In The Money Telegraph
Thursday, August 13, 2026 · By ITM Staff
King’s Plate Eve: Luster the One to Beat
Two days out from Canada’s biggest race, the picture is clear at the top. Luster, the runaway Woodbine Oaks winner, is the even-money favorite for Saturday’s 167th King’s Plate — the $1 million, mile-and-a-quarter first jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown — and she’ll break from the rail she chose herself under Woodbine’s “pick your post” format. Hall of Famer John Velazquez, a perfect two-for-two aboard the filly and a past Plate winner, keeps the ride for Canadian Hall of Fame trainer Josie Carroll. The grey daughter of Knicks Go bids to become just the 40th filly to win the historic race, and the first to sweep the Oaks and Plate since Moira in 2022. She faces 11 rivals over a Tapeta surface at a classic distance no Canadian-bred has swept since Wando in 2003.
ITM has boots on the ground: Mikee P and Nick Tammaro are both up at Woodbine, with shows, selections, and coverage rolling all weekend.
The Play: A $5 All-Stakes Pick 3
Plate Day offers one of the more attractive sequences of the year: a $5 All-Stakes Pick 3 at just 15% takeout, running from the Grade 3 Bold Venture through the Catch a Glimpse and into the King’s Plate itself. (The $5 minimum is part of the same higher-minimum experiment gaining traction at Woodbine and beyond.) PTF and Mikee P went through all three legs — both land on Luster to anchor, and both hunt for a price underneath in the opener, where they’re happy to take on the top of the market. Watch their full walk-through below.
Tour Time: Friday at Saratoga
The clock is ticking on your shot at the Breeders’ Cup. The ITM Horseplayers Tour runs its $20 feeder Friday on horseplayers.com, built around a quartet of Saratoga races — and there are two ways through. Finish in the top four and you’re into our playoffs, with a $10,000 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge seat on the line; finish in the top 10% and you advance to Saturday’s BCBC qualifier. The house cut goes to Breeders’ Cup Charities. PTF and Matt Bernier previewed the Friday card — watch below, then get in the game.
The Big Debate: Can Everyone Share the Pools?
Speaking of the pools: one of the sport’s thorniest questions got a spirited airing this week. At the Racing and Gaming Conference at Saratoga, a panel debated whether casual, consistent, and computer-assisted-wagering (CAW) players can coexist — a live issue as NYRA’s new guardrails (requiring CAW money in by two minutes to post, and barring it from some pools) reshape the betting landscape. Contest player Christian Hellmers argued for forcing CAW to bet early, setting a market everyone else can read; CAW-team member Don Johnson countered that it’s not one-size-fits-all, and each track should set its own policy.
The line that resonated most came from NBC’s Steve Kornacki, who warned that racing may be winning CAW handle while losing would-be bettors turned off by wild late-odds swings — the kind that get screenshotted and shared. Early returns on NYRA’s approach look encouraging: through 23 days of the Saratoga meet, overall handle is down less than half a percent, but retail play is up nearly 7% even as CAW handle has fallen 29% — a mix that likely means more money for purses. Frank Angst has the full account at BloodHorse. Read it at BloodHorse →
Around the Sport
Ortiz sidelined until Aug. 22. Irad Ortiz Jr. will be out until Aug. 22 with a swollen, sore left foot — not the ankle, as first reported — suffered Aug. 8 at Saratoga when his mount bolted into the outside rail before a race. His agent, Steve Rushing, told reporters the target is a return on the Alabama card, where Ortiz hopes to be reunited with Counting Stars in the Grade 1. He’ll miss this Saturday’s Grade 1 Christophe Clement Turf; here’s wishing him a speedy recovery.
Today at Del Mar. Dean Keppler has the full card, with Dazzle Comm in Race 6 as his best bet. Read Dean’s Del Mar card →
ITM Plus
Plate Day and Beyond
ITM Plus members get the members’ bet share, Nick Tammaro’s daily Saratoga notebook, exclusive shows, and full King’s Plate and Breeders’ Cup coverage — including a Plate Day Plus show with the early races and the mandatory-payout finale.
More all week at inthemoneypodcast.com and on the ITM YouTube channel, with premium coverage on ITM Plus.
