2026 Elkhorn Stakes Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

Key Takeaways:

• The 2026 Elkhorn Stakes shapes up as one of the most competitive betting races of the meet, with a deep field of proven long-distance turf runners and no clear standout separating from the pack.
• Recent graded-stakes experience remains a consistent profile for success in this race, even without a last-out victory, reinforcing the importance of class and stamina over short-term form.
• Course and distance familiarity stands out as a meaningful edge, particularly for runners who have already shown they can sustain their finish over the demanding 1½-mile configuration at Keeneland Race Course.
• In wide, evenly matched marathon fields like this one, tactical positioning and the ability to adapt to changing pace scenarios often prove just as decisive as raw closing power.

The long-distance older turf horses take the spotlight Saturday, April 18, at Keeneland for the Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes. The race, a 1 ½-mile stamina test, offers a $400,000 purse. And, the race drew an overflow field: 12 in the main group, plus one runner on the also-eligible list.

The race is a deeply competitive race and should be one of the best betting races of the Keeneland meet. Though Burnham Square – a Grade 1 winner on the Keeneland dirt – is the narrow 4-1 morning-line favorite? He has a tough road ahead of him against some turf-route fixtures. Those include Mac Diarmida (G2) winner Grand Sonata, two-time Hollywood Turf Cup winner Truly Quality, Grade 1-placed Tawny Port, Sycamore (G2) winner Desvio, and a host of others trying to step up and prove themselves at this level.

The field also includes Utah Beach, who won the 2025 Elkhorn. He will try to become the fourth horse to win the Elkhorn twice after African Dancer (1998-1999), Kim Loves Bucky (2002-2003), and Musketier (2010-2011).

Elkhorn Stakes 2026 Information

• Race Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026
• Track: Keeneland
• Post Time: 5:48 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
• Distance: 1 ½ miles on the turf
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Elkhorn Stakes Odds

This is the field for the 2026 Elkhorn Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and official morning-line odds for the field.

Elkhorn Stakes Prep Results

Three of the 13 entrants in the Elkhorn come out of the Mac Diarmida (G2) at Gulfstream, a common last-out prep for winners of this race. Grand Sonata won the race, Anegada ran on late for third, and Padiddle also came on belatedly for fifth, crossing the wire just two lengths behind Grand Sonata.

Five other runners come out of graded-stakes company. A pair make their first start since the Red Smith (G2) last November at Aqueduct: Desvio chased on for third, three lengths beaten, and Fleetfoot was a belated fourth after chasing a slow pace. Truly Quality ran late into a slow pace to take fourth as the favorite in the San Luis Rey (G3) on March 21 at Santa Anita. Tawny Port tries to get going again in his first start since the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar on November 1, where he ran a belated ninth. Utah Beach was a well-beaten ninth in the Kentucky Cup Classic (G3) at Turfway on March 21, and now returns to his better surface.

The other five entrants all come out of allowance company. The only last-out winner from that group is Freedom’s Way, who won a second-level allowance going 1 ⅜ miles on the Saratoga grass on July 23. Burnham Square started his season with a second-place finish in a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional claimer at Gulfstream on February 28. Navy Seal was fourth in a third-level, 1 ⅜-mile allowance at Woodbine on November 2, a race in which also-eligible Dancin in Da’nile finished third. Presider will try to bounce back from a fifth-place outing February 21 at Fair Grounds, going 1 1/16 miles on the grass.

Elkhorn Stakes Contenders

These are the contenders in the Elkhorn Stakes, organized by post position:

1. Padiddle: He tends to come from well off the pace, and even over this distance, Keeneland tends to play better for horses a bit closer up. He also has never closed the deal at a mile and a half – he has hit the board in three of four, but never won going this long. Even then, he’ll have to work out a trip from the rail in a large field, and run a career best or something very close to it to even get a piece underneath. It’s a tough ask.
2. Desvio: The question for him is the layoff – he hasn’t raced since November and may need a race off the bench. But, his trainer, Madison Meyers, can win at a price with a layoff horse, and there’s reason to think Desvio will find a good effort. He won the Sycamore over this course and distance last year, proving he could finish well over the course, and did so with jockey John Velazquez, who returns to the saddle.
3. Utah Beach: He won this race last year for his previous trainer, Ignacio Correas, and the way in looks pretty similar – an underwhelming effort over the Tapeta at Turfway, and then a stretch out to a better course and distance for this. His tactical versatility is a major point in his favor, as is his consistently solid form at Keeneland. If he moves forward second off the lay, and second start in the Brendan Walsh barn, he looms a repeat threat.
4. Grand Sonata: This Todd Pletcher trainee was starting to look like he had second-itis, but broke that curse February 28 when winning the Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream in stalk-and-pounce fashion. The 1 ⅜-mile Mac Diarmida is a traditionally live prep for this race, though Grand Sonata is only 1-for-7 at 1 ½ miles and 0-for-3 at Keeneland, meaning there are questions at what may be a short price in this tightly matched and competitive field.
5. Fleetfoot: Group 3-placed at this distance in Ireland, he has raced just twice in the United States, both times last fall. He won a two-miler at Fair Hill in October in his first start for Barry Foley, whose runners do most of their running at the jumps meets, but regressed a bit when shortened up to 1 ⅜ miles for the Red Smith at Aqueduct. He still has class to prove, and Foley’s runners often need a race off the lay, so better to watch him this time.
6. Burnham Square: He was a Grade 1 winner on dirt and a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender last year, but his biggest breakout effort was his runner-up finish behind Wimbledon Hawk in the Nashville Derby (G3) at Kentucky Downs in August. After all, his dam Linda was a Grade 2 winner on the lawn for Ian Wilkes, and that effort made it clear that Burnham Square got that turf talent, too. He was defeated in his first race of the year, but that race was only 1 1/16 miles, and he didn’t have much to run at. Now he gets regular rider Brian Hernandez back, he gets some more distance, and he should be able to get a good trip from midfield.
7. Truly Quality: It’s always valuable to have some skepticism around California turf horses, as many of them don’t step up to the level of Kentucky or the East Coast. Truly Quality has, at least, shown he can leave the Golden State: he won stakes at Woodbine and Colonial in 2024 and was third in the John B. Connally at Sam Houston this year. Putting blinkers back on may be the right move as he has shown some of his classiest form with them on, too. However, he still has to prove himself at Keeneland, and it’s not a good sign that jockey Luan Machado has started Keeneland 1-for-25, and has not hit the board in nine turf starts over the last two months.
8. Tawny Port: He hasn’t won a race since the John’s Call at Saratoga in 2023, but he keeps showing up and getting pieces in long-distance turf races. He has hit the board in five of nine starts at 1 ½ miles on the lawn, including a pair of graded-stakes placings last year at the distance. On the other hand, he has yet to hit the board in two starts on the lawn at Keeneland, so this may not be his favorite course. All in all, he’s not one to trust on top, and enough people may be using him underneath that the value will come in looking elsewhere.
9. Navy Seal: He doesn’t have the graded-stakes experience of many of his foes here, but after a second-level allowance win last year going 1 ½ miles at Kentucky Downs, he has potential. He only missed by a nose in his only start over the local course, despite the race only being a mile, too short for him in the balance. He has the tactical speed to work a trip. Trainer Wesley Ward always comes prepared for Keeneland spring, and Ward shines with layoff runners. All in all, he has some long-shot appeal, especially for exotics.
10. Presider: With rain likely for Saturday at Keeneland, the fact that he finished a good second over yielding ground two back in the John B. Connally at Sam Houston is a positive. He still has class to prove, and he is going to need a career-best to be a win contender, but at least he has been able to get a piece in two of his three starts over 1 ½ miles on grass, and he should be able to handle the ground.
11. Freedom’s Way: This is an ambitious return spot for a horse who hasn’t run since last July – he cleared his second-level allowance condition in that start, but now makes his stakes debut off of a layoff of almost nine months. His only 1 ½-mile outing was a decent second in an allowance at Keeneland, so there is reason to think he will be able to handle the course and distance, and his tactical speed should work well. But, it’s hard to think he’ll take another huge step up in his seven-year-old debut, and that’s exactly what he would need to do.
12. Anegada: Often, Mike Maker’s long-distance turf horses are older horses he has claimed, but this one is a young horse – just turned four – who has been in his barn since he was three. He won a stakes at 1 ½ miles over yielding ground two starts back, suggesting the rain moves him forward. His next start was a solid third behind Grand Sonata in the Mac Diarmida – if he runs back to that, he fits, and if he takes a step forward, even better. With Flavien Prat in the irons, he should get a good ride, and he has price potential for a trainer who has won more editions of the Elkhorn than anyone.
13. Dancin in Da’nile: Dancin in Da’nile needs one scratch to draw into the field for the Elkhorn. If he does, he has quite a bit to prove. He has yet to hit the board going this long – though he is a winner at 1 ⅜ miles on the grass, he has yet to prove he wants to go quite this long. He also tends to need a start off a layoff, and hasn’t raced since November, meaning that if he draws in, it will probably be a warm-up for something at Woodbine in the next month or two.

Elkhorn Stakes Past Winners Past Performances

As so often happens at a short boutique meet like Keeneland, horses come from a variety of different races and racetracks to win graded-stakes races. All of the horses who have won the Elkhorn in the last 10 years come out of stakes races, with nine coming out of graded-stakes races. Interestingly, a last-out win is by no means required – only one of the last 10 Elkhorn winners has come out of a victory.

Gulfstream Park is the most common last-out racetrack for an Elkhorn winner over the last 10 years: four of the last 10 winners have come from there, though none since 2020. Da Big Hoss (2016) was fifth in the Mac Diarmida (G2), One Go All Go (2018) was second in the Pan American, Bigger Picture (2019) was seventh in the Pan American, and Zulu Alpha (2020) was also runner-up in the Pan American.

Two horses come out of the San Luis Rey (G3). Itsinthepost (2017) won the race, and Say the Word (2021) was the runner-up. Two others come out of races at Del Mar: Channel Maker (2022) was making his first start since a fifth-place outing in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) the year before, and Silver Knott (2024) won it in his first start since the Hollywood Derby (G1) the fall before.

The other two recent winners of the Elkhorn won it on the switch from the Kentucky Cup Classic (G3) over the Tapeta at Turfway to the grass at Keeneland. Verstappen (2023) was second in that race, and Utah Beach (2025) came out of a fourth-place finish.

Elkhorn Stakes: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the 2026 Elkhorn Stakes:

1. Anegada (15-1)

In a race this closely-matched, there’s every reason to swing for the fences, especially when there’s a horse like Anegada who stands to go off at such a big price. He has the tactical speed to work a trip from the outside gate. He showed two back that he has the stamina to get 1 ½ miles – and did it over yielding turf, which stands out given the forecast of thunderstorms on Saturday.

Though Anegada has a bit of class to prove – he has yet to win a graded-stakes race – he has come close in all three of his graded tries, including a third-place finish behind the more experienced Grand Sonata in the Mac Diarmida, a perennially live prep for the Elkhorn. The switch to big-race jockey Flavien Prat may be the last thing he needs to put it all together in graded-stakes company – and with such a big field and some more recognizable horses in the field, the price will be right on this up-and-comer.

2. Desvio (8-1)

Two starts back, this son of Yoshida made the grade at Keeneland, winning the Sycamore (G3) over this same course and distance, and he could come back sharp enough to add to that tally. The layoff is the big question, as he hasn’t raced since the beginning of November. However, trainer Madison Meyers can win at a price with horses coming off long layoffs, and Desvio himself has been able to fire fresh before.

Jockey John Velazquez is having a solid start to the spring at Keeneland, as well, and Velazquez was the one who guided Desvio to victory in the Sycamore last fall. It showed they had some rapport and showed Desvio could make up ground at Keeneland, and with a bit of pace drawn to the outside, he could work out a similar trip as two back. If that’s the case, he can find the line once again.

3. Utah Beach (8-1)

Utah Beach got hot this time last year, firing off wins in the Elkhorn and then the Louisville (G3) at Churchill Downs. He hasn’t won since, though the best effort he has had since then was a third-place finish in the Sycamore behind Desvio in October. In short, this son of English Channel shines at 1 ½ miles, and shows up with his game at Keeneland.

He may get ignored on the tote board due to a flat effort at Turfway last out in the Kentucky Cup Classic. However, he won the Elkhorn off a disappointing effort in that same race last year. And, trainer Brendan Walsh tends to move his horses up both second off the lay as well as in their second start with the barn, which this is, as he moved shedrows after the retirement of previous conditioner Ignacio Correas, IV. This is plenty of reason to give him the benefit of the doubt and consider him at a nice middle price in such a tightly-matched race.

Elkhorn Stakes Undercard

The Elkhorn is the tenth and featured race on Saturday’s 11-race card at Keeneland. It is one of two graded-stakes races on the day: the 9th is the Ben Ali (G3), a dirt route for older males that drew an exciting and competitive field of older horses, including Batten Down and Rattle N Roll.

No matter whether you like wagering on turf or dirt, sprints or routes, there is top-quality betting action at Keeneland. And, with racing at Oaklawn, Aqueduct, Santa Anita, and all over the country, make sure to watch every race and stay on top of all the news at FanDuel TV, and to place your bets online at FanDuel!

Keeneland

Lexington, Kentucky, is the home of one of the most important venues in worldwide horse racing—Keeneland. A group of horsemen opened the track in 1936, three years after the closure of the Kentucky Association track. Keeneland is unique in that it is not only home to a top-class racecourse, but also a sales ground from which top-class horses are purchased not just by US-based owners and trainers but from those as far afield as England, Ireland, France, and Dubai.

Racing fans flock to Keeneland for both top-class racing and excellent betting opportunities during two meets, held annually in April and October. Keeneland’s standing was highlighted again in 2009 when the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced its rating system, which placed it right at the top, at number one. Nestled in central Kentucky horse country, it is also a designated National Historic Landmark.

Elkhorn Stakes FAQ

Q: When and where is the Elkhorn Stakes?

A: The Elkhorn (G2) happens Saturday, April 18, at 5:48 p.m. Eastern Daylight time. The race is the 10th on the 11-race card at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, KY.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Elkhorn Stakes?

A: Trainers Roger Attfield and Mike Maker are tied with four Elkhorn wins, the most of any trainer. Attfield recently retired, though Maker can take the record for himself if Anegada upsets the race.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Elkhorn Stakes?

A: The top of the market is expected to be hotly contested. Burnham Square is the 4-1 morning-line favorite. It would be no surprise if the Ian Wilkes trainee is at or near the top of the market: he won the Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland last year, ran in the Kentucky Derby, emerged at Kentucky Downs as a sharp turf horse, and started the season with a good but pace-disadvantaged runner-up finish in an allowance at Gulfstream. However, watch for action on Miguel Clement trainee Tawny Port (9-2), multiple Grade 2 winner Truly Quality (5-1) for Jonathan Thomas, and last-out Grade 2 winner Grand Sonata (6-1) for Todd Pletcher.

Q: Who is the best Elkhorn Stakes jockey?

A: Jerry Bailey has five wins in the Elkhorn, the most of any jockey. However, his last win came in 2024, and he is now retired. Among jockeys with mounts in the 2026 edition of the Elkhorn, John Velazquez leads with three: he won in 2010 and 2011 with the ageless Musketier and then in 2012 with Point of Entry. He can win his fourth in 2026 with Desvio.

Q: Who won the 2025 Elkhorn Stakes?

A: Utah Beach won the 2025 Elkhorn for trainer Ignacio Correas and jockey Vincent Cheminaud. Correas has since retired, but Utah Beach returns to the fray for his new trainer, Brendan Walsh. Ben Curtis takes the call; Cheminaud is riding at Laurel on Saturday.

New to FanDuel Racing? Place your first bet of $10 on any race at any track & get $50 back in Racing Bonus! Valid in participating states. See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Racing Promos.

Looking for more horse racing betting opportunities? Head over to FanDuel Racing to see all of today’s horse racing odds.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!