If you are reading this story, chances are you are either planning to bet or attend the 2026 Far Hills Race Meeting. Analyzing races and betting on them can be both complex and a little daunting for newcomers. Never fear, we’ve got you covered. If you are trying to figure out how, who, and what to bet at the races, America’s Best Racing is here to help!

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The first section below features key betting terms to know for a day at the races. The section after that features selections for the six races Oct. 17 at Far Hills from America’s Best Racing’s Noel Michaels.

Far Hills has partnered with NYRA Bets and 4NJ Bets as the betting partners for this year's racecard.

Noel's selections have been featured just about everywhere horse racing picks can be found, including in print in the Daily Racing Form, The HorsePlayer Magazine and American Turf Monthly, online at DRF.com, Twinspires.com and USRacing.com, from the paddock on-track at Arlington International Racecourse, and on dozens of radio and television shows.

The final two sections include some additional racing terms that might come up during the day at Far Hills so you are up to speed on the unique language of horse racing.

Betting Basics

Win bet – A bet on a horse to finish first.

Place bet – A bet on a horse to finish first or second.

Show bet – A bet on a horse to finish in the money; third or better.

Across the board – A bet on a horse to win, place, and show. If the horse wins, the bettor collects three ways; if second, two ways (place, show); and if third, one way, losing the win and place bets. It's actually three bets.

Exacta – A wager in which the first two finishers in a race, in exact order of finish, must be picked.

Trifecta – A bet in which the first three finishers must be selected in exact order.

Daily Double (or Double) – Type of bet calling for the selection of winners of two consecutive races.

Morning line – The odds that the track handicapper predicts a horse will be to win the race when it starts.

Did you know? When placing a bet, state the name of the track (Far Hills), the race number you want to place a wager on, the amount of the bet, the type of bet, and the horse you would like to be on in that order. For example, Far Hills, Race 2, $5 to win on #3. 

Be ready to place your bets in advance. Download the NYRA Bets and 4NJ Bets apps ahead of time so you’re ready to wager.

Far Hills Race Analysis From Noel Michaels

Far Hills, Race 1, $75,000 Harry E. Harris Stakes presented by Double Cross Vodka, 12:50 p.m. ET

Kennedy, left, and Elliott teamed to win four races at Far Hills in 2025 (Far Hills Race Meeting/Skip Dickstein)

The six-race 2026 Far Hills meet begins with this 2 1/8-mile hurdle race that drew a seven-horse field. The 2025 Far Hills races were famously dominated by trainer Gordon Elliott, who swept the five jumps races, including four wins with jockey Jack Kennedy aboard including last year’s running of this race. In Saturday’s opener, Elliott will team up with Kennedy on #1 Porcupine Bank, who crosses the pond with a solid record of two wins, a second, and two thirds in five lifetime races so far in Ireland and England. Based strictly on the connections, Porcupine Bank figures to be a prickly top contender at Far Hills. The top U.S.-based challenger in the field is #6 Pudding Lane, who has had a winning year so far with two victories in as many races, including the Speedy Smithwick Stakes in his most recent outing. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he makes it three in a row. #3 Pleasant Fantasy enjoyed a positive form turnaround last time with a big win at Colonial Downs. When he’s good, he’s good enough to be a threat to finish in the money vs. these.

The Play: The pick is #1 Porcupine Bank (6-5) to win. Also bet Porcupine Bank in exacta and trifecta boxes along with is #3 Pleasant Fantasy (3-1) and #6 Pudding Lane (6-1).

Far Hills, Race 2, $64,000 McDynamo Maiden Sweepstakes, 1:35 p.m. ET

A field of seven maiden jumpers has been assembled for this race at a distance of 2 1/8 miles. Last year’s winning jockey-trainer combo of Elliott and Kennedy team up with another top contender in this year’s race with #6 San Hilario, who is still a maiden after 12 steeplechase races but has been knocking on the door on several occasions with five second-place finishes, including three seconds already this year. There are no other standouts entered in the race, so once again we’ll default to the horse sent out by the connections that dominated this meet last year. #3 Lost in the Dream won two distance turf races to begin his career in England and came over to the United States last time to run a clear second in a 10-horse field over hurdles. He has yet to run a bad race and looms the top challenger. #7 Rotterdam has proven himself to be a quality racehorse in flat races with four wins and a total of 12 in-the-money finishes in 18 races, but so far that success has not translated to the jumps where he is 0-for-3 this year. He very likely would have been amongst the favorites in the $150,000 John Forbes Memorial Stakes (today’s race 6), but instead he turns up in this spot, which certainly gives food for thought, however, at 10-1 odds on the morning line.

The Play: The pick to win is #6 San Hilario (9-5), and you can bet three-horse exacta and trifecta boxes along with #3 Lost in the Dream (3-1) and #7 Rotterdam (10-1).

Far Hills, Race 3, $100,000 Peapack Hurdle Handicap, 2:26 p.m. ET

Racing action at the 2024 Far Hills Race Meet (Far Hills Race Meeting/Skip Dickstein)

The Grade 2 Peapack Hurdle has drawn a field of seven mares set to go 2 1/8 miles for a purse of $100,000. #7 Blue Waters exits a win in the similar Grade 2 Margaret Currey Henley Stakes in her most recent race where she defeated #1 Timetoshine and further back #4 Anoint and #5 Gold Charm. Based on that win, Blue Waters will be the horse to beat once again over a mostly familiar field. Timetoshine, Anoint, and Gold Charm look like Saturday’s other top contenders. Timetoshine and Gold Charm each have more current good form to their credit than Blue Waters, with both exiting a 1-2 finish in a Grade 2 stakes race at Colonial Downs last month. Note that Timetoshine finished last in last year’s running of this race while Anoint finished second.

The Play: Play #7 Blue Waters (4-1) to win and box her in exactas and trifectas along with #1 Timetoshine (3-1) and #5 Gold Charm (9-5).

Far Hills, Race 4, $150,000 Foxbrook Champion Hurdle presented by FanDuel, 3:11 p.m. ET

The Foxbrook Champion Hurdle Stakes has drawn a seven-horse field set to go 2 ½ miles. Last year’s winning trainer of this race, Gordon Elliott, sends out a major contender yet again this year with #7 Lizzie Twigg coming in with four wins in Ireland this year, including a three-race winning streak. Lizzie Twigg’s three recent wins have come by a combined margin of 14 ½ lengths and included an 8 1/2-length victory in a 24-horse field on June 6. Jack Kennedy, who won four races at Far Hills in 2025, gets the mount. #5 Vae Patron is the morning-line favorite and has been competitive in his career at the very top level of the sport in the United States with second- and third-place finishes in the Grade 1 Calvin Houghland Iroquois Stakes in 2024-’25, respectively, and a runner-up finish in the Grade 1 Colonial Cup last fall on his resume. He has more than enough class to win this race, but he has raced just once so far in 2026 and did not finish in that race. He’ll be an 8-year-old adding blinkers for the first time in his career on Saturday. You may not want to leave him out of your bets completely, but it’s difficult to depend on him as your top horse, even at this lower level than all of his other races the past two years. Finally, if you are looking for an option beyond the favorites, #2 Predominate is worth a shot based on his two wins so far this year, including at Fair Hill in the Valentine Memorial Stakes atop a 10-horse field on May 25. Predominate’s uncompetitive last-place finish last time came on a very soft turf course, but the course conditions should be much better on Saturday.

The Play: Bet on the mare #7 Lizzie Twigg (3-1) to beat the boys and use her in exacta and trifecta boxes along with #2 Predominate (8-1) and #5 Vae Patron (8-5).

Far Hills, Race 5, $300,000 American Grand National Stakes, 4:05 p.m. ET

Learn more about the Far Hills Race Meet

Saturday’s featured race at Far Hills is the Grade 1 American Grand National Stakes with a field of eight set to run 2 5/8 miles for a $300,000 purse. Last year’s defending champion is in the field as #7 Zanahiyr returns seeking a repeat victory, but his form from 2025 has not held up so far in 2026 and we’ll be looking elsewhere for this year’s winner. As stated earlier, trainer Gordon Elliott ruled this meet last year and he shows up this year not only with Zanahiyr but also with Irish invader #5 Western Fold, who is going to be the selection in the feature race with last year’s winning jockey Jack Kennedy aboard. Western Fold won a stakes race in April with Kennedy aboard after competing in high-level races all year long. He most recently competed in a flat prep race in his recent outing while seemingly being pointed to this start at Far Hills. He’ll be ready to roll now as the horse to beat. #3 Mr Percy has had a solid campaign in 2026 and really blossomed in his two most recent races with back-to-back stakes wins at Saratoga in the Jonathan Kiser Memorial Stakes, where he beat next-out Michael G. Walsh Stakes winner Cyber Ninja, and then last time in the Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard Memorial Handicap. Jockey Graham Watters is annually one of the leading riders on the steeplechase circuit and he won this race in 2024 aboard Snap Decision. #6 Zabeel Champion is another major contender to at least hit the board in this year’s Grand National. He exits a sub-par performance last time on a soft turf course that he didn’t appear to handle, but before that had reeled off two straight graded stakes wins this season, including a victory in the prestigious Grade 1 Iroquois Stakes. Trainer Jack “Doc” Fisher has had an illustrious career was the trainer of 2024 Grand National champion Snap Decision.

The Play: Bet #5 Western Fold (2-1) to win and play exacta and trifecta boxes along with #3 Mr Percy (8-1) and #6 Zabeel Champion (4-1).

Far Hills, Race 6, $150,000 John Forbes Memorial Stakes Presented by Monmouth Park (flat), 4:50 p.m. ET

The flat 2-mile John Forbes Memorial has almost achieved co-featured status on the Far Hills program the last couple of years as the final race on the card, and this year’s Forbes stacks up as a very good betting race with a field of 13 entrants. Last year’s Forbes winner #2 Fleetfoot is back in search of a repeat triumph, and he ranks as the horse to beat after crushing the field by nine lengths on this course last year. He added another two-mile flat win to his resume earlier this year in a Fair Hill allowance race, and note that he had a tough trip when shut off in the stretch when he lost to some of these same horses in a two-mile race at Colonial Downs last time out. Let’s see if he can rediscover some of last year’s magic again in the nightcap. Trainer Graham Motion won this race two years ago with The Grey Wizard and he has a solid chance to win again this year with his contender, #1 Soleil Volant, who has yet to try his luck beyond 1 ½ miles but seems well-suited to this long distance test for a barn that trains them to go long with much success. Soleil Volant has been facing quality turf horses such as Just a Touch, Ole Crazy Bone, Minaret Station, and Fort George in much tougher spots this year and, if he handles two miles, he’ll be tough for these horses to beat. For a sneaky contender that can really bump up the value of your exactas and trifectas with a good effort, let’s also go ahead and include #8 Padiddle in our wagers at 15-1 on the morning line. He finished third in the two-mile H. Allen Jerkens Handicap nearly a year ago and more recently just missed by a head when second in a $185,000 race at Kentucky Downs in a 10-horse field going 1 ½ miles. This will be Padiddle’s second race off the layoff, and while he doesn’t win a lot, he does have a knack for finishing in the money.

The Play: Bet #2 Fleetfoot (4-1) to win and box him in the exactas and trifectas along with #1 Soleil Volant (3-1) and #8 Padiddle (15-1).

Visit farhillsrace.org to learn more about the Far Hills Race Meeting and to get tickets.

Visit the National Steeplechase Association website.

Additional Horse Racing Terms to Know

Stakes – A race for which the owner usually must pay a fee to run a horse. The fees can be for nominating, maintaining eligibility, entering and starting, to which the track adds more money to make up the total purse. Some stakes races are by invitation and require no payment or fee.

The 2023 American Grand National (Far Hills/Skip Dickstein)

Steeplechase – A race in which horses are required to jump a series of obstacles on the course. Steeplechase races in the United States are run over National Fences (artificial brush fences), natural brush fences, and timber fences. In England and Ireland, jump races are over hurdles and steeplechase fences.

Jumper – Steeplechase or hurdle horse.

Past performances – A horse’s racing record, earnings, bloodlines, and other data, presented in composite form in places like the track program or Daily Racing Form.

Dam – The mother of a horse.

Sire – Father of a horse.

Furlong – An eighth of a mile. Thus, a 12-furlong race is 1 1/2 miles.

Length – A measurement approximating the length of a horse, used to denote distance between horses in a race.

Simple Guide to Racehorse Running Styles

Front-runner – A horse whose running style is to attempt to get on or near the lead at the start of the race and to continue there as long as possible. Also known as a pacesetter.

Stalker – A horse that is capable of relaxing early in races behind the pacesetter but with enough speed to stay closer to the front so he/she has less ground to make up late in a race.

Closer – A horse that runs best in the latter part of the race, coming from off the pace.