Horse Racing Betting News This Month | Golden Tempo Tipped For Travers, Breeders' Cup Futures & Market Watch | August, 2026

By Bob Duff, Updated on: Aug 11, 2026

With two-thirds of the horse racing Triple Crown already etched on his resume, Golden Tempo is aiming for another big win later this month. The Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner is gearing up for the $1.25 million Travers Stakes. The last of the major Grade 1 stakes races in the three-year-old division, the Travers Stakes is set for August 29 at New York’s Saratoga Race Course.

Trainer Cherie DeVaux reported that Golden Tempo is regaining weight and conditioning following a recent illness. That ailment caused his handlers to pull the horse out of the Jim Dandy Stakes.

GOLDEN TEMPO (inside) @jose93_ortiz up, breezing this Sunday morning with a stablemate at @Saratoga1863 as the @RealDeUavx trainee prepares for his run next in the Travers Stakes on August 29th.

GOLDEN TEMPO (por dentro) con Jose Luis Ortiz up, briseó este domingo por la mañana… pic.twitter.com/hOaWJ4ODuw

— Agentes305 (@agentes305) July 26, 2026

Golden Tempo returned to the track on July 26 for a workout at Saratoga. With regular jockey Jose Ortiz up, Golden Tempo was timed in 23 4/5 for his first quarter mile. He clocked in at 1:01 2/5 for five furlongs and 1:14 1/5 for six furlongs.

The Travers Stakes will go at a distance of 1 1/4 Miles (10 furlongs) on Saratoga’s dirt surface. Known as the Midsummer Derby, the Travers Stakes is the oldest major thoroughbred horse race in North America. It was first contested in 1864. Held each August, the race regularly attracts the best three-year-old racehorses in North America.

Past winners include Sovereignty (2025), Alydar (1978), and Whirlaway (1941). Whirlaway is the only Triple Crown winner to win the Travers Stakes.

Key market storylines driving futures odds

In upcoming stakes races, August provides the Travers Stakes and the King’s Plate, the first leg of Canada’s Triple Crown.

July delivered a stunning long-shot win by Baby Vino in the Haskell Stakes. Could that result change the summer three-year-old picture and give bettors a new angle for Breeders’ Cup Classic futures?

Below, we break down the latest horse racing betting storylines, including Haskell Stakes results, Travers Stakes futures, Breeders’ Cup market movement, and the summer races bettors should be watching next. For everything about betting on horse racing in general, be sure to check out our handy and informative horse racing betting guide, which contains all things about the sport of kings. As well, there are detailed guides about some of the very best horse racing sports betting sites around. And if you are new to sports betting, you’d do yourself a service by reading our how to bet on sports guide.

Let’s take a glance at what futures odds are drawing the market’s attention this month.

Latest Breeders' Cup Classic News

Magnitude ready to get back on track

Sovereignty tuning up for a rematch

How Does Golden Tempo's ailment reshape the Breeders’ Cup Classic picture

Knightsbridge states his case

Japanese horse ready to defend title

With his emphatic win in the June 27 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs, Magnitude reclaimed the top spot in the NTRA rankings. The Steve Asmussen-trained colt beat both 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty and Grade 1 stakes winner Baez to the wire for that victory. Magnitude has eight wins from 14 career starts. This win came in his first start since Magnitude’s wire-to-wire victory in the March 28 Dubai World Cup. Magnitude also had a win last year in the Clark Stakes. The horse is set for a rematch with Sovereignty and Baeza at the $1 million Whitney Stakes on August 8 at Saratoga Race Course.

The Eclipse Award winner as the 2025 horse of the year, Sovereignty’s four-year-old campaign is off to an ordinary start. The horse was second in the Oaklawn Handicap at Oaklawn Park. He was then third to Magnitude in the Stephen Foster Stakes. As a three-year-old, Sovereignty won six of 11 starts. The trainee of William Mott was the first horse since 1995 to win the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Travers Stakes in the same year. Sovereignty recently tuned up for the upcoming $1 million Whitney Stakes by breezing five furlongs in 1:01 flat on the Oklahoma training track

Golden Tempo was changing the summer futures picture. Then he got sick. The Kentucky Derby winner came back to win the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga, confirming his place as one of the leading three-year-olds in the country. That result should make him a major name in early Breeders’ Cup Classic discussions. But then an illness put the horse on the shelf. Golden Tempo's trainer, Cherie DeVaux, opted to keep her horse out of the July 1 Jim Dandy Stakes. They are also skipping the July 18 Haskell Stakes. Golden Tempo is slated to be back on the track for the August 29 Travers Stakes at Saratoga to see if he can complete the same feat as Sovereignty did last year. He will need an impressive performance to reassure bettors that he remains a force to be reckoned with.

With a win in the Monmouth Cup, veteran campaigner Knightsbridge reminded everyone that he was looming on the Breeders' Cup Classic horizon. The five-year-old successfully made his two-turn debut, cruising to a front-running 10 1/4-length victory in the 1 1/8-mile Grade 3 stakes race at Monmouth Park and earning a 122 Beyer Speed Figure. It was his third graded stakes victory of the year. Trainer Bill Mott is considering Knightsbridge for the $1 million Pacific Classic on August 22 at Del Mar. That could lead to a rematch with Nysos. Nysos beat Knightsbridge by four lengths in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap on June 6.

Forever Young, the Japanese horse that won last year's Breeders' Cup Classic, is living up to his name. The horse is showing no signs of slowing down in his five-year-old season. Forever Young was second to Magnitude in the Dubai World Cup. Previously, he defended his title in the Saudi Gold Cup, the first horse ever to do that in the history of the race. As a three-year-old, Forever Young was third in the Breeders' Cup Classic and in the Kentucky Derby.

Great magnitude in Breeders' Cup Classic early lines

Magnitude is the +450 betting favorite in the Breeders' Cup Classic future book odds. The four-year-old racehorse is three-for-three in 2026, with a bankroll of more than $8.3 million.

Defending Breeders’ Cup Classic champion Forever Young (+650) is the second betting choice, followed by Sovereignty (+700), the 2025 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner. Nysos has been retired from racing and is no longer part of the Breeders’ Cup Classic futures market.

Golden Tempo, the winner of this year’s Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, is listed at +1200 to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Knightsbridge, the recent Monmouth Cup winner, and Preakness Stakes winner Napoleon Solo are also priced at +1200.

The 2026 Breeders' Cup World Championships will take place on Friday. October 30 and Saturday, October 31. The horse racing event of the year will be held at the Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky.

Journalism retires from racing

Fresh off his victory in the San Diego Handicap, the handlers of Journalism announced that the star four-year-old was retiring from racing. The decision was made on July 24 due to an injury the horse suffered in the starting gate before the race on July 18.

What an honor to be apart of the ride.

Enjoy retirement, Journalism. 🫶🏼 pic.twitter.com/L2iT7gjxtd

— Del Mar Racetrack (@DelMarRacing) July 25, 2026

Journalism won the San Diego Handicap by three-quarters of a length. However, a post-race examination revealed the undisclosed injury. The victory was the sixth stakes win for Journalism. He retires with more than $4.7 million in career earnings.

Journalism, Sovereignty's main Triple Crown rival last year, was the winner of the 2025 Preakness Stakes. The horse racing star was listed at +800 odds to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He will begin his stud career in 2027 at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in central Kentucky.

Stunning Haskell Stakes upset for Baby Vino

Local favorite Baby Vino was the shocking 28-1 long-shot winner of the $1 million Grade 1 Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park. Raced at a distance of 1 1/8-miles on Monmouth Park's dirt surface, this event is solely for three-year-olds. The Haskell serves as a "Win, and You're In" event for the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Baby Vino got up at the wire to nip Preakness Stakes winner Napoleon Solo for the victory. The Lindsay Schultz-trained horse came into the Haskell Stakes off a win in the NYRA Bets Pegasus Stakes, the primary Haskell prep, by an impressive 10 3/4 lengths.

Previous market updates

[July 2026]: Magnitude took over as the +400 betting favorite in the Breeders' Cup Classic future book odds. Baby Vino entered the Breeders' Cup conversation with an impressive upset win in the Haskell Stakes.
[June 2026]: Golden Tempo won the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga, strengthening his position in the summer three-year-old picture and giving bettors a new angle for Breeders’ Cup Classic futures. Attention then shifted toward Royal Ascot, the Stephen Foster, the Haskell, and the next wave of summer market movement.
[May 2026]: The Preakness, moving to Laurel Park while Pimlico undergoes renovations, looked set to be a battle between the Ortiz brothers. The absence of Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo ensured there would not be a Triple Crown winner in 2026. This threw betting lines on the race wide open.
[April 2026]: Leading into the Kentucky Derby, the final betting lines for the top contenders to win The Run For The Roses were becoming clearer. Kentucky Derby betting trends and prop bets were coming into focus.
[March 2026]: Kentucky Derby prep races continued to impact the board. Points standings were influencing odds movement and pushing consistent runners into the +800 to +1000 range.
[March 2026]: Dubai World Cup created volatility in international markets, with odds shifting rapidly following late withdrawals and track condition changes.
[March 2026]: Cheltenham Festival drove heavy betting action, with favorites tightening significantly after dominant wins in Grade 1 races.
[February 2026]: Kentucky Derby prep races began shaping futures markets. Leading contenders were shortening from +2000 to +1200 after strong performances in early qualifiers.

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Meet the author

Bob Duff

Sports betting journalist covering NFL, NBA, MLB, UFC, NHL, and major global events since 2016. Former columnist for MSNBC.com, The Windsor Star, and Postmedia. Covered the Super Bowl, World Series, Olympic Games, and FIFA World Cup. Author of 25+ books and contribut...