G3), and Stymie.

It's the quiet before the storm, folks. Starting next week, the stakes schedule explodes with major preps at multiple tracks, and the picture for the first Saturday in May will start coming into much sharper focus. But this weekend still has plenty to offer the attentive horseplayer. Get your homework done, find your angles, and enjoy the races. Good luck at the windows.

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 15 (R 1-5)

50¢ Pick 5

$6,480.30

Turfway

Feb 19 (R 10)

$1 Super High 5

$6,292.99

Aqueduct

Feb 13 (R 3-8)

$1 Pick 6

$6,058.97

Tampa Bay Downs

Feb 14 (R 8)

$1 Super High 5

$4,753.10

Aqueduct

Feb 13 (R 4-8)

50¢ Pick 5

$1,853.94

Tampa Bay Downs

Feb 14 (R 7)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$1,803.90

Tampa Bay Downs

Feb 11 (R 6)

$1 Super High 5

$1,562.40

Turfway

Feb 13 (R 10)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$1,546.59

Tampa Bay Downs

Feb 12 (R 2)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$1,529.30

Upcoming Weekend Stakes Races

Saturday, Feb 21st

Gulfstream
$175,000 Gulfstream Park Sprint
Laurel
$100,000 Miracle Wood S.
$100,000 Wide Country S.
Oaklawn
$150,000 Nodouble Breeders'.
Santa Anita
$100,000 Wishing Well S.
Turfway Park
$175,000 John Battaglia Memorial S.

Sunday, Feb 22nd

Santa Anita
$100,000 Pasadena S.

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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