Big 'Cap, Tampa Bay Derby Highlight Stellar Weekend

Mar 7th, 2026

So Far In 2026 Our Exotic Predictions Have Paid $1,121,048

Coast to Coast, This Weekend Has It All

If you've been waiting for the weekend that kicks the 2026 Triple Crown trail into high gear, this is it. From Florida's Gulf Coast to the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, Saturday and Sunday deliver a staggering lineup of graded stakes - headlined by three Kentucky Derby preps, a pair of Grade I showdowns at Santa Anita, a marquee distaff showdown at Oaklawn, and an intriguing Kentucky Oaks prep featuring last year's champion two-year-old filly. Clear your schedule, load up your wagering accounts, and settle in, because this two-day stretch is going to be a ride.

Saturday's action begins at noon Eastern when Tampa Bay Downs rolls out its biggest card of the year: Festival Day, featuring five stakes races worth more than a million dollars in combined purses. The headliner is the Grade III, $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby, which awards a full 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner. The morning-line favorite at 9-5 is Further Ado, the Brad Cox trainee who announced himself last fall with a jaw-dropping 20-length maiden romp at Keeneland before following up with a win in the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs. He's been working bullets at Payson Park this winter, and Irad Ortiz Jr. flies in for the call. But this nine-horse field is far from a one-horse show. Keep an eye on Canaletto, a million-dollar Saratoga yearling purchase who won his lone start by eight lengths at Gulfstream in January for Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables. There's also Talkin, the Danny Gargan trainee who was runner-up in last fall's Grade I Champagne Stakes, The Puma, who ran a solid third behind Sam F. Davis winner Renegade last month, and Powershift, a Todd Pletcher second-out runner who showed real fight in his debut. The supporting card at Tampa is no afterthought - the Grade II, $225,000 Hillsborough Stakes on the turf, the Grade III, $200,000 Florida Oaks, and the Grade III, $125,000 Challenger Stakes make for a multi-race wagering buffet throughout the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Santa Anita serves up a four-stakes Saturday that reads like a mini Breeders' Cup. The Grade II, $200,000 San Felipe Stakes is the day's must-watch three-year-old showdown out west, with a fascinating matchup at the top. Brant, the $3 million OBS sale-topper and last year's Grade I Del Mar Futurity winner, makes his long-awaited sophomore debut for Bob Baffert at even money on the morning line. He hasn't raced since finishing a game third behind champion Ted Noffey in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and Baffert says the colt is sitting on a big effort. Standing in his way is the undefeated So Happy, the San Vicente Stakes winner who exploded onto the scene at 2-1. Both colts have questions to answer about how far their talent stretches around two turns, and the San Felipe should give us some real answers about who's heading to the Santa Anita Derby on April 4 with serious momentum.

The Grade I, $300,000 Santa Anita Handicap - the legendary Big 'Cap - has been thinned to a five-horse field after the late scratches of Pegasus World Cup winner Skippylongstocking, who acted up on the transport plane, and San Pasqual winner Westwood, whose connections opted against the ten-furlong distance. That leaves Just a Touch as the overwhelming favorite, and for horseplayers, a short field in a prestigious Grade I is an invitation to get creative in the exotics. Just a Touch has been knocking on the door with five runner-up finishes in stakes, including a narrow second in the Louisiana Stakes in January. Can he finally break through at the highest level? Don't sleep on Vodka Vodka at 6-1, who earned a career-best speed figure on dirt at Del Mar last fall and could light up the pace with a few of these.

Earlier on Santa Anita's card, the Grade I, $300,000 Beholder Mile features Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint champion Splendora going for her fifth consecutive victory. Trained by Baffert, she's a dominant 4-5 favorite stretching out to a mile for the first time in a graded stakes. If she handles the distance, she could emerge as the top older filly or mare in training. Baffert also enters Nafisa, who romped in the La Cañada in January, giving him a potent one-two punch. The day wraps up with the Grade II, $300,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile on the turf, where two-time Thunder Road winner El Potente squares off against Joe Hernandez Stakes winner Gas Me Up in a rematch that turf lovers will relish.

Over at Oaklawn Park on Saturday, the Grade II, $400,000 Azeri Stakes puts last year's champion three-year-old filly Nitrogen back in the spotlight. She'll be heavily favored in a seven-horse field, and a strong performance here could set up an Apple Blossom showdown next month. Oaklawn's card promises the usual competitive meat-and-potatoes races throughout the afternoon that Oaklawn bettors have come to love.

Sunday carries the momentum forward. The Grade III, $100,000 Santa Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita is a Kentucky Oaks points race that carries real intrigue. Last year's champion two-year-old filly Super Corredora, the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, looks to bounce back after a puzzling fourth-place finish in the Las Virgenes last month. She's been working sharply since, but she'll face a field of hungry challengers. Baffert saddles two - Forced Entry, who destroyed a maiden field by more than seven lengths in February, and French Blue, an impressive debut winner by Gun Runner. Trainer Michael McCarthy sends out Piney Woods, who recently broke through at second asking. The Santa Ysabel may lack a huge purse, but it's loaded with significance for the Oaks picture, and Super Corredora's connections need to see her run like a champion again. The China Doll Stakes for three-year-old fillies on the turf rounds out Santa Anita's Sunday stakes action.

For horseplayers, this weekend is a wagering paradise. Multi-race exotics across simultaneous cards at Tampa, Santa Anita, and Oaklawn mean rolling Pick 4s and Pick 5s galore. Saturday's stacked lineup creates cross-country sequencing opportunities - you can start with Tampa's early races, bridge through Oaklawn, and finish with Santa Anita's graded stakes running into the evening. If you love the game, this is one of those weekends you circle on the calendar. See you at the windows.

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

It's the Little Things You Remember
by Ed Meyer

Long from the days of betting on your computer / device from home, you had to make the trek to the track to bet the ponies. – Ah, the smells, sights, sounds, are worth their weight in gold. When playing a slot or video poker machine you may get a name from the same person who can be found at “Hot Link Slots” day in and day out, but seldom do you get that friendly getting to know someone like you did playing the ponies.

Recent Big 'Uns

Laurel

Feb 27 (R 1-5)

50¢ Pick 5

$32,931.50

Tampa Bay Downs

Feb 27 (R 1)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$7,725.30

Tampa Bay Downs

Mar 6 (R 1)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$6,565.40

Tampa Bay Downs

Mar 4 (R 2)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$5,446.00

Turfway

Mar 4 (R 10)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$4,751.15

Gulfstream

Feb 27 (R 5-10)

20¢ Pick 6

$2,800.12

Penn National

Mar 5 (R 4-8)

$1 Pick 5

$2,665.20

Tampa Bay Downs

Mar 6 (R 5)

$1 S5 (KEY)

$2,539.50

Turfway

Feb 27 (R 6-10)

50¢ Pick 5

$2,334.58

Upcoming Weekend Stakes Races

Saturday, Mar 7th

Aqueduct
$135,000 Gander S.
$135,000 Maddie May S.
Fair Grounds
$100,000 Allen "Black Cat" Memorial S.
Gulfstream
$175,000 Hurricane Bertie S. (G3)
$150,000 Silks Run S.
Laurel Park
$100,000 Conniver S.
$100,000 Not For Love S.
Oaklawn
$400,000 Azeri S. (G2)
Santa Anita
$300,000 Santa Anita H. (G1)
$300,000 Beholder Mile (G1)
$200,000 San Felipe S. (G2)
$200,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G2)
Tampa Bay
$400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G3)
$225,000 Hillsborough S. (G2)
$200,000 Florida Oaks (G3)
$125,000 Challenger S. (G3)
Turfway
$125,000 Big Daddy S.

Sunday, Mar 8th

Santa Anita
$100,000 Santa Ysabel S. (G3)
$100,000 China Doll 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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