Horse Racing Betting Online
One of the joys of ringing in the New Year is that the Triple Crown horse racing season begins with the road to the Kentucky Derby. Sharp gamblers love the Kentucky Derby prep races because they can often find good lines with less casual sector influence. Indeed, opportunities abound on the road to Derby Day.
Known as “The Sport of Kings,” horse racing has never been easier to wager on, thanks to online and mobile betting. Just as exciting, incentives have never been greater or more rewarding for our horseplayers at Bookmaker. Among the benefits of playing with us are up to eight percent in daily rebates, full track odds, the most major and minor tracks offered in the industry, up to post-time wagering, and daily head-to-head horse matchups.
Horse Racing Betting Lines
Dubai World Cup
2026 Dubai World Cup
Date: Saturday, March 28, 2026
Location: Meydan Racecourse, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dubai World Cup TV Coverage: TVG
The first major horse race of the year is the prestigious Dubai World Cup. As we have seen in other sports, the Dubai World Cup has grown in importance due to massive prize pools that attract the world's top thoroughbreds to compete in the United Arab Emirates. The Dubai World Cup is the marquee race of Dubai World Cup Night, which has eight thoroughbred races and one Purebred Arabian race. The Dubai World Cup has a prize purse of $12 million.
Saratoga Race Course
Saratoga Saturdays are back at BookMaker, with all Saturday races featuring raised limits from $30K max payouts to $100K max payouts. For 2026, the Saratoga racing season runs from July 3 to Labor Day. Its two biggest races are the famed Travers Stakes and Whitney Stakes.
The Triple Crown of horse racing features three of the biggest United States races on the annual calendar. It all begins on the first Saturday in May with the Kentucky Derby. It continues two weeks later with the Preakness Stakes and wraps up with the Belmont three weeks later. Any horse that can win all three races earns the rare Triple Crown. There was a long Triple Crown drought: from 1979 to 2014, there was no winner. American Pharaoh ended the drought in 2015, and Justify won the Triple Crown in 2018. The Belmont Stakes is where the Triple Crown is clinched or lost.
152nd Kentucky Derby
Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026
Location: Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY
Race Distance: 1 1/4 miles ( 10 furlongs ), dirt track
Purse: $5 million
While the favorites will get a lot of attention in Kentucky Derby odds, it should be noted that the Kentucky Derby betting favorite has been a consistent historical loser. In fact, only 49 chalks have taken the blanket of roses.
151st Preakness Stakes
Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026
Location: Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, MD
Race Distance: 1 3/16 Miles
Purse: $2 million
The Preakness Stakes is the second race in horse racing’s Triple Crown, following the Kentucky Derby, which is held on the first Saturday in May and three weeks before the Belmont Stakes in early June. The Preakness Stakes almost always has added excitement because the Kentucky Derby winner will be trying to keep his Triple Crown hopes alive.
157th Belmont Stakes
Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026
Location: Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, NY (Belmont Park Construction)
Race Distance: 1 1/4 miles ( 12 furlongs ), dirt track
Purse: $2 million
Known as “The Test of the Champion,” the Belmont Stakes is the longest of the Triple Crown races. Many horses have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, but it’s uncommon to see a horse that can complete the final marathon leg and all of its pressure. Secretariat’s 31-length win at the 1973 Belmont remains one of the most awe-inspiring performances in sports history.
The 2026 Belmont Stakes will have an interesting twist. Due to renovations at Belmont Park, the race will be run at the famed and historic Saratoga Race Course for the third and final time. Also, the race is expected to be shortened to a mile and a quarter because of the Saratoga track configuration.
The Belmont Stakes is expected to return to Belmont Park in 2027.
Breeders' Cup
2026 Breeders' Cup
Date: October 30 – November 31, 2026
Location: Keeneland Race Course, Lexington, KY
Horse racing rarely draws mainstream attention outside the Triple Crown, but the Breeders’ Cup is one exception. For two days, the greatest horses, trainers, and jockeys in the world convene for a level of quality that is unsurpassed in the sport. The Breeders’ Cup Classic is a pivotal race with the greatest living horses of any age running for glory. For two days, Horse Racing offers a high-quality fantasy racing-style experience for an exciting reality.
Top Contenders for the 2026 Triple Crown
At the onset of 2026, it was Ted Noffey leading the way. By virtue of his three Grade 1 wins in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by TAA, Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity, and Spendthrift Farm Hopeful Stakes, he’s virtually certain to be voted champion 2-year-old male of 2025, and he’s hands-down our top-ranked contender for the 2026 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. Golden Tempo won his debut with a tremendous performance. He failed to show any early speed, dropping back to last place by more than nine lengths. He was still in last place by seven lengths with only a quarter-mile left to run. Victory appeared impossible, but by blazing his final quarter-mile in:23.67, Golden Tempo roared past nine rivals to win by 1 ½ lengths in 1:10.66.
Golden Tempo’s fast finish agrees with his pedigree and suggests he’ll improve substantially over longer distances.
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