Brian Zipse

Much maligned for decades, American turf racing has long played second fiddle behind our nation’s preferred surface of dirt. Those of us who love good grass racing, though, really love it despite our country’s shortcomings when compared to the turf horses of other nations.

This is the 26th installment of a weekly feature on Horse Racing Nation that tracks Triple Crown horses all the way through the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga.

The final act of the 2026 Triple Crown will play out Saturday at Saratoga as nine sophomore colts look to add a classic victory to their resume. A big winner in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby and a narrow runner-up in the Kentucky Derby, Renegade was installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite in the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes.

Their respective running styles could not be any farther apart but on Saturday at Saratoga, Golden Tempo and Englishman looked like the best two sophomore colts in the land. The biggest thing they have in common is they both reside in the barn of trainer Cherie DeVaux.

Fresh off a pair of dominant wins in the Hot Springs Stakes and the Texas Derby, it’s time for Desert Gate to face some stiffer competition. He’ll find just that at Thistledown on Saturday.

With the Triple Crown behind us and Golden Tempo the established leader of the pack, it’s time to look ahead to what is setting up to be an intriguing and exciting second half of the season. Before arriving at Keeneland for the 2026 edition of the Breeders’ Cup, racing action will be heating up across the country for major summer races.

This year’s Preakness Stakes was advertised as the weak sister of the 2026 Triple Crown series. While Golden Tempo, Renegade, Commandment, and Chief Wallabee all took a hard pass on the middle jewel, they still ran the race at Laurel Park. The brunt of jokes before and after Napoleon Solo’s victory, the Preakness may yet enjoy the last laugh.

I hate to say goodbye. A fixture of American racing for much more than my lifetime, it’s time to draw the curtain on the Big A.

As the second half of the racing season begins, Further Ado remains one of the most interesting horses among this year’s 3-year-old crop. With less than two weeks to go until what promises to be a loaded edition of the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell Stakes, handicapping the big race at Monmouth Park could be as simple as predicting what we will see from the talented son of Gun Runner.

Overshadowed in his own barn by the likes of White Abarrio and Skippylongstocking, Navajo Warrior continues to clim the ranks of the older male division, and his best may yet still be to come.