First Look: 31 graded stakes surround Super Saturday
Horse Racing Nation
Super Saturday hands out the final automatic spots in the Breeders' Cup, now four weeks away. The 2-year-olds have the most riding on it. Their races send winners to the Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies and pay Kentucky Derby and Oaks points in the same trip, so one good afternoon can set a young horse's schedule from now until May. Six of those races carry 10-5-3-2-1 Derby or Oaks qualifying points, and five of them rank as Grade 1s. Keeneland stages two over the same dirt that hosts the Breeders' Cup, with Emphatic chasing a third straight win in Friday's Alcibiades and Gaudreau stepping up from a maiden score in Saturday's Breeders' Futurity . Belmont Park asks for a bigger leap. Club Reign in the Champagne and Libby Lloyd in the Frizette own one start apiece, both six-furlong sprints, and both stretch out to a mile against Grade 1 company. Out west, Bob Baffert sends Hughes to the American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita with what the Belmont pair lacks: three starts, three wins and a Grade 1 already on his résumé. The same barn sends Holmby after Oaks points in the Oak Leaf (G2). Tack on six stakes pushed back from last week at Belmont Park plus another at Delaware Park, and the week swells to 31 graded stakes across five tracks. That gives horseplayers four straight days to find a price on a horse who could show up at Keeneland next month at much shorter odds. Thursday Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1), Belmont Park, 1 1/2 miles, turf, 3-year-olds and up Two Monmouth Park scores anchor Program Trading's 2026. He took the Monmouth Stakes in June, then the United Nations (G2) in July on a five-wide kick at the quarter pole. A third in the Aug. 15 Christophe Clement Turf (G1) at Saratoga followed, herded five wide but running on. Spring runs in the Turf Classic (G1) and Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1) flattened out late. 2026 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic No. Silks Horse / Sire Rating Trainer / Jockey Last Start Morn. Line 1 El Cordobes Frankel 7.77 Charlie Appleby Flavien Prat 5th , 2026 H. H. The Amir Trophy G2 5-2 Last Race 5th , 2026 H. H. The Amir Trophy G2 2 Far Bridge English Channel 7.75 Miguel Clement John Velazquez 1st (126), 2026 Pan American G3 5-1 Last Race 1st (126), 2026 Pan American G3 3 Asbury Park Frankel 7.67 Chad Brown Manuel Franco 2nd , Sar AlwOC (8/22/26-R2) 15-1 Last Race 2nd , Sar AlwOC (8/22/26-R2) 4 Pride Of Arras New Bay 7.56 Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan 1st , 2026 September G3 4-1 Last Race 1st , 2026 September G3 5 Minaret Station Instilled Regard 7.73 William Walden Jose Ortiz 2nd (114), 2026 Christophe Clement Turf G1 7-2 Last Race 2nd (114), 2026 Christophe Clement Turf G1 6 Program Trading Lope de Vega 7.83 Chad Brown Ricardo Santana, Jr. 3rd (114), 2026 Christophe Clement Turf G1 5-1 Last Race 3rd (114), 2026 Christophe Clement Turf G1 7 Fort George Territories 7.82 Ed Walker Kieran Shoemark 3rd , 2026 Kentucky Turf Cup G2 9-2 Last Race 3rd , 2026 Kentucky Turf Cup G2 Flower Bowl (G2), Belmont Park, 1 1/4 miles, turf, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up Kathynmarissa needed every inch of the Saratoga stretch to win the July 18 Diana Stakes (G1), swinging five wide and catching Segesta in the final jumps. The 5-year-old mare won the Modesty Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs on May 1, rallying six wide, and she ran third in the New York Stakes (G1) in June. Her career line reads 14: 6-2-3 for $1.9 million. 2026 Flower Bowl Stakes No. Silks Horse / Sire Rating Trainer / Jockey Last Start Morn. Line 1 Evershed Churchill 7.67 Arnaud Delacour Dylan Davis 1st , 2026 Waya G3 12-1 Last Race 1st , 2026 Waya G3 2 Storm Miami Blue Point 7.27 Amelia Green John Velazquez 2nd , 2026 Waya G3 12-1 Last Race 2nd , 2026 Waya G3 3 Sunlit Uplands Sands Of Mali 7.39 Stuart Williams Rossa Ryan 2nd , 2026 Ballston Spa G2 6-1 Last Race 2nd , 2026 Ballston Spa G2 4 Gezora Almanzor 7.84 Bill Mott Junior Alvarado 6th , 2026 Glens Falls G2 6-1 Last Race 6th , 2026 Glens Falls G2 5 Esna Starman 7.09 Brian Meehan Jamie Spencer 11th , 2026 Prix De Diane G1 12-1 Last Race 11th , 2026 Prix De Diane G1 6 Fionn Twirling Candy 7.79 Brad Cox Manuel Franco 5th (100), Sar AlwOC (8/13/26-R6) 12-1 Last Race 5th (100), Sar AlwOC (8/13/26-R6) 7 Opulent Restraint Dubawi 7.52 Bill Mott Javier Castellano 4th , Sar AlwOC (8/13/26-R7) 30-1 Last Race 4th , Sar AlwOC (8/13/26-R7) 8 Favorite Memory Frankel Cherie DeVaux Kendrick Carmouche 9th , 2026 Glens Falls G2 20-1 Last Race 9th , 2026 Glens Falls G2 9 Kathynmarissa American Pharoah 7.89 Chad Brown Jose Ortiz 1st (103), 2026 Diana G1 8-5 Last Race 1st (103), 2026 Diana G1 10 Cathedral Too Darn Hot 7.73 Chad Brown Flavien Prat 4th , 2026 Diana G1 9-2 Last Race 4th , 2026 Diana G1 11 Silvology Blame 6.89 Claude McGaughey III Antonio Fresu 6th (110), 2026 Waya G3 20-1 Last Race 6th (110), 2026 Waya G3 Gallant Bloom (G2), Belmont Park, 6 1/2 furlongs, fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up R Disaster returns to defend the Gallant Bloom after drawing off to win at Aqueduct last September. The mare led throughout the Derby City Distaff (G1) at Churchill Downs in May, and she took the Hurricane Bertie (G3) at Gulfstream Park in March. Her bid faded to sixth in the Ballerina (G1) last out on Aug. 29. 2026 Gallant Bloom No. Silks Horse / Sire Rating Trainer / Jockey Last Start Morn. Line 1 Senza Parole Gun Runner 7.46 Chad Brown Flavien Prat 1st (123), Sar AlwOC (9/2/26-R4) 9-5 Last Race 1st (123), Sar AlwOC (9/2/26-R4) 2 Beauty Reigns Into Mischief 7.74 Bill Mott Junior Alvarado 3rd (115), 2026 Ballerina G1 3-1 Last Race 3rd (115), 2026 Ballerina G1 3 Munnings Express Munnings Linda Rice Manuel Franco 1st (114), 2026 Johnstone RS 8-1 Last Race 1st (114), 2026 Johnstone RS 4 Queen Jubilee Authentic D. Whitworth Beckman Edgard Zayas 1st (116), CNL ALW (08/07/2026-R1) 15-1 Last Race 1st (116), CNL ALW (08/07/2026-R1) 5 R Disaster Awesome Slew 7.80 Saffie Joseph, Jr. Jose Ortiz 6th (100), 2026 Ballerina G1 7-5 Last Race 6th (100), 2026 Ballerina G1 6 Paradise City McKinzie 6.77 Saffie Joseph, Jr. Dylan Davis 5th (107), 2026 Ballerina G1 10-1 Last Race 5th (107), 2026 Ballerina G1 Belmont Turf Sprint (G3), Belmont Park, 6 furlongs, turf, 3-year-olds and up Creditworthy won three of four turf starts at Saratoga, including a half-length optional-claiming score Aug. 2 that produced a career-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form . As the favorite in the Sept. 6 Disco Partner Stakes, Chad Brown's 5-year-old gelding rallied six paths wide in the stretch to finish third, beaten two lengths. He finished second in his lone six-furlong turf try, his 2024 debut. 2026 Belmont Turf Sprint No. Silks Horse / Sire Rating Trainer / Jockey Last Start Status 1 Alogon California Chrome 7.07 Edward Allard Forest Boyce 1st (112), Laurel Dash S. Entered Last Race 1st (112), Laurel Dash S. 2 Card Trick Liam's Map 4.84 Edward Allard Dylan Davis 5th (104), Laurel Dash S. Entered Last Race 5th (104), Laurel Dash S. 3 Chasing Liberty Constitution 6.59 Rob Atras Kendrick Carmouche 10th (77), KD AOC (08/30/2026-R7) Entered Last Race 10th (77), KD AOC (08/30/2026-R7) 4 Egyptian Mau Fire Away 6.84 Neil Drysdale Antonio Fresu 5th (97), 2026 Giant's Causeway G2 Entered Last Race 5th (97), 2026 Giant's Causeway G2