Horse Racing Information: Del Mar, Santa Anita Upcoming Stakes; Kentucky Derby Preps; Key 2026 Racing Dates
For handicappers, the horse racing season by no means ends. Generally, although, there’s a short trip from the insanity of selecting winners within the greatest races of the 12 months.
Now that the 42nd Breeders’ Cup is within the rearview mirror, with a slew of winners being retired and others given a break in severe coaching, let’s look forward to closing out 2025 and what massive dates are for 2026.
In 2025, 93 Grade 1 races had been on the North American horse racing calendar. After 14 Grade 1s had been run on the Breeders’ Cup on Oct. 31-Nov. 1. There are 5 remaining – all in California.
At Del Mar, there’s the Hollywood Derby (G1) on Nov. 29 and the Matriarch Stakes (G1) on Nov. 30, closing day at Del Mar.
On opening day at Santa Anita (Dec. 26), there’s the American Oaks (G1), the La Brea Stakes (G1), and the Malibu Stakes (G1).
In recent times, just a few Grade 1s have been downgraded to Grade 2 by the American Graded Stakes Committee, together with the Clark Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs on Nov. 28, and the Cigar Mile (G2) at Aqueduct on Dec. 6.
There are a handful of preps providing qualifying factors for the 2026 Kentucky Derby, the primary leg of the Triple Crown on Might 2 at Churchill Downs.
The Kentucky Derby Preps Races Lineup By the Finish of the Yr (all provide factors of 10-5-3-2-1):
The Races:
- Nov. 29 — $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Membership (G2), 1 1/16 miles, Churchill Downs
- Dec. 6 — $250,000 Remsen Stakes (G2), 1 1/8 miles, Aqueduct
- Dec. 13 — $200,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (G2), 1 1/16 miles, Los Alamitos
- Dec. 20 — $100,000 Gun Runner Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Truthful Grounds
- Dec. 20 — $300,000 Springboard Mile, 1 mile, Remington Park
Kentucky Oaks Prep Races Lineup By the Finish of the Yr (all provide factors of 10-5-3-2-1):
The street to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on Might 1 additionally has its share of point-qualifiers to shut out the 12 months.
The Races:
- Nov. 29 — $400,000 Golden Rod Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Churchill Downs
- Dec. 6 — $250,000 Demoiselle Stakes (G2), 1 1/8 miles, Aqueduct
- Dec. 6 — $200,000 Starlet Stakes (G2), 1 1/16 miles, Los Alamitos
- Dec. 20 — $100,000 Untapable Stakes, 1 mile, 70 yards, Truthful Grounds
2026 Preakness Stakes: Hi there, Laurel Park
Whereas Pimlico Race Course undergoes an enormous rebuild, the Preakness Stakes (G1), the second leg of the Triple Crown, will likely be held at Laurel Park on Might 16.
It will likely be the primary time in 151 editions of the Preakness that the race will likely be at Laurel, 28 miles south of Pimlico in Baltimore.
The race will likely be contested on the conventional 1 3/16 miles distance. The Preakness Stakes is scheduled to return to Pimlico in 2027, and the observe at Laurel will likely be closed.
2026 Belmont Stakes: Yet another time on the Spa
For the third straight 12 months, the 2026 Belmont Stakes, the ultimate leg of the Triple Crown, will likely be run at New York’s upstate Saratoga Race Course. And once more, the Belmont Stakes distance will likely be 1 ¼ miles for the third 12 months in a row reasonably than the standard 1 ½ miles because of the configuration of the Saratoga course.
The large rebuild of Belmont Park is scheduled for completion someday in late 2026, with an anticipated opening within the fall of 2026.
Whereas the 43rd Breeders’ Cup is ready for Keeneland on Oct. 30-31, the 2027 version was awarded to Belmont Park (Oct. 29-30, 2027)
Eclipse Awards in late January
The 55th Eclipse Awards are Jan. 22 at The Breakers in Palm Seashore, Florida.
Champions are decided by voting by the Nationwide Turf Writers and Broadcasters (NTWAB), the Every day Racing Kind, Nationwide Thoroughbred Racing Affiliation (NTRA) member racing officers, and Equibase discipline personnel.
The awards honor champions in a number of equine divisions and human classes. The occasion takes place two days earlier than the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park, that includes the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1).
2026 Saudi Cup, Dubai World Cup dates
Internationally, the 2026 racing schedule options the $20 million Saudi Cup (G1) in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 14, the $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on March 28.
Additionally, the Royal Ascot meet at Ascot Racecourse runs from June 16-20. The Prix l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) at Longchamp in Paris is in early October. The Melbourne Cup (G1) is Nov. 3.
The writing group at US Racing is comprised of each full-time and part-time contributors with experience in varied features of the Sport of Kings.
