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U. S. S. Valor, Saratoga Race Course, Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown, horse racing, America's Best Racing, ABR

Rookie Rankings: Five 2-Year-Old Prospects to Watch From 2026 Saratoga Meet

During two-plus months of exciting summer racing at Saratoga Race Course, we witnessed many talented 2-year-old Thoroughbreds deliver eye-catching victories suggesting they’re serious prospects for the 2026 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, 2027 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, and 2027 Kentucky Oaks.

Which of these rising stars impressed the most? In reverse order, here’s how we rank the top five 2-year-olds who raced during the 2026 summer at Saratoga:

Pennsylvania Derby, Cheat Sheet, Zihnal, Iron Honor, Our Moneyman, Igniter, Talk to Me Jimmy, The Puma, Further Ado, Freedom’s Echo, Sassmaster, Micanopy, Ponder and Dream, owner, trainer, jockey, horse racing, ABR

2026 Pennsylvania Derby Cheat Sheet

The $1 million Pennsylvania Derby is the final major stakes race on dirt restricted to 3-year-olds in 2026, and this year’s 46th edition Sept. 19 at Parx Racing drew a very competitive 11-horse field vying for a share of the race’s lucrative purse.

Woodbine, Churchill Downs, Breeders’ Cup, Kentucky Derby, Notable Speech, Appleby, Buick, Deterministic, Mile, Iroquois Stakes, Baffert, Jose Ortiz, Geroux, Coach Pope, E. P. Taylor, Gimme a Nother, Motion, Velazquez, ABR

Key Takeaways from the Woodbine Mile and Other Weekend Races

America’s Best Racing editor Patrick Reed presents takeaways from big Sept.

2026 Woodbine Mile, Woodbine Race Course, Notable Speech, Deterministic, Charlie Appleby, Godolphin

Notable Speech Wins Woodbine Mile, Gimme a Nother, Al Hudaiba, Voyager also Earn BC Berths

In a display of sheer determination, a trait that earned him the 2025 Eclipse Award for champion turf male, Notable Speech returned to Woodbine Sept. 12 and won the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile Stakes for a second consecutive year.

Salahudin, Bob Baffert, 2026 Iroquois Stakes, Road to the 2027 Kentucky Derby

Baffert ‘Big Baby’ Salahudin Wins Iroquois in First Prep on Road to 2027 Kentucky Derby

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert believed that Salahudin, his favorite for the $300,000 Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes, would appreciate stretching out to a mile and every inch of the long Churchill Downs stretch. That statement turned out to be prophetic.

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