2026 Charles Town Classic Preview

Key Takeaways:

• The Charles Town Classic is a 1 ⅛-mile test on a bullring track, where inside draws and early speed can play a major role in shaping the race.
• A crowded pace scenario could make this a favorable setup for runners capable of stalking or closing, especially with several of the entrants preferring to race near the front.
• Barbadian Runner’s versatility at 1 ⅛ miles and proven record at Charles Town make him an appealing 9-2 option in a competitive field.
• Banishing has already shown he can win this race from a stalking or closing position, and the projected pace could give him another favorable setup at 4-1.
• Full Screen’s late-running style fits the expected race shape, and his recent allowance form makes 15-1 an enticing price despite the class question.

Friday, August 28 is the flagship card of the meet at Charles Town Races: the Grade 2, $1 million Charles Town Classic! The 1 ⅛-mile dirt race is open to horses aged three and up, and it attracted a competitive field of 10 older horses to battle for that seven-figure purse. The main attraction is Skippylongstocking, who won this race in 2023 and 2024, though he will have to bounce back from finishing eighth and last in 2025 behind Banishing – who comes back this year to try to defend his title.

The path to another Charles Town Classic won’t be easy for either of them, however. Their foes include Barbadian Runner, who won on the Charles Town Classic undercard last year and has come into his own since then at 1 ⅛ miles; Dragoon Guard, a horse with a lot of back class and a big-time confidence builder last out; and Willy D’s, who has two stakes wins this year and steps out of the shadow of opponents like Sovereignty, Magnitude, and Baeza last out.

The Charles Town Classic is one of the newer fixtures of the handicap division, as its history only dates back to 2009. Its first two editions were won by Researcher, a Charles Town local who also held his own in stakes in New York and the mid-Atlantic. Since then, however, winners have come from all over the country.

In addition to Skippylongstocking and Researcher, two other horses have won the Charles Town Classic twice, Imperative (2014, 2017) and Art Collector (2021, 2022). Banishing will try to join them, while Skippylongstocking will try to become the first horse to win this rich race three times.

Charles Town Classic Information

• Race Date: Friday, August 28, 2026
• Track: Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races
• Post Time: 10:25 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 1/8 miles
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds and upward
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2026 Charles Town Classic Draw and Odds

This is the official field for the Charles Town Classic, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Charles Town Classic Prep Race Results

Four of the ten runners in the Charles Town Classic were last seen in graded-stakes races. A pair come out of the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (G3) on July 11: Bullard stalked and ran on for second behind Navajo Warrior that day, while Gigante rallied from well out of it to get third. Skippylongstocking stalked the pace in the Monmouth Cup (G3) on July 18, but weakened to finish a distant third behind an absolute superstar in Knightsbridge. Willy D’s gets a class drop: he stalked the pace and weakened to fifth behind Magnitude on June 27 in the Stephen Foster (G1) at Churchill Downs.

Two others come out of ungraded stakes races. Banishing won the Jeff Hall Memorial at Ellis Park on July 18, his first start since bearing out and not finishing the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Barbadian Runner missed by a head to Inveigled after a stretch duel in the Yorktown Stakes on July 25 at Colonial Downs.

The other four runners come out of allowance company. Dragoon Guard got a confidence-building 8 ¼-length score in a dirt mile at Horseshoe Indianapolis on July 14, disputing the pace and blowing clear in the lane. Prince of Power battled on the pace and finished second by a neck in a 6 ½-furlong sprint at Ellis on August 17, his first start since being claimed to David Jacobson. Full Screen rallied from well off the pace early to finish third, beaten half a length for all of it, in a top-shelf allowance going 1 ⅛ miles at Saratoga on August 8. Xcellent Start has to bounce back from a well-beaten fifth in a first-level allowance at Delaware Park on July 24, going a mile and 70 yards.

Charles Town Classic Contenders

These are the contenders entered in the Charles Town Classic:

1. Gigante: He’s more proven on the turf, but has rounded into a solid dirt horse this year. The Charles Town Classic is an interesting placement – the class level is just right, but the bullring setup doesn’t tend to favor deeper closers like Gigante. However, inside draws tend to play well over this course and there is a lot of speed drawn outside of him for this race. With that, especially if he gets a spot more midpack (something he is sometimes able to finagle, and may be more likely to with more aggressive rider Luis Saez riding), he could find the frame.
2. Willy D’s: He didn’t run to his company in the Stephen Foster (G1) last out, but that company was the absolute best of the handicap division – this field, on the other hand, is right at his class level. He was second in this race last year, meaning he can handle the bullring setup. The plethora of speed drawn outside of him is a concern because he does most of his best work when he is on or near the lead – but he can at least get a piece from a few lengths off, and also won the Lake Ouachita two back while doing the dirty work up front from a near-inside gate.
3. Xcellent Start: Some of these horses have run in stakes on and off at Charles Town, but he is the only real Charles Town local. He likes the track – he has eight wins and another eight seconds in 37 starts. However, class is the question. He never threatened when trying graded company in the Pimlico Special (G3) four back, and his tendency to start poorly will not help him conserve the energy he’d need to run down this quality of company late, even if he does get a nice setup in front of him.
4. Full Screen: The second-stringer from the Saffie Joseph, Jr. barn, Full Screen has come close in quality allowance races at Saratoga in his two starts since being claimed to the barn. He does well at 1 ⅛ miles and adds blinkers for this. Joseph does well when putting blinkers back on horses who have used them before. He has also been red-hot when bringing Paco Lopez in to ride for the barn in recent months, and if the blinkers give him focus without embroiling him in the early pace battle, he could be a major factor at a big price.
5. Prince of Power: The second-stringer for David Jacobson, Prince of Power knows one way to go: to the front. That style can be a smart one at Charles Town, but there is plenty of other early pace in the mix. Furthermore, he has never hit the board in three tries going 1 ⅛ miles – not to mention, his last start came at just six and a half furlongs. Especially since he is owned outright by trainer Jacobson, it would be no surprise if he is a pacemaker for stablemate Banishing.
6. Bullard: This son of Gun Runner, trained by Michael McCarthy, hasn’t won a race since November of 2024, when he took down the Bob Hope (G3) as a two-year-old. However, he is rarely far out: he has a pile of second- and third-place finishes in second-level allowances going shorter, and then finished second in the Cornhusker (G3) last out in his first graded try in over a year. That was also his first-ever 1 ⅛-mile race. Off that start, the class fits, and he should be able to stay out of the front-end fireworks. But, don’t take too short a price on the win end, because he still needs to prove he remembers how.
7. Dragoon Guard: This Brad Cox trainee won some graded-stakes races as a three-year-old but kept falling short at the level against older horses. A trip to Horseshoe Indianapolis gave him a confidence builder last out; he won an allowance dirt mile in blowout fashion, though he has some back form at 1 ⅛ miles as well. The question, more than anything, is pace: Dragoon Guard does his best work on or very close to the pace, and even though Charles Town tends to be friendly to horses with a lot of early gas, there is enough early gas drawn into this race, including outside of him, that he could be a casualty of that setup.
8. Banishing: The class is perfect for him – he won this race last year, and even traveled to win the Godolphin Mile (G2) at Meydan earlier this year. The win in this race last year also showed that he can run his race on a bullring. And, though he won last out in frontrunning fashion going 6 ½ furlongs, he rallied from midpack last year and more often comes from off the pace – a positive given all the pace drawn into this race
9. Barbadian Runner: In keeping with being a son of Barbados, he started his career as a nice one-turn horse, but then a funny thing happened. He won the Maryland Million Classic at 1 ⅛ miles last fall as a three-year-old, and this year he has continued to be a major factor in 1 ⅛-mile stakes races in the mid-Atlantic. He’s a bit of a wild card from a pace perspective – he’s usually close to it, but is rarely on it, and sometimes can sit farther back if he needs to, like in the 1 ⅛-mile Dickie Small at Laurel last year, he sat further off a hot early pace before reeling everyone in and winning going away. Especially with two good efforts at Charles Town – both with Forest Boyce in the irons – there’s a lot to like.
10. Skippylongstocking: Already a two-time winner of this race, Skippylongstocking started this year red-hot but was a complete no-show at Monmouth last out. To be fair, he won’t be facing anyone like Knightsbridge here. But, on the other hand, he stalked a red-hot pace before capitulating completely, something that is likely to happen in this spot, as well. Is he impossible if he bounces back to his form earlier this year? Of course not. Is he going to be an underlay in a competitive field? You bet.

Charles Town Classic: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the 2026 Charles Town Classic:

1. Barbadian Runner (9-2)

Barbadian Runner is getting a class test in this spot. However, he has emerged as a 1 ⅛-mile specialist, and over and over again he runs races fast enough to be competitive with the better-known horses in the Charles Town Classic field. His pace versatility is appealing as well – though he has been forward in his last few, he can also win from well off the pace when things get spicy early, and he has done all of these things under his regular rider Forest Boyce. She should know how to read the race and put him in the right place to get into the picture late.

Charles Town is also significantly different than most other tracks major stakes horses run – it’s a bullring. Barbadian Runner has run there twice, winning the Robert Hilton Memorial on the Charles Town Classic undercard last year and then running a narrow second in an allowance there this year, in his first start off a winter-spring layoff. In short, he can handle the course, and should have all the tools necessary to win this at a square price.

2. Banishing (4-1)

The choice of a 6 ½-furlong stakes at Ellis is perhaps an odd one for a final prep before a three-turn, 1 ⅛-mile race – but that’s the route Banishing took last year before winning the Charles Town Classic. He won it again this year, meaning Banishing more than likely bounced back fine from that Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) debacle and returns to Charles Town in sharp form.

Even though Banishing won that sprint last out from the front end, he doesn’t have to be on the front – and won the Charles Town Classic chasing well off an honest pace and then making a well-timed move. The presence of speedy stablemate Prince of Power suggests that Banishing is intended to get a sharp pace to close into, not to be the one setting that pace. Though Francisco Arrieta wasn’t in the irons with Banishing last year, Arrieta has been able to take his form to different tracks, and if he works the same kind of trip Banishing got last year, it could be the winning run once again.

3. Full Screen (15-1)

Skippylongstocking is the favorite from the Saffie Joseph, Jr. barn, but Full Screen is the more interesting one from a betting perspective. With a lot of pace drawn into the race, Full Screen’s late-running style should fit the race shape well – but even if the track turns out biased toward horses who aren’t too far off the pace, Full Screen can switch up and win races from a tracking spot, as he showed last year in a win going 1 ⅛ miles at Aqueduct. The presence of jockey Paco Lopez, who tends to ride aggressively, adds confidence that he can be a little more forward if necessary.

Class is the big question for Full Screen; he has only tried graded-stakes company three times and never hit the board. However, he has shown good enough form in his two starts since being claimed for $100,000 to the Saffie Joseph barn to suggest he will fit in this spot – and in a field where so many of the runners are closely matched, that class question could keep him close to his morning line, something that would be a fair price for him given his current form and the pace demands.

Charles Town Classic FAQ

Q: When and where is the Charles Town Classic?

A: The Charles Town Classic happens Friday, August 28, 2026 at Charles Town Races in Charles Town, West Virginia. Post is scheduled for 10:25 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, and it is the 11th race of 13 on the card.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Charles Town Classic?

A: Four trainers have won the Charles Town Classic twice: Jeff Runco won the first two in 2009 and 2010 with Researcher, Todd Pletcher won in 2012 with Caixa Eletronica and 2016 with Stanford, Bill Mott won in 2021 and 2022 with Art Collector, and Saffie Joseph, Jr. won in 2023 and 2024 with Skippylongstocking. Joseph can win his third in 2026 with either Skippylongstocking or Full Screen.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Charles Town Classic?

A: Skippylongstocking is the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the Charles Town Classic. He has won the race twice before, and though he was well beaten last out in the Monmouth Cup, his form in his previous four starts was excellent, including a win in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) in January. Watch for action on last year’s winner Banishing (4-1), who won a stakes at Ellis last out, and Barbadian Runner (9-2), who won a stakes at Charles Town last year and has been a consistent performer at the distance.

Q: Who is the best Charles Town Classic jockey?

A: Javier Castellano has won the Charles Town Classic three times, most recently in 2017 with Imperative. He does not have a call this year. Two jockeys this year can tie Castellano if they win this year: Luis Saez (Gigante) won in 2021 and 2022 with Art Collector, and Tyler Gaffalione (Skippylongstocking) won in 2023 with his mount this year, and 2025 with Banishing.

Q: Who won the Charles Town Classic in 2025?

A: Banishing won the 2025 Charles Town Classic for trainer David Jacobson and jockey Tyler Gaffalione. Jacobson brings back Banishing with Francisco Arrieta in the irons, and he also sends out Prince of Power with Dylan Davis aboard. Gaffalione instead takes the call on Skippylongstocking for Saffie Joseph, Jr.

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