Other performances of note were Englishman (wow) in the Jerkens, Fully Subscribed in the Personal Ensign, Ways and Means in the Ballerina and Naomis in the Lake Placid.

Englishman looked like he had a head start. He was up 3 lengths 4 strides out of the gate, cruised through a 23 opening quarter and the race was over. The only question was the margin of victory. His final time was 1.7 seconds faster than the Forego, for older horse, 2 races later.

Naomis, the forgotten horse on Saturday’s card, showed a tremendous turn of foot. She sat last in a field of 8 going 1:13.22 through 6 furlong. She finished 1st, stopping the clock in 1:35.72, making up 5 plus lengths in the final furlong. That Euro turn of foot is a sight to behold.

Out in Del Mar, Iron Man Cal showed ability on the cutback to 7 furlongs in the Pat O’Brien. He broke to the front, held a length lead at the top of the stretch and maintained that lead through the wire. Iron Man Cal scored at 8-1. There may have been a speed bias at Del Mar on Saturday. I’d suggest going back and reviewing the day for potential run backs.

Test Score for Graham Motion and piloted by Juan Hernandez won the Del Mar Handicap in the finale on Saturday. He scored as the 5-2 favorite by a neck over a fast charging Atitlan.

John is a guest with Pete and Jackson to preview the Saratoga Sendoff on Sunday September 6th. The $1,000 buy in event will be a hybrid event held on track and NYRA Bets.

Contest Recap from August 28, 29 and 30, 2026

ITM Horseplayer Tour

The ITM tour continued to Week 13 on Friday at HorsePlayers.com with races from Saratoga, Del Mar and Charles Town. The top 4 players each week receive an invitation to the year end tournament and the winner of that tournament earns a BCBC seat. On a weekly basis, the top 10% of players win a $179 entry to the Saturday BCBC qualifier held at HorsePlayers.

Week 13 saw 163 entries. Top 4 players earn spots in the year end tournament and top 16 earn entries to the Saturday BCBC contest. The winner was Jerry Wesolah. On what was a very chalky tournament through the 1st 7 races, Jerry had 2 winners and a place horse in the final 3 races to take down the top spot. Those 3 horses were 3 of the 4 highest prices on the day. Claiming the 2nd spot on the leaderboard was 2025 NHC Champ and 2026 final tableist Dan Piazza. Dan had 5 winners and 2 places horses on the day. The 3rd spot went to ITM’s own Mikee Pibozie. In between his day job, hosting 2,136 podcasts a week and listening to countless others, Mikee was able to handicap his way to the final 2 winners of the evening and shoot up to 3rd. The final tournament invitation went to Jim Herron, Jim was the only player in the top 9 spots that did not have Niche, the biggest price of the day. Jim did it the old fashioned way and had 4 winners and 2 place horses to get the job done.

Check out the ITM Horseplayers Tour Leaderboard here.

Rounding out the top 16 were, in order, Jeff Tracy, Stephen McNatton, Michael Arena, Timothy Lyons, Matt Miller (USA, USA), Daniel Edwards, Daniel Fischer, Patrick Runyon, Mark Winland, Sean Nolan, NHC Hall of Famer Kevin Engelhard and Carl Geonie.

Saratoga

NYRA Bets continued their tournament offerings this week. They had tournaments on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday

The NYRA Bets contest attracted 102 entries and a cash prize pool of $9,600 and 2 future contest entries. A familiar name in live bankroll contest play, Darren Schweiger, took down the top prize. Darren turned his $200 starting bankroll into $3,903 plus $4,800 in cash prizes plus a future $300 NYRA Bets contest entry. Following up his good Friday on HorsePlayers, ITM’s own Mikee Pribozie cashed at NYRA Bets on Saturday. He’s been a much better player since he got married. Coincidence, I think not. Mikee’s bankroll of $2,555 earned him $2,400 in prize money for his 2nd place finish. Thorn in the side of NYRA Contest Specialist, Jackson Muniz, Gregory Lewis finished 3rd. Greg was able to parlay 22 texts to Jackson about the Saratoga Sendoff tournament on Labor Day weekend into success this week. His bankroll of $1,969 was good enough for 3rd place and $1,440 in cash prizes. The final cash prize went to John Forhecz. John earned $980 to go along with his $741 bankroll. John Murphy finished 5th and took home a future $300 entry to a NYRA Bets contest.

Friday

The NYRA Bets contest saw 44 entrants for the Friday card and a cash prize pool of $3,800 and 2 future entries. The winner was Andrew Baggerly. Andrew turned his $200 bankroll into $2,950 and the top spot. The victory earned Andrew $1,900 in cash plaus a future $300 NYRA Bets contest entry. Gary Wright jumped up 2 spots in the final race on Friday to claim the 2nd spot on the leaderboard. Gary’s total of $1,678 earned him an additional $950 in cash prizes. Frequent ITM host, guest and contributor Nick Tammaro jumped up 6 spots to finish 3rd. When Nick is not making bad morning lines, flubbing race calls and otherwise having bad horse racing takes (Haha), Nick handicaps NYRA, provides a Saratoga newsletter and cashes in on some of those aforementioned opinions. Nick earned $570 for the effort. Michael Phillips followed up a 3rd place finish last Saturday with a 4th place finish this week. Michael’s bankroll of $675.21 earned him an additional $380 in cash. Rounding out the prize winners was Tim Langlois. Tim earned a future $300 NYRA Bets entry.

Sunday

The Sunday contest saw 42 entries vying for the top spot. The top spot went to Vincent Pilonzo. Vincent finished with a bankroll of $1,501 and took home the top prize of $1,800 in cash plus a future $300 NYRA Bets contest entry. Taking home 2nd was a familiar name in the NYRA contest over the past several weeks, Michael Phillips. Michael jumped 6 spots in the final standings but only had a bankroll of $284. His good fortune landed him $900 in prize money. Even more fortunate was William Morovec. William stayed pat in the last race and jumped 8 spots on the leaderboard and finished 3rd. This shrewd maneuver earned William $540. William’s bankroll of $52.20 would have been the lowest bankroll to win a prize this year except 4th place finisher, Christopher Graham took the honor. His $20.70 bankroll earned him $360 in cash for his 4th place finish. Ken Jordan’s 5th place finish earned him a future $300 NYRA Bets entry with a bankroll that would barely buy him tomorrow’s racing form. Nice handicapping Ken.

Monmouth Park - Monmouth/Saratoga Handicapping Challenge

Monmouth held a hybrid contest on Saturday including the 8 race card at Monmouth and the Saratoga card ending in the Travers Stakes. The $800 buy in ($400/$400) event attracted 205 entrants and had a prize pool of 4 BCBC seats, 3 NHC seats, and $27,000 in cash to the top 10 spots on the leaderboard. On-site players received a 25% cash prize bonus. Due to a glitch in the matrix (Monmouth Park tote provider) the minimum bet requirement was eliminated but you still had to wager your full $400 on Monmouth Park races.

Chris Savage broke sharp, jumped out to a big early lead and was never threatened. His bankroll of $8,821 earned him $11,340 in prize money plus a BCBC seat. Jumping 25 spots in the final race of the contest, Ken Jordan turned his $400 starting stack into $5,690 and $5,940 of prize money plus a BCBC seat. Ken had a nice win bet on Leading Change at 10-1 in the Travers. Fiore Esposito jumped 17 spots after the Travers when he connected on a $900 Place bet on Napoleon Solo. His $3,807 bankroll earned him an additional $4,050 plus a 25% bonus as a in person player as well as a BCBC seat. James Litras used a $240 win bet on Leading Change to jump 21 spots to 4th. He earned $1,890 in cash to go along with his $2,731 bankroll and an BCBC seat for his efforts. Matt Mahmoodi finished 5th. Matt jumped 12 spots connecting on the exacta and closing out a double from Race 12. Matt earned $1,080 in cash prizes. Matt was eligible to earn an NHC seat as well. Chris Savage doubled up in the contest. He dropped 2 spots in the last race but managed to hold on to 6th place. 6th place was worth $540 and eligible for an NHC seat. Former NHC Champ Stanley Bavlish turned $140 bet in the last race into an NHC seat plus $540 of prize money. Rounding out the top 10 were Joseph Carnevale, Sean Spinello and David Basler. They each earned $540. Sean was onsite and received the bonus as well.

Twinspires - Summer Summer Betting Challenge

The $3,500 buy in ($2,500/$1,000) event saw 79 players vying for the top spot. Tournament crusher Steven Zehr took down the top spot. Stephen bet $2,500 into the last 2 races at Saratoga (doubles with exactas and win bets in the Travers). His $450 exacta of Leading Charge/Napoleon Solo got him to a bankroll of $35,136. First place was worth $14,400 in cash plus his choice of a KDBC seat, a BCBC seat or a NHC seat. Getting passed late in a tournament is no fun but Matt McJunkin can drown his sorrows in his $29,448 bankroll and $4,800 in prize money. 2nd place also received the choice of a KDBC seat, a BCBC seat or a NHC seat. Matt hit a $500 double in R6 and a $10,800 exacta in R8 to build his bankroll. Nicholas Smith jumped 7 spots to finish 3rd. He keyed around Leading Charge and connected on a $2,500 win bet. He earned $2,400 in cash plus the choice of whatever remained from a list of a KDBC seat, a BCBC seat or a NHC seat. Tim Langlois hit a $2,295 win bet on Leading Change to secure the 4th spot. Tim earned $1,440 in cash plus the choice of whatever remained from a list of a KDBC seat, a BCBC seat or a NHC seat. The Terminator, Tony Zhou, used an all in bet of $2,171 on Leading Change to finish with $24,706. %tj place was good for $960 in cash plus the choice of whatever remained from a list of a KDBC seat, a BCBC seat or a NHC seat. Ken Ramsey, no, not that one, the NY based tournament player, hit a win bet on Leading Change as well to move up 19 spots into 6th. Just out of a cash position but Ken has the choice of whatever remained from a list of a KDBC seat, a BCBC seat or a NHC seat. Saratoga capper, Rob Dolan used a win bet on Leading Change to get himself to 7th. Rob had the choice of whatever remained from a list of a KDBC seat, a BCBC seat or a NHC seat. Stephen Zehr also finished 8th. He used his 2nd entry to play exactas with The Puma over a few others. He missed and dropped 2 spots. He had the choice of whatever remained from a list of a KDBC seat, a BCBC seat or a NHC seat.

Xpressbet - Charles Town

In a rare overlay for an online tournament, Xpressbet offered $500 buy in ($250/$250) with a Pegasus World Cup Betting Challenge seat available on the featured Charles Town card. The contest attracted 14 entries. Mark Tabakman connected on a show bet in the Charles Town Classic to overtake Jeff Bussan by $38. Mark took home the PWCBC seat worth $6,000.

Kentucky Downs - King of the Turf Series

The first of three king of the Turf series tournaments was held on Sunday. The $400 buy in ($200/$200) event offered the full race card from Kentucky Downs. The contest offered 2 NHC seats plus 8 entries into the $2,500 King of the Turf contest on Saturday September 5th plus 4 seats to the $300 Thursday series contest. The Sunday contest attracted 165 participants to wager on the 11 race card. Ian Lawrence captured the top spot hitting a $20 late double plus a $58 exacta. When the Mark Casse first time starter, Jaded, came rolling late at 23-1, Ian hit big. Ian earned a NHC seat plus a $2,500 entry to Saturday’s King of the Turf tournament. Darren Yarwood connected on Jaded in the finale. His $158 win bet netted him $3,825 in bankroll, his 2nd NHC seat of the year and a $2,500 entry in to Saturday’s King of the Turf tournament. Kenneth Stewart finished 3rd and 4th and collected a double entry to Saturday’s King of the Turf tournament. Evan Guarino ran 5th and collected an entry to Saturday’s King of the Turf tournament. Like Kenneth Stewart, Darren Schweiger doubled up, finishing 6th and 7th. He earned 2 entries to Saturday’s King of the Turf tournament. Rounding out the top prize getters was Matt Wilson. Matt earned the final entry to Saturday’s King of the Turf tournament. The 4 winners of a $300 seat to Thursday’s contest were Pete Sluis, Lawrence Kahlden, Stephen Zehr and Bob Gianquitti.

Upcoming Contests

NYRA BETS

Don’t miss out on all of the opportunities at NYRA Bets.

ITM Horseplayers Tour - Horseplayers -Online

Week 14 will take place on Friday, September 4th at Horseplayers. The contest will likely include a mix of races from Saratoga and Del Mar. For as little as $20 you can play for a seat in the year end playoffs. Join the lucky 36 that already qualified for the year end tournament.

Maybe you duplicate the achievement of Michael Saletta. Michael finished 7th and 9th in the Week 5 feeder and earned two $179 entries to Saturday. He proceeded to put together 3 high priced winners and won the Saturday contest and earn a BCBC seat.

Kentucky Downs

KENTUCKY DOWNS ‘KING OF THE TURF’ HANDICAPPING CHALLENGE

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30; THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3; SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

The King of the Turf Handicapping Challenge, at Kentucky Downs will consist of three (3) online handicapping contest taking place through Xpressbet, TVG/4NJBETS, TwinSpires and HPI (for Saturday, September 7 contest) only.

A $400 contest ($200 entry fee, $200 bankroll) will take place on Sunday, August 30, 2026.

A $300 contest ($150 entry fee, $150 bankroll) will take place on Thursday, September 3, 2026.

A $2,500 contest ($1,000 entry fee, $1,500 bankroll) will take place on Saturday, September 5, 2026.

Each of the three individual contests will have an independent prize structure. The player who wins the Saturday, Sept. 5 contest will be named the King of the Turf: National Turf Handicapping Champion.

XPressbet - Del Mar

A week filled with great contest opportunities at Xpressbet featuring Del Mar

Race 1- 5,4

There isn’t much pace in this race, so on paper the 4 Yours Sincerely is the most logical winner, but I'm just not sure the pace of the race sets up great for her. She is the most talented, goes second off the layoff, so it may not matter but an alternative I think with a shot in here who the pace sets up great for is the 5- Mo Em Down, who adds blinkers and comes off a freshening. I anticipate she will rate just off the inside speed of the 2 and will get first crack on that longshot pace setter. She also gets lasix back which she did not have last out. If she can’t get it done, then i concede the race to 4. The 1 Surfin USA’s last trip wasn’t as bad as the lines suggest and I don’t think was ever running as well as the favorite in here, but she also goes second off the layoff and has a right to improve as well.

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Race 4- 4,1

Going to go with the two obvious horses in here. If the 1 Unbinding can clear, she will be tough. She draws the rail, goes second off the layoff, is two for two at this distance at Del Mar. If she can take a step forward, she will be clear. But there is a lot of potential other pace in this race which would setup for the 4 Not a Sinner who raced against the boys last out, now goes back against fillies and mares. She has a strong closing kick and will be finishing up best of late. Closers in turf sprints can be tricky as they don’t have much time navigating traffic which is why she is probably zero for four at this distance. However, I just feel like this race sets up really well for her. The horse that finished third in her last race did come back to post a 100 beyer, albeit on dirt but still worth noting.

Race 6- 7,9,11,2 (upgrade 1 or 5 if one of them scratches)

There should be some pace in this race with the 1 and 5 entered, I would definitely upgrade their chances if one of them scratched out but if this race stays intact, I anticipate an honest pace here. The 7 The White Lady is making a big drop-in class after being competitive against much tougher. Should sit a good trip behind the speed and come running. The 9 La Scaloneta will probably be dismissed given her dirt form but her turf form is actually pretty good, has enough early foot to keep contact with the field and can be there at a price late. The 11 Little Hidden Port raced wide last time and unfortunately may look like the case this time given post position. Despite racing wide didn’t finish far behind the 4 Dea Matrona who got a ground saving trip last out. She is in good form but has also been the beneficent of some really good trips. Another long shot I like underneath is the 2 Quantum Energy who did defeat Fibonaccis Ride who came back to win a Cal bred stakes event, she will be coming late at a price.

Race 7- 1,4,7,3

If this race stays intact there should be a good fast pace up front with several in here vying for early position. I want to take runners coming from off the pace. The 1 Dorie Millers get lasix back (didn’t have previous race) and sheds the blinkers back off. You can toss the last race with no lasix and the race before was shorter, gets back to preferred distance and has good numbers and closing style. The 2 Christel Clean has a right to take a step forward going second off the layoff after contesting a fast pace last out. I would like her chances more if other speed scratches out. One of which is 4 Pavel is Appealing who goes turf to dirt, but breeding suggests she will handle the dirt route. She is a closing sprinter but if she can stay off the early pace could have a nice tactical trip. You can forgive the 3 Cecilia Street’s last race as she broke through the gate which i think just set her up for disaster. The race two back could be good enough if she can avoid battling up front and settle. The 7 Theresasilverlining drops back in against state breds here after going against open company in her previous starts. Has good stats at this distance and at Del mar and may just be a horse for course with nice juicy odds.

Race 8- 1,5,6,4

The likely favorites in this affair have had their fair share of chances, the 5 is 0/16 and the 6 is 0/13. I acknowledge they are the two likeliest winners of this but hard to trust given their inability to cross the wire first. The 1 Heroic Dose showed a nice closing kick, now stretches out a little further and goes second off the layoff. My concern is there isn’t a ton of pace in here to setup the closing kick, but it may not matter against these. The 4 Sissy Girl is interesting going two sprints to a route which the trainer has decent stats within a small sample, the third-place finisher of his last race came back to win a MSW here. The horses sitting on the AE list are contenders as well so will watch to see if any of them make it in.

Best of luck!

Kentucky Downs Returns!

Day three of the Kentucky Downs meet has taken a strange turn leading up to racing’s return. An earlier post time and cutting off the back half of the card due to heat, including the feature Bowling Green Gold Cup, has a much lighter lead up into the weeks action then many handicappers were expecting. Post time for the first is set for 11 am Central Time and will finish up with the 7th race.

Never fear though, for our friends at Equibase have already updated their free past performances for Thursday, with a link to those deeper in the newsletter (You can ‘cap the whole meet with these free past performances). Ray Cotolo continues to search these cards top to bottom for the best plays for your buck (or 5 bucks, in Kentucky Downs’ case) with Day 3 coverage. As always, if you need more picks John Gaspar has his spot plays over on ITM Plus.

Despite the card changes, the ‘King Of The Turf’ handicapping challenge is still on, so be sure to take your shot at getting into the final round taking place September 5th. Check out Kentucky Downs’ website to find out about how to enter.

Make sure you’re subscribed to the In The Money Media Players’ Newsletter to make sure you don’t miss our special coverage of the 2026 meeting at Kentucky Downs and everything else happening here at ITM, especially with Breeders’ Cup around the corner.

Subscribe now

MYWAYP,
PTF

World-class horse racing in the Bluegrass State is bolstered by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF), a program that provides benefits to owners of Kentucky bred and Kentucky sired horses. The program creates incentives that encourages owners to buy from Kentucky markets, to board and breed mares on Kentucky farms, to mate them with Kentucky stallions, then to race the Kentucky-foaled produce over Kentucky tracks. Learn more about the KTDF and how to participate in the program on the official website.

Get FREE PPs all meet long for Kentucky Downs over on Equibase.com!

DOWNLOAD FREE PPs FOR SATURDAY, AUGUST 29TH

Sunday, Aug. 30th is the first day of the Kentucky Downs ‘King of the Turf’ Handicapping Challenge! Enter the $400 contest ($200 entry fee, $200 bankroll) to play for a spot in the championship round on Saturday, Sept. 5th as well as for other prizes including seats to the NHC! Visit the Kentucky Downs website for more information.

Players’ Podcast - Kentucky Downs BEST Betting Angles for 2026 | Race Lens Analysis

In The Money Media's Peter Thomas Fornatale (PTF) sits with handicapper Ben Kudla from to go over some of the sharpest betting angles for 2026 at Kentucky Downs using Equibase Race Lens!

Inthemoneypodcast.com - Kentucky Downs 2026 9/3 Spot Plays – By Ray Cotolo

Handicapper Ray Cotolo provides analysis for the third day of the 2026 meeting at Kentucky Downs.

Day 1 was a success for the newsletter. We had a winner in the 1st spot play, Caragogo at 9-2. Our speculative play in Race 3 Streetwhereyoulive finished an uncompetitive 6th at 18-1 and we beat AG Bullet but had the wrong alternative as Sayidah Dariyan ran a well beaten 4th at 4-1. Lambeth was scratched to run on Sunday

Spot Plays

Race 3 - Nw1x2L

A full field of 12 line up to go a mile on the turf. The race looks loaded with speed. Even if speed does well on day 1, I’m expecting the pace to be fast enough that a horse from the 2nd flight can win here. That horse is #12 Clear the Beach. Clear the Beach is a lightly raced 4yo who broke his maiden at Turfway Park in December. He was laid up after his maiden win and came back for his 4yo debut at Ellis Park on August 1. He caught a yielding turf course that day and the race looks to be used as a prep for this spot. He ran towards the back of the field (he wants to be more forward) and didn’t handle the off going particularly well. It was his 2nd lifetime race on turf less than firm and he has given similar flat efforts. It should serve as a stamina builder/prep for today. I expect him to be in the 2nd flight of horses, with a lively pace in front of him, and to grind them down in the long stretch. I’d like him to save a little ground, if possible, in a strung out field but not sure that happens from the 12 hole. I want Clear the Beach at 4-1.

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Kentucky Downs Returns!

Day two of the richest turf meet in the country rolls on with two stakes races, the $500k Tapit and $750k Untapable Stakes as top riders from all across the country converge on Franklin, Kentucky.

Our friends at Equibase have all the past performances for every day of the Kentucky Downs meet for FREE, with a link to those deeper in the newsletter. JK and I tackled today’s card on the Players’ Podcast, Ray Cotolo is back with some spot plays and John Gaspar has his own set of spot plays on ITM Plus for all your Kentucky Downs handicapping needs.

Today is also the first day of the ‘King Of The Turf’ handicapping contest. The first of two lower-cost entry contests could net you a seat for the championship round on September 5th, where you can earn many prizes like trips to the BCBC and NHC, the biggest handicapping contests in North America. Be sure to check out the Kentucky Downs website for all of the information about this year’s King of the Turf contest.

Make sure you’re subscribed to the In The Money Media Players’ Newsletter to make sure you don’t miss our special coverage of the 2026 meeting at Kentucky Downs as well as all of the other horse racing content coming from the network.

Subscribe now

Best of luck to all those aspiring to be ‘King Of The Turf’ today!

MYWAYP,
PTF

World-class horse racing in the Bluegrass State is bolstered by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF), a program that provides benefits to owners of Kentucky bred and Kentucky sired horses. The program creates incentives that encourages owners to buy from Kentucky markets, to board and breed mares on Kentucky farms, to mate them with Kentucky stallions, then to race the Kentucky-foaled produce over Kentucky tracks. Learn more about the KTDF and how to participate in the program on the official website.

Get FREE PPs all meet long for Kentucky Downs over on Equibase.com!

DOWNLOAD FREE PPs FOR SATURDAY, AUGUST 29TH

Sunday, Aug. 30th is the first day of the Kentucky Downs ‘King of the Turf’ Handicapping Challenge! Enter the $400 contest ($200 entry fee, $200 bankroll) to play for a spot in the championship round on Saturday, Sept. 5th as well as for other prizes including seats to the NHC! Visit the Kentucky Downs website for more information.

Players’ Podcast - Kentucky Downs Sunday Analysis w/ PTF & JK

In The Money Media's Peter Thomas Fornatale (PTF) and Jonathon Kinchen (JK) sit to analyze horse racing action for the second day of the 2026 season, Sunday (Aug. 30), at Kentucky Downs! Kentucky Downs revamped its wagering menu for the 2026 season! This year, bettors can look for higher payouts with thanks to the $5 minimum on Win-Place-Show bets, an exciting proposition given the average $2 win mutuel last year at Kentucky Downs paid around $17. The 2026 wagering menu also includes a $3 Late Pick 3, $5 Late Double & $5 base exacta on the last race of each card.

Inthemoneypodcast.com - Kentucky Downs 2026 8/30 Spot Plays – By Ray Cotolo

Handicapper Ray Cotolo provides analysis for the second day of the 2026 meeting at Kentucky Downs.

Kentucky Downs Returns!

One of the great boutique meets on the horse racing calendar is back! I always look forward to the racing at Kentucky Downs for all the same reasons I’m sure everyone else does; big fields over the unique track configuration and hopefully big payoffs.

We should be able to nab some big payoffs with thanks to one of the great changes made to the betting menu this season at Kentucky Downs. The minimum for Win-Place-Show bets has been increased from $2 to $5, which should make for some intriguing gambling opportunities since the average $2 payoff last year was about $17 and change. We also have a $3 Late Pick 3, $5 Late Daily Double and a $5 base exacta on the last race every race day to look forward to, along with the usual other gimmicks of Pick 3s, Pick 4s and Pick 5s.

Equibase once again is stepping up and providing FREE past performances for every day of the meet at Kentucky Downs! You’ll be able to find them deeper in the newsletter along with other Kentucky Downs focused content we have including segments from the YouTube channel as well as analysis from the ITM Blog by handicapper Ray Cotolo and from John Gaspar over on the ITM Pl. We’ll also have an Equibase Race Lens video later in the weekend looking at productive betting angles at Kentucky Downs, so keep an eye out for that.

You’ll also want to consider hopping in on the ‘King of the Turf’ Handicapping Challenge, which starts on Sunday (Aug. 30th)! You can play in a pair of lower-cost entry contests for a spot in the championship round on Saturday, Sept. 5th, which offers cash prizes and seats to some of the handicapping majors in the BCBC and the NHC. Be sure to check out the Kentucky Downs website for all of the information about this year’s King of the Turf contest.

Make sure you’re subscribed to the In The Money Media Players’ Newsletter to make sure you don’t miss our special coverage of the 2026 meeting at Kentucky Downs as well as all of the other horse racing content coming from the network.

Subscribe now

MYWAYP,
PTF

World-class horse racing in the Bluegrass State is bolstered by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF), a program that provides benefits to owners of Kentucky bred and Kentucky sired horses. The program creates incentives that encourages owners to buy from Kentucky markets, to board and breed mares on Kentucky farms, to mate them with Kentucky stallions, then to race the Kentucky-foaled produce over Kentucky tracks. Learn more about the KTDF and how to participate in the program on the official website.

Get FREE PPs all meet long for Kentucky Downs over on Equibase.com!

DOWNLOAD FREE PPs FOR SATURDAY, AUGUST 29TH

Sunday, Aug. 30th is the first day of the Kentucky Downs ‘King of the Turf’ Handicapping Challenge! Enter the $400 contest ($200 entry fee, $200 bankroll) to play for a spot in the championship round on Saturday, Sept. 5th as well as for other prizes including seats to the NHC! Visit the Kentucky Downs website for more information.

Players’ Podcast - Travers Stakes 2026 Card Analysis + Kentucky Downs Opening Day & Woodbine Stakes

BIG Players’ Podcast incoming for the late-week show starting with a look at the major horse racing stakes action at Saratoga Race Course for Saturday (Aug. 29) headlined by the Travers Stakes 2026. Peter Thomas Fornatale (PTF) and Jonathon Kinchen (JK) analyze the action from Saratoga before shifting their attention to Kentucky Downs for opening day of the 2026 racing season, which features a revamped betting menu including a $5 minimum on Win-Place-Show bets as well as the addition of a $3 Late Pick 3, $5 Late Daily Double and $5 base exacta on the last race of every race card.

Inthemoneypodcast.com - Kentucky Downs 2026 Opening Day Spot Plays – By Ray Cotolo

Handicapper Ray Cotolo provides analysis for the opening day of the 2026 meeting at Kentucky Downs.