2026 Forego Stakes Preview at Saratoga Race Course

Key Takeaways:

• The Forego is a Breeders’ Cup prep in name if not destination, and it has drawn a competitive field led by defending winner Book’em Danno and rising contender Senior Officer.
• Book’em Danno brings proven Saratoga and seven-furlong form, while several of his main rivals are still trying to prove they belong at this level.
• Book’em Danno is the clear top pick despite the short price, with his speed, versatility, seven-furlong record, and Saratoga form all lining up in his favor.
• Senior Officer is the most credible threat to the favorite, bringing a three-race win streak, tactical speed, and enough upside to take another step forward in his stakes debut.
• Hymn is the price play at 12-1, with tactical speed, improving form, and a solid recent graded-stakes effort making him an appealing candidate to outrun his odds.

Older sprinters take the stage in the Grade 1, $500,000 Forego Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday, August 23. A seven-furlong dirt sprint, it is a perennially live prep for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint – a bit ironically, as it is a win-and-you’re-in for the two-turn Dirt Mile instead, due to its extended seven-furlong distance.

The horse to beat is last year’s Forego winner and the reigning champion sprint horse: Book’em Danno. The New Jersey-bred son of Bucchero, now five years old, steps back up into Grade 1 company for the first time since winning this race last year. However, he has already won at the Spa once this year, as he scored by three-quarters of a length over reigning Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Bentornato in the True North (G3) on the Belmont undercard.

Book’em Danno’s major foes include the up-and-coming Senior Officer, a winner of three straight races who is entered for his stakes debut, and Tip Top Thomas, a Grade 3 winner who just missed by a neck to Senior Officer in an allowance at the Spa. Banishing would also have been a serious contender, but according to a Daily Racing Form report, he will be running in the Charles Town Classic (G2) on Friday night instead.

Added to the racing calendar in 1980, the Forego has featured some of the best sprinters and milers over the last four and a half decades. Cody’s Wish, the 2023 Horse of the Year, broke through at the top level in 2022 when he upset the Forego. Other top stars over the years to win it include Groovy, Fappiano, Quick Call, Housebuster, Orientate, Private Zone, and Whitmore.

Forego Information

• Race Date: Saturday, August 29
• Track: Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York
• Post Time: 5:11 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: seven furlongs on the dirt
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds and up
• Where to Watch: FanDuel Racing and Fox
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2026 Forego Stakes Draw and Odds

This is the field for the 2026 Forego Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds for each horse.

Note that Banishing is expected to scratch in favor of the Charles Town Classic, according to a Daily Racing Form report.

Forego Stakes Prep Race Results

The seven horses expected to start in the Forego come out of just four different races.

Three of the runners come out of graded-stakes races. Two come out of the Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G2), a six-furlong stakes on July 25 at Saratoga. Hymn chased on for second, two lengths behind the winner Built. T Kraft was outkicked in the lane that day and had to settle for fourth, 3 ¼ lengths behind the winner. The other runner coming out of a graded-stakes race is Crazy Mason, who settled too far off the pace in the Hanshin (G3) on June 28 at Churchill and finished a belated sixth, 5 ¼ lengths behind the speedy Nu What’s New.

One horse comes out of an ungraded stakes. That’s Book’em Danno, who was the subject of celebration in his home state of New Jersey on Mr. Prospector Stakes day, ran to the money in that race and now returns to the top level where he belongs.

The other three contenders all come out of the same allowance-optional claimer July 26 going 6 ½ furlongs on the Saratoga dirt. Senior Officer extended his win streak to three, rallying to catch Tip Top Thomas by a neck. Tip Top Thomas, who was clear mid-stretch before getting reeled in, tries to turn the tables here. After a rough start, Bring the Smoke made up some late ground in that race but had to settle for fourth, 1 ¼ lengths behind Senior Officer.

Forego Stakes Contenders

These are the entrants in the 2026 Forego, in order of their post positions:

1. Tip Top Thomas: His best game is speed, and he will probably try to send from the rail and see what happens. Maybe an outer post would have been better, as he has also been able to run solid races when getting an outside pressing trip, but some days unfold as inside-speed days, so watch out for that. He was able to win the two-turn Smarty Jones at Parx while setting a pressured pace from the fence – but despite a solid outing at a sprint last out, he doesn’t quite have Book’em Danno speed, and might even get outjumped by T Kraft if that one does. In short, he’s in tough here – if Book’em Danno is a surprise scratch, he could absolutely steal this, but if the champ remains, he’s either going to be outjumped or battled into submission by the fastest horse in the field.
2. Hymn: This four-year-old is on the right track for trainer Ron Moquett: after clearing his first- and second-level allowance conditions earlier this year, he won the DeFrancis Dash at Laurel and then ran a credible second in his graded-stakes debut last out in the Vanderbilt. He has done most of his work going six furlongs, but looked good winning at seven furlongs three back, and he still has upside trying the distance again. It’s also nice that he was able to work a tactical trip from the rail in that race, meaning if jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. can work a similar trip to what Ben Curtis got out of him that day, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get a piece.
3. T Kraft: This is a class test, just like any of his graded tries have been. The relatively short field isn’t a bad thing for him, especially with the pace he was able to show three back when trying 6 ½ furlongs instead of the flat six – going seven this time, he should at least be able to get a forward trip. However, he’s going to get hounded by Book’em Danno to his outside, meaning he’ll have to work hard. And, though he can see out a race after having to fight early against lesser company, he hasn’t yet been good enough to do so at this level. He isn’t without room to move forward, as he’s only four years old, but still others appeal more.
4. Crazy Mason: What you see is what you get with this five-year-old from the Gregg Sacco barn: he’s a late-running type who doesn’t often win but does often get a piece. He showed a bit of a surprising turn three back when he was able to settle last in a compact field without dropping all the way back to the clouds, and then rallying from sixth to get second. That dimension could help him in a race with pace, but not a likely collapse. The fact that he’s never missed the board going seven furlongs helps, too; though he’s not a particularly strong win candidate, his consistency and seven-furlong ability make him a strong exotics contender.
5. Book’em Danno: He’s the champ for a reason. Not only is he fast, but he’s tactical, and he’s one of the rare types who is a killer at both six and seven furlongs. The price will be short: he’s even money on the morning line and will probably be shorter come post time. But, he stands to get the best of it: he has a nice middle draw, he’s the fastest early if Paco Lopez decides to go that route, and he’s tactical (and gritty) enough to stalk and take over if Lopez chooses that route instead.
6. Senior Officer: If Book’em Danno is the known quantity, this Brad Cox trainee is the wild card. He’s five years old, but is still just coming into his own: he was laid off for his entire four-year-old year, but ran through his allowance conditions like a good thing this year and now tries a stakes race for the first time ever. He has tactical speed and wins at both 6 ½ furlongs and seven furlongs at the Spa this year, making this a logical spot for him to try the big boys. He’ll need a step forward to beat Book’em Danno, but he’s been so gritty late to win his last two that he has every chance to be the favorite’s biggest threat in the final sixteenth.
7. Banishing: Banishing is cross-entered in the Charles Town Classic on Friday night and is expected to run there.
8. Bring the Smoke: Another up-and-comer, Bring the Smoke has raced just six times, starting at Laurel with owner-trainer Lacey Gaudet before being privately sold after a blowout 18 ¼-length maiden win back in February. In four starts since, he has won twice, in the Maryland Sprint (G3) and then a second-level allowance. However, he just hasn’t been able to figure out Senior Officer – his other two races have been credible enough losses to that foe in allowance company. He’s a young horse with a future in front of him, and he could get a nice, clean trip from the outside gate – but not only is he going to have to improve enough to turn the tables on still-improving Senior Officer, he’s also got a much tougher stakes field than the group he took down on Preakness day. To be fair, Jose Ortiz is an eye-catching jockey booking, but even the best jockey on the grounds needs enough horse.

Forego Stakes: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the Forego Stakes:

1. Book’em Danno (1-1)

Backing a heavy favorite is never the sexiest or most exciting part about playing the horses, but knowing when the favorite is the goods is part of the game. And, Book’em Danno looks like the right horse here. If he couldn’t get seven furlongs, or couldn’t handle Saratoga, or wasn’t going to have the right pace setup, then perhaps it would be a different story. But, all of these things swing in favor of the Jersey-bred who could.

He has the sharpest early speed in the field, and yet he is versatile enough to be tactical with it. He is four-for-eight at seven furlongs – and the only time he has been out of the top three at the distance was in the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) last year, when he was beaten a neck for top money in a blanket finish with Mindframe, Banishing, and Nysos. He’s five-for-six at Saratoga, including a local score two back in the True North (G3). In short, he’s a horse who consistently shows up, and he’s a horse who holds his form well and can string together victories. He didn’t have to work too hard to win last out at Mr. Prospector, and should have plenty in the tank to score another big prize here.

2. Senior Officer (7-2)

Patience has been the key with Senior Officer, and the Brad Cox trainee is finally coming into his own. He was a promising prospect early: he didn’t debut until September of his sophomore year, won on debut, and then was a close second to a good one in Harrodsburg. He didn’t race again for a year and a half, but returned this year as good as ever. He rides a three-win streak into the Forego, and though none of those races were stakes races, he has shown he can win either an open-lengths procession or a down-and-dirty late-stage fight.

He’s going to need one more move forward to take it to Book’em Danno; the favorite’s usual day at the office is faster, and the favorite is more class-proven. But, Senior Officer is still lightly-enough raced to have upside, and he is consistent and tactical enough to merit a chance at the top of the division. Book’em Danno knows how to battle late as well, as he showed against Bentornato two back – but if anyone in this field has shown recent form that suggests he might give Book’em Danno a run for his money, it’s Senior Officer.

3. Hymn (12-1)

Among the price horses in this field, Hymn has the most going for him. Though he was defeated last out by Built, he didn’t run poorly, especially since he was bumped early. This is a tougher class test than he’s ever had, but his best day doesn’t put him too far off. His tendency to sit within a few lengths of the pace is a good thing, and he doesn’t need a fast pace to unfold in front of him in order to get going in the last few furlongs.

The seven-furlong distance is interesting, too. Hymn has raced just twice at the seven-furlong distance, and though he was well-beaten at the trip last summer, he showed up with aplomb three back to win a second-level allowance three back at the distance. He’s only four this year, meaning he was probably just a better horse now than when he tried the distance last summer.

The biggest concern, really, is the fact that trainer Ron Moquett doesn’t make the biggest impact in graded-stakes races. But, when he has the right horse, he can win at the level – after all, remember Whitmore? That sort of thing is a bigger concern at a short price than these long shot odds – and more relevant is the fact that Hymn fit right in when trying graded foes for the first time last out.

Forego Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Forego Stakes?

A: The Forego Stakes happens Saturday, August 29, at 5:11 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Q: Where is the Forego Stakes?

A: The Forego Stakes happens at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. The race will be run as the 11th on Saratoga’s 14-race Travers Stakes day card.

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

A: The late Robert Frankel has the most victories in the Forego; he won four times between 2003 and 2008. Among the trainers with horses in the 2026 edition, four have won it once before. Derek Ryan goes for the repeat with last year’s winner Book’em Danno, Bill Mott (T Kraft) won in 2022 with Cody’s Wish, Ron Moquett (Hymn) won in 2018 with Whitmore, and David Jacobson (Banishing) won in 2013 with Strapping Groom.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Forego Stakes?

A: Last year’s winner Book;em Danno is the even-money morning-line favorite in his repeat attempt. He should hold as the favorite: he carries a two-win streak into the race and he is an impressive five-for-six over the dirt at the Spa.

Q: Who is the best Forego Stakes jockey?

A: Angel Cordero, Jr. is the all-time leader with four wins in this race between 1981 and 1987. Ricardo Santana, Jr. won the race in 2018 with Whitmore, 2019 with Mitole, and 2021 with Yaupon, and he can tie Cordero if he rides Hymn to victory for Whitmore’s own trainer, Ron Moquett.

Q: Who won the Forego Stakes in 2025?

A: Book’em Danno won the 2025 Forego Stakes for trainer Derek Ryan and jockey Paco Lopez. They are still the team behind him as he goes for a repeat.

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