2026 John Battaglia Memorial Betting Odds and Contenders Preview

Key Takeaways:

• The John Battaglia Memorial is a wide-open Tapeta prep with a bulky field, modest early pace, and trips likely to decide the outcome. As one of the Kentucky Derby prep races, it also offers 20-10-6-4-2 points to the top five finishers.
• Turf and synthetic form transfers well at Turfway Park, making proven all-weather runners and tactical stalkers especially dangerous.
• Two Out Hero brings proven Tapeta form, Grade 1 class, and the ideal stalking trip from an outside draw.
• Stop the Car drops in class, owns a strong stalking profile, and stands to improve sharply second off the lay.
• Small Town has upside if he draws in, bringing Tapeta experience, sharp connections, and longshot appeal with route pedigree.

The road to the Kentucky Derby goes to Turfway Park on Saturday, February 21, for the John Battaglia Memorial. Though the race has been a fixture since 1982, it only gained Kentucky Derby points in 2021. The listed race offers valuable points toward the Kentucky Derby, 20-10-6-4-2 to the top five finishers. It’s not enough to qualify the winner directly to the Run for the Roses, but it sets them up well for the 100-point prep at Turfway on March 21, the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3).

The John Battaglia Memorial Stakes covers 1 1/16 miles on the Tapeta, and it attracted an overflow field: 12 in the main group plus one on the also-eligible list. Top contenders include Street Beast, winner of the Leonatus at Turfway Park; Two Out Hero, a stakes winner at Woodbine; and Attfield, last seen winning the Central Park, a listed race on the turf at Aqueduct.

No recent winner of the Battaglia has made an impact in the Kentucky Derby, but some quality horses have been among its recent winners. Encino (2024) went on to win the Lexington (G3) at Keeneland before being scratched from the Kentucky Derby, and has won more stakes on turf and Tapeta as an older horse. Both Tiz the Bomb (2022) and Surgical Strike (2016) went on to be graded-stakes winners on the grass.

John Battaglia Memorial Stakes 2026 Information

• Race Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026
• Track: Turfway Park
• Post Time: 9:55 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
• Distance: 1 1/16 miles
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

John Battaglia Memorial Odds

This is the field for the 2026 John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Last-out maiden winner Small Town is also eligible and will only race if there is a scratch ahead of him.

John Battaglia Memorial Prep Results

Three horses in the Battaglia come out of the Leonatus, the one-mile local prep for the Battaglia on January 17. Street Beast led at every call, holding off late-running Fulleffort by a length, while Great White was fifth and will need to find a better late run.

Five other horses come out of stakes company. Two come out of off-the-board finishes in Kentucky Derby prep races: Stop the Car was well bet in the Lecomte on January 17 at Fair Grounds but flattened to seventh, and Baytown Dreamer came up empty in the Southwest (G3) on February 6 at Oaklawn, finishing 11th. Two Out Hero, the only horse coming out of top-level company, was last seen finishing a close third in the Summer (G1) at Woodbine on September 13. Two horses come out of ungraded stakes wins on the grass: Attfield won the Central Park at 1 1/16 miles at Aqueduct on November 7, and Aces Honor won the Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston on January 24.

One other horse faced winners last out. Time for Money rallied for fourth in a one-mile allowance at Turfway on December 27, his first try on a synthetic surface.

The rest of the field comes out of maiden special weight company. Kilo Tango earned his diploma at a mile at Turfway on January 3; Steel Imperium won on February 7 at six furlongs over the same course. Maximus Prime was ninth in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Turfway on January 10, the same race in which Small Town, the horse on the also-eligible list, was a debut winner.

John Battaglia Memorial Contenders

These are the contenders in the 2026 John Battaglia Memorial, organized by post position:

1. Street Beast: The bad news is, he drew the rail in a big field. The good news is, there isn’t a ton of early speed in this field: Aces Honor can show some pace, Two Out Hero could work a close-up stalking trip, but otherwise? Maximus Prime re-adds blinkers, but he has never shown much pace even with them. So, there’s a shot Street Beast works his trip despite the post under solid local jockey Luan Machado, his regular rider.
2. Steel Imperium: He debuted in a maiden sprint at Turfway earlier this month and, despite a slow break, rallied to win by four lengths. Now, he’ll go from unraced to the Derby trail in two weeks, a dizzying jump. He needs a sharp step forward in terms of speed, but on the other hand, everything about his pedigree suggests the distance will help: he is by Essential Quality out of Summer Solo, an Arch mare who won at 1 1/16 miles on grass and was Grade 1 placed at 1 ¼ miles. Trainer Caio Caramori can shine at a price when stretching a horse out, so there’s some price potential.
3. Maximus Prime: He ran second in his first two starts, including in a stakes last May at Churchill, but has been well beaten in his last four starts, suggesting he may not have trained on compared to the rest of his class. A switch to the synthetic for a maiden race last out didn’t move him forward, and though he did have some trouble that day, it’s hard to see him improving enough to challenge at this level.
4. Kilo Tango: He needed three tries and three different surfaces to get off the mark, but he put it all together in a Tapeta-track mile on January 3, rallying from near last to win by half a length. It’s a bit of a concern that the step up also involved adding Lasix, something he can’t use in this stakes spot, and he also won’t likely get the sharp pace that he got to close into last time. Given how the Cox barn gets bet, this looks like a recipe for an underlay.
5. Baytown Dreamer: With 10 starts, he is the most experienced horse in the field, but his only victory came in a turf mile at Ellis last summer—he got an easy lead that day but is not likely fast enough to contend for that spot, even without a ton of speed here. He has picked off a couple of stakes-level thirds on both dirt and turf, though he never looked like a winner in either of those spots. There’s some potential on the switch to all-weather, being by Mendelssohn out of a Munnings mare, but it makes more sense to wait for a class drop.
6. Time for Money: He was a belated fourth in an allowance at Turfway in December, overcoming a slow start to rally for fourth. Typically, he shows more tactical speed. His form is muddled, but his two other good starts have come at a mile on grass—the sprint debut and the attempt at one turn on the slop weren’t great. He stays at two turns, he can stalk a reasonable pace if he starts well, and he has some longshot appeal in this spot.
7. Attfield: He had a solid juvenile season on the grass, a season that included a Grade 3 placing and a stakes win on the grass in New York. Tapeta is a question, but turf form can transfer well. He is proven at two turns and showed beautiful tactical speed in that last-out victory in the Central Park Stakes, suggesting he can work out just the right kind of trip to be a factor in his sophomore debut. And, his debut maiden score last year suggests he can fire fresh.
8. Great White: He graduated on debut in a big field after a less-than-perfect start, though after even more early trouble next out in the Leonatus, he was only able to rally for fifth. His ability to handle the Turfway footing is more than proven, but without a sharp pace, likely, he is either going to have to prove that his running style is more tactical without early trouble, or he’s not going to have to overcome a poor pace setup.
9. Stop the Car: He was well bet in the Lecomte last out after a pair of one-turn victories in Kentucky last fall, but came up empty in the Lecomte, flattening to seventh behind Golden Tempo. This is a class drop, but it’s also a surface switch, and he still has to prove himself at two turns. It won’t be easy—but on the other hand, if he moves forward second off the layoff and shows similar tactical speed to what he showed two back in his allowance score at Churchill Downs, he can make an impact.
10. Aces Honor: He needed a few starts to get going, but graduated two back in a turf mile at Fair Grounds and then wired a stakes at Sam Houston, and though it was only a field of four, he battled on a fast pace and held off a rallying foe late, showing tenacity. He won’t have to go nearly as fast this time, and even if he gets outgunned to the lead (perhaps by rail-drawn Street Beast), he showed in his maiden win that he does not need the lead to score. That maiden win came in a field of 12 as well, meaning he has valuable big-field experience.
11. Fulleffort: He came back off a layoff of almost three months to finish a close second in the Leonatus, the local prep for the Battaglia, and his first try on the Tapeta. His maiden win at Kentucky Downs suggests he can be more tactical when the pace is slow, a good dimension of versatility for him to bring to this spot. The drawback will be the price; he was the beaten favorite last out and will be well bet again. But, he fits well and has a chance to work a trip.
12. Two Out Hero: A winner at Woodbine on both turf and Tapeta, he was one of the top juveniles in Canada last year, and missed by only a length in Grade 1 company last out despite some trip trouble. The questions are whether he has progressed over the long winter break, and whether he can pick up where he left off. Trainer Kevin Attard shines with a horse coming off long layoffs, though, and jockey Rafael Hernandez keeps working good tactical trips with him. With a clean outside draw, a stalking trip is in play once again.
13. Small Town: Small Town needs one scratch to get into the race. He’ll have to prove himself at two turns if he draws in, since his debut victory came at six furlongs. But, if he gets in? Trainer Michael McCarthy has a knack for outrunning his odds when placing horses in ambitious-looking spots. He rallied from midfield into a reasonable pace for the distance last out, a trip that could be good again. And, even though he’s by sprinter Speightstown, there’s enough stamina underneath to suggest he can stretch out. Finally, he keeps high-percentage local jockey Walter Rodriguez, a big plus. In short, if he draws in, ignore him at your peril.

John Battaglia Memorial Past Winners Past Performances

Winners of the John Battaglia Memorial come from many places; there is no set path to winning this race. Three of the last ten winners come out of graded stakes, though only two of them hit the board. Somelikeithotbrown (2019) made his first start since running third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, Congruent (2023) came out of a third-place run in the Kitten’s Joy (G3) on the Gulfstream lawn, and Tiz the Bomb (2022) was seventh in the Holy Bull (G3). One other recent winner came out of an ungraded stake: Surgical Strike (2016) had most recently run third in the WEBN, a local prep stakes at Turfway at the time.

Four of the other six winners from the last ten years came out of allowance company. Three of them won that last prep: California Burrito (2025) and Hush of a Storm (2021) at Turfway, and It’s Your Nickel (2017) on the Fair Grounds dirt. Upset winner Magicalmeister (2018) came out of a third-place run in an allowance at Turfway.

Only two winners in the last ten years have come out of a maiden race, and both of them graduated at Turfway Park. Invader (2020) came out of a maiden special weight at a flat mile, while Encino (2024) won at 1 1/16 miles at the same level.

John Battaglia Memorial Stakes: 3 Best Bets

These are the three best bets in the 2026 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes:

1. Two Out Hero (7-2)

Though Two Out Hero has not raced since September, he has been on the work tab regularly since the end of December for trainer Kevin Attard, a trainer who sparkles with horses coming in off of long layoffs. He is a winner on both Tapeta and turf at Woodbine, and Tapeta is consistently enough maintained that Tapeta form transfers well from track to track.

Two Out Hero is the class of the field, a stakes winner at Woodbine and Grade 1-placed as well; this is a reasonable but still confident class level at which to bring him back. On top of that class, this son of War Front also has the right running style for this race: he has won both from the front end as well as while stalking a modest pace, and there’s a good chance that the latter trip will be the winning one, drawn to the outside in a field of 12 without an overwhelming amount of front-end gas to his inside.

2. Stop the Car (8-1)

Perhaps the Lecomte was a little too much, too soon—he had only raced twice before that, had not faced stakes foes, and did that in his first start off a layoff. Now he gets a class drop for his second start back. He took a nice step forward between his maiden-claiming debut and his follow-up allowance win, and if he takes a similar step forward this time around, he should have a competitive advantage.

His running style shapes perfectly for this race—despite the large field size, there isn’t a lot of front-end gas, meaning his stalking style will set him up for success. The major question is how he will handle the synthetic footing, which is a question because his pedigree is strongly dirt-oriented. But, Brendan Walsh’s dirt-to-all-weather movers are frequently enough competitive to suggest he knows what he is doing.

3. Small Town (12-1)

Small Town needs some luck to get into the race at all, in the form of a scratch—he’s on the also-eligible list. But, if he gets in, all signs point to a live one. Trainer Michael McCarthy is always one to watch when upping a horse in class, and he shines with last-out maiden winners. Small Town has already proven a few good things: he can handle the Turfway footing, he can rally into a less-than-torrid pace, and he has some rapport with high-percentage local rider Walter Rodriguez.

The biggest thing Small Town has to prove in this first start against winners is whether he can handle a route distance. Though sire Speightstown was a sprinter and proved an elite producer of sprinters, he also proved to be a sire whose progeny stretch out well if there’s enough stamina on the bottom. And, that bottom side is all turf stamina: his dam is by High Chaparral, and a half-sister to the dam of the long-winded and classy Noble Stella. This bodes well for Small Town to be one of the Speightstowns who will want two-turn trips.

John Battaglia Memorial Undercard

The John Battaglia Memorial is the ninth of 10 races on Saturday evening at Turfway, and the only stakes race on the card. However, many of the races have large fields—there is no field smaller than eight, and six of the 10 have double-digit field sizes. Make sure to watch all day on FanDuel TV and make your straight bets, or any bet for that matter, at FanDuel!

Turfway Park History

The track we know today as Turfway Park began its life as Latonia Race Course in 1959. It took that name from another track, also called Latonia, that had existed from 1883 until 1939, just ten miles away. When the race was sold to a new ownership group led by Jerry Carroll, the track’s name changed to its current one, Turfway Park.

The race now called the John Battaglia Memorial dates back to 1972, when the track was still called Latonia. General manager John Battaglia, now the namesake of the other Kentucky Derby points race at Turfway, created a race called the Spiral Stakes. It was intended as a prep where promising three-year-olds could then “spiral” up to the Blue Grass and then the Kentucky Derby.

Since that beginning, the race has been known by several names: the Spiral, the Jim Beam Stakes, the Galleryfurniture.com Stakes, and the Lane’s End Stakes. In 2018, it took its current cheeky name: the John Battaglia Memorial, named for its current sponsor, a midwestern steakhouse chain named after its flamboyant founder. Despite this litany of names, one thing has remained the same: this race is the centerpiece of the Turfway Park meet!

John Battaglia Memorial FAQ

Q: When is the John Battaglia Memorial?

A: The 2026 John Battaglia Memorial takes place Saturday, February 21, at 9:55 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. It is the ninth of 10 races on the Saturday night card.

Q: Where is the John Battaglia Memorial?

A: It takes place at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the John Battaglia Memorial?

A: Kenny McPeek leads all trainers with three victories in the John Battaglia Memorial, most recently with Tiz the Bomb in 2022. McPeek does not have an entrant this year. Among trainers who do have a horse running in 2026, Brad Cox can win for the second time with either Kilo Tango or Fulleffort, and Ben Colebrook can win his second with Street Beast.

Q: Who is the favorite for the 2026 John Battaglia Memorial?

A: The 5-2 morning-line favorite is Street Beast for trainer Ben Colebrook and jockey Luan Machado. He comes off a win in the local prep, so he should take some action. However, make sure to watch for action on Fulleffort (3-1), second in the local prep, and Two Out Hero (7-2), who has some Grade 1 class as a juvenile.

Q: Who is the best John Battaglia Memorial jockey?

A: No jockey has won the John Battaglia Memorial more than twice. The two-time winners include Albin Jimenez, Willie Martinez, Michael McDowell, John McKee, Orlando Mojica, Brian Peck, Rodney Prescott, and Charles Woods. None of those jockeys are in the 2026 edition of the race. Among riders who are, Alex Achard (Great White) and Rafael Hernandez (Two Out Hero)l seek their second win.

Q: Who won the 2025 John Battaglia Memorial?

A: California Burrito won the 2025 John Battaglia Memorial for trainer Tom Drury and jockey Irving Moncada. Neither returns to the 2026 edition.

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