Each new year in horse racing brings with it a great anticipation for what lies ahead. Let’s look for ways racing fans can make 2026 even better than the past your for ourselves and others. Here’s our list of New Year’s Resolutions fans and horseplayers can make for 2026. Have a happy new year!

1) Support your local racetrack

Construction of a new Belmont Park. (Adam Coglianese/NYRA)

Racetracks seem to be an endangered species these days, and the list of racetracks that are gone forever gets bigger each and every year. Many of us do much of our day-to-day watching and wagering on horseracing online or at an OTB these days, and while these are fine options, you should always try to take the time and make the effort to visit your local racetrack and watch and wager on the races live and in person whenever possible. It will remind you why you became a fan in the first place. For example, in 2026, Aqueduct will join the roll call of tracks to close up shop. Instead of letting it become a negative, however, turn the situation into a positive by visiting the brand-new reimagined Belmont Park set to open this coming fall.

2) Donate to a horse- or horse racing-related charity

If you love horses and/or horse racing, one of the best ways to show that is by charitable giving. Some of the most popular options include the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, Thoroughbred Charities of America, and the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF).

3) Introduce your friends to horse racing

It’s a lot of pressure to bring friends to the racetrack who are novices to the sport and are not already fans, because they assume you know everything and when you bet you should be able to win every race. They will be disappointed when you don’t. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t let this stop you from inviting your friends out for a day at the races. Share your hobby with your friends – it’s your chance to turn them into fans.

4) Qualify for the National Horseplayers Championship

Every single horseplayer and handicapper should have trying to qualify for this annual event on their “to-do” list.  The NTRA National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) is the “holy grail” for handicappers. It is an annual three-day tournament that awards cash prizes in the $3 million range plus an Eclipse Award to the winner, and even if you don’t win it’s nevertheless an experience that attendees will not soon forget. What better place to is there to spend a weekend amongst a large group of people that all share your passion for betting on horse racing? First you must qualify. Go to www.NTRA.com/nhc for all the information on how to get involved. The next NHC finals will be March 13-15, 2026, at Horseshoe Las Vegas.

5) Pick the Kentucky Derby winner

Kentucky Derby Day 2024. (Eclipse Sportswire)

This is easier said than done. There is no single race that gets as much attention and scrutiny months and months in advance as the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, and there is no other race like it in North America. With full 19-20-horse fields being the norm these days, picking the winner of this race can be as challenging as it is rewarding. Rich Strike’s 80.80-1 victory and $163.60 payoff in 2022 reminds that you cannot discount the chances of any horse in the starting gate. Did you pick Sovereignty to win in 2025? He was the third favorite in the race and he paid $17.96 to win for a $2 wager.

6) Watch and wager on the Breeders’ Cup

This is a no-brainer. If the Kentucky Derby is the biggest race of the year, it is Breeders’ Cup Saturday that is the biggest day of the year in horse racing with not one, but nine championship races. The Breeders’ Cup World Championships is truly a can’t-miss event on the annual calendar for horseplayers and racing fans. Put the 2026 Breeders’ Cup on your agenda now and circle the dates set for Oct. 30-Oct. 31 at Keeneland.

7) Make a pilgrimage to the epicenters of the sport

Saratoga in upstate New York and Del Mar near San Diego, Calif., are the summer showplaces of Thoroughbred racing, and both are worthy vacation destinations for racing fans. Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., offers the best the sport has to offer each spring and fall right in the heart of bluegrass country where the culture and the people eat, sleep, and breathe horse racing. Soon, the new Belmont Park in Long Island will rise as a glittering new jewel in the crown of the sport. Put at least one of these racetracks on your 2026 travel itinerary and you won’t regret it.

8) Hit the Pick 6 or Pick 5

You can’t win if you don’t play. The Pick 6 was once the realm only of big-money players and syndicates, but not anymore. Pick 6 bets are available in 20-cent denominations almost everywhere these days. If the Pick 6 isn’t for you, certainly the Pick 5 can be. There is usually at least one Pick 5 per day available at most tracks, and with 50-cent denominations the norm you can play tons of combinations and raise your odds of winning. The payoffs can be enormous, so go ahead, swing for the fences.