Horse Racing Picks for Sat, Aug. 8, 2026 at Saratoga
Horse racing picks and best bets for Sat, Aug. 8th, 2026, at Saratoga from Turtle Sports’ Lundin Line. Get expert analysis, free tips, and stakes-race insights to help you cash in on today’s card in sunny San Diego.
HORSE RACING
- Fink
It's the biggest day of the year at Saratoga, and we have your Lundin Line top-rated pick in the gate and ready to head toward the finish line. That's right: Whitney Day is a midsummer, high-stakes race that marks the middle ground between the Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup.
Do we have to talk about our last card? Yes, we do. It was not good, but we won't shy away from the bad, and we will celebrate the good days. We had only one top-pick winner and one second-rated winner last week at Del Mar. We did not come close to having the featured race winner, and our ROI was atrocious.
We will climb back aboard today and look to cash in on this 14-race card, with four stakes races and two Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races. First up for a chance to be in the starting gate at Del Mar the last weekend in October is race 10, the Fourstardave Stakes. This is a Grade 1, one-mile route on the turf course for 3-year-olds and up. With a purse of $750,000 and a spot in the FanDuel Mile at stake, we will have seven entrants but only six runners. Last year's winner, Deterministic, draws the five post and will look to repeat as the second horse in five years to go back-to-back. This will not be an easy hand ride for Kendrick Carmouche and trainer Miguel Clement, as Zulu Kingdom and others will look to earn their way into the Breeders' Cup.
Next up on the Challenge Series is race 12, and also the featured race of the day, the Whitney Stakes. The Whitney is run at this time of year at Saratoga, and locals look forward to it every year. A 1 1/8-mile route on the dirt for 3-year-olds and up, this Grade 1 race has a purse of $1 million. We have eight runners in this year's version of the Whitney, and the top finisher will earn a spot the last weekend in October in the Longines Classic at Del Mar. There are some huge names in horse racing in this rendition of the race, including last year's Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner, Sovereignty. Very rare for this exceptional horse, but he is coming off two losses, and both horses to beat him are in this race as well: White Abarrio and Magnitude. While Baeza did finish ahead of Sovereignty the last time they faced each other for a second-place finish, traditionally he has been bested by the top 3-year-old from last year. Will a return to the winner's circle be in the cards today for his connections, or will his stellar 3-year-old campaign be the height of his career?
The weather today is amazing, with highs in the mid-80s and partly cloudy skies. The track will be fast, and the turf will be firm. Make sure you check out these races today. This card is one of the best of the year and arguably the best of the summer.
Happy Whitney Stakes & National Pickleball Day! 🏓
Need help picking winners? We've got you covered! Our (Always Free) Lundin Line's top picks and best bets are below. We use them to help narrow the field while putting our tickets together. The first post will be here soon, so don't be late -
It's time to get #InTheMoney! 💰💰💰
🏇Sat., Aug. 8th, 2026 @ Saratoga
First Post @ 11:45 EDT(8:45 PDT)
⭑Best Bet(s)
R9: 500K Test S.
7 Furlongs on Dirt for Fillies, 3 Yrs. Old
🏇 R10: 750K Fourstardave S.(G1)/BC
1 Mile on Turf for 3 Yrs. Old & Up
BC Division: FanDuel Mile
R11: 750K Saratoga S. (G1)
1 3/16 Mi. on Turf for 3 Yrs. Olds
🏇 R12: 1Mil. Whitney S. (G1)/BC
1 1/8 Miles on Dirt for 3 Yrs. & Up
BC Division: Longines Classic
Ⓢtakes Race(s)
Aug. 8th / National Pickleball Day! 🏓🍻
R1: 5-9-4-1
R2: 7-9-1-4
R3: 3-6-2
R4: 5⭑-7-8-2
R5: 8-2-4-7
R6: 6-7-4-2
R7: 4-9-10-5
R8: 12-7-4-8
R9Ⓢ: 7-2-4-1
🏇R10Ⓢ: Fourstardave S.
LL: 1-5-3-7
Fink: 3-5-7
Mr. W: 5-7-1-3
R11Ⓢ: 10-4-5-3
🏇R12Ⓢ: Whitney S.
LL: 1-3-6-4
Fink: 1-6-5-8
Mr. W: 6-2-8-1
R13: 9⭑-8-1-2
R14: 10-11-12-4
🏇= Featured Race(s)