And so it begins. The 2026 Saratoga Race Course meeting – the longest in history at 46 days, and we’re not counting the five dates for the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival – kicks into gear Friday.
A steam bath awaits the Opening Day card, which features three stakes with the Schuylerville, Saranac and Wild Applause. The Schuylerville always leads off, lately in July but certainly not this early in July. The Sanford follows Saturday, part of a stacked card that highlights the opening July 4 Festival.
The “traditional” 40-day stand reportedly returns in 2027, with the action shifting back downstate for Belmont Week and all things racing outside of Saratoga for 10 months a year at Belmont Park.
The Saratoga Special – already four issues into our run thanks to another successful Belmont Week (thanks advertisers and readers) – returns for season 26 later this month. We’ll continue our 20-issue schedule, starting Thursday, July 16 with a regular two-issue-per-week slate through Labor Day weekend. Don’t forget sales week, too, when we go six days in a row Aug. 7-12. More on that down the road.
The handicappers are back for another season and while we’re still two weeks away from The Power Grid, we’ll make sure to have full-card picks here through Sunday, July 12. That’s seven days of online picks before our first edition July 16.
The same group of five returns with defending champ Tom Law looking to hold down the top spot against the usual area leader, John Shapazian. Charles Bedard, Rob Whitlock and Jessica Paquette are hoping to crack the top three. Hey, third isn’t bad, just ask all those teams that advanced to the knockout round of the FIFA World Cup last month. They’re 1-XXX so far, but who’s counting?
Back to the task at hand. An 11-race card leads off the meet with post time set for 1:10 p.m. The $150,000 Wild Applause for 3-year-old fillies on the turf leads off the 2026 stakes slate in the eighth race at 5:07, followed by the $200,000 Schuylerville for 2-year-old fillies in the ninth at 5:41 and the $150,000 Saranac for 3-year-olds on the turf in the 10th at 6:15.
We’ll again present the picks with winners and races, along with our handicappers’ return-on-investment (ROI) based on a mythical $2 win bet for their top selection. It’s extremely tough to “beat the meet” despite what all the internet jockeys claim. Give it a try at home, of course putting those selections in a day in advance to be on the level with our team. See how you do and don’t let us know.
Here are the picks for Friday, July 3. Stay cool, stay hydrated (big time) and pick some winners. Good luck.
TOM LAW (133/417, -$33.88):
1-Founders, Pretty Boy Miah, Copious.
2-Charlotte’s Beach, Girls Wear Pearls, Rockabye.
3-Anyway, Mo For The King, Blue Roof Beau.
4-Mr R T, Private Flight, Ryan’s Shadow.
5-Minute By Minute, One Last Knock, Paula’s A Star.
6-Polar Bear Plunge, Shipsational, Catch The Smoke.
7-Belgian, Silver Talent, Hit The Post.
8-To A Flame, Smexy, Code.
9-Washton, Madeleine Swann, Luminous Beauty.
10-A Little At First, Arizona Territory, Zeppelin.
11-River Tay, Dividend Recap, Spying.
JOHN SHAPAZIAN (119/416, -$196.24):
1-Founders, Fact, Nogradi.
2-Timbertop, Rockabye, Charlotte’s Beach.
3-Mo For The King, Anyway, Blue Roof Beau.
4-Ryan’s Shadow, Trail Blaze, Mr R T.
5-Paula’s A Star, Kilby Girl, Minute By Minute.
6-Metatron’s Muse, Petrolo, Shipsational.
7-Magnanimous Max, Hit The Post, Silver Talent.
8-Smexy, To A Flame, Paris Carver.
9-Luminous Beauty, Voyager, Prime Aurora.
10-Siyouincanada, Arizona Territory, Teddy’s Rocket.
11-Brokealltherules, Dividend Recap, Pretty Lavish.
CHARLES BEDARD (111/413, -$54.76):
1-Fact, Chillax, Nogradi.
2-Charlotte’s Beach, Rockabye, Bourbon Madness.
3-Anyway, Blue Roof Beau, Mo For The King.
4-Restless Renegade, Private Flight, Trail Blaze.
5-Minute By Minute, Next On Stage, Oscar Bound.
6-Polar Bear Plunge, Metatron’s Muse, Shipsational.
7-White Smoke Rising, Belgian, Hit The Post.
8-Code, To A Flame, Lovely Grey.
9-Luminous Beauty, Prime Aurora, Costa Linda.
10-Gulfy, Glavine, Zeppelin.
11-Adrian, Dividend Recap, Pretty Lavish.
ROB WHITLOCK (75/417, -$324.04):
1-Fact, Nogardi, Founders.
2-Girls Wear Pearls, Rockabye, Charlotte’s Beach.
3-Fireballin, Anyway, Mo For The King.
4-Big Brooklyn, Ryan’s Shadow, Trail Blaze.
5-One More Guitar, Oscar Bound, One Last Knock.
6-Catch The Smoke, Shipsational, Polar Bear Plunge.
7-White Smoke Rising, Hit The Post, Private Desire
8-Faye’s Gold, I Love Giraffes, Alone Time.
9-Washton, Luminous Beauty, Costa Linda.
10-Zeppelin, Glavine, Go Grey.
11-Spying, Dividend Recap, River Tay.
JESSICA PAQUETTE (69/417, -$190.22):
1-Nogradi, Founders, Copious.
2-Charlotte’s Beach, Allura, Pavlova’s Place.
3-Anyway, B Provocateur, Mo For The King.
4-Private Flight, Ryan’s Shadow, Mr R T.
5-Paula’s Star, One Last Knock, Kilby Girl.
6-Shipsational, Catch The Smoke, Polar Bear Plunge.
7-Silver Talent, Belgian, Private Desire.
8-Alone Time, To A Flame, Paris Carver.
9-Costa Linda, Voyager, Washton.
10-Go Grey, Glavine, Teddy’s Rocket.
11-Salt Princess, Spying, Dividend Recap.
