In The Money Telegraph
Saturday, August 1, 2026 · By ITM Staff
This is the big one — a Saturday with a Breeders’ Cup seat to chase and a million-dollar turf classic to watch, plus a full board coast to coast. Let’s get into it.
Challenge Day at Saratoga
Everything we’ve been building toward all week arrives today: NYRA Bets’ rejuvenated contest program returns with the Jim Dandy Challenge, and for the first time in a couple of years, National Horseplayers Championship seats are back on the table — two of them — alongside a seeded Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge seat. It’s playable online through NYRA Bets or on-track, and you can register at NYRA.com/Challenge right up until the third Challenge race. PTF, John Gaspar, and NYRA Bets’ new contest specialist Jackson Muniz walk through the contest and handicap the full Saratoga card.
On the track, the card is headlined by the Grade 2 Jim Dandy (Race 10, 5:44 p.m. ET), a key Travers prep. It’s a compact but accomplished five-horse field: Renegade (third in the Belmont for Pletcher and Irad Ortiz Jr.) and Commandment (the Brad Cox trainee who outfinished him for second that day, now adding blinkers) renew their rivalry, with Steve Asmussen’s lone-speed Chip Honcho drawn inside and likely to dictate. In a separate show, PTF and JK go through all five — and split on it, PTF leaning to Chip Honcho’s pace edge, JK trusting Renegade to run him down.
For the full contest rundown — the format, the seats, and how to enter — here’s our story on the rejuvenated program. Full contest details →
A Million on the Line at Colonial
Down in Virginia, Colonial Downs hosts its Festival of Racing, headlined by the Grade 1 Arlington Million — one of three ex-Arlington turf classics on the card, alongside the Grade 2 Secretariat and Grade 2 Beverly D, all feeding an All-Stakes Pick 5. And it’s made for a fun split in the ITM ranks. On the show, JK singles Burnham Square, the figure horse whose big graded dirt form he trusts to carry the mile-and-a-quarter.
Michael Domabyl, though, is willing to take Burnham Square on. In his Festival of Racing card, he tops Integration — a Shug McGaughey runner making a third try at this race that Domabyl thinks finally gets a fair price — over a group that also includes last year’s winner Fort Washington and Test Score. Two of our sharpest, opposite reads on the day’s biggest race. Read Domabyl’s Festival card →
PTF also files a full horse-by-horse guide to the race for At The Races, ahead of its live coverage on Sky Sports Racing — and he sides with Burnham Square, expecting the strongest late kick if the pace sets up for the closers. Read PTF’s ATR guide →
Around the Board: Del Mar, Monmouth, and the Spa
Dean Keppler has your Del Mar Saturday card — his best bet is Keepmesane in Race 4, an O’Neill juvenile he thinks breaks through in start three — and he flags the $3 low-takeout Late Pick 3 that kicks off in Race 9. See the Del Mar card →
At the Jersey Shore, Eric Solomon breaks out an eight-race Monmouth card headlined by the $100,000 Incredible Revenge Stakes, a competitive turf sprint for fillies and mares (first post 12:50 p.m. ET). He also notes next week’s $500 Whitney Day Monmouth/Saratoga handicapping contest, which carries a 25% on-site bonus. Read the Monmouth card →
And JK goes solo on the Monmouth late Pick 5 for the multi-race players — leaning against the closers in the Incredible Revenge to find value with the more forward Sweet Brown Sugar and Obstreperous.
And for a look at tomorrow’s stars today, Dean Roethemeier’s Baby Talk, presented by Keeneland Sales, previews Saturday’s 2-year-old races at Saratoga. Watch Baby Talk →
Across the Pond
Glorious Goodwood Wraps Up
Britain’s midsummer festival reaches its final day, capped by the Coral Stewards’ Cup — one of the most competitive sprint handicaps of the European season. Steven Bonnick closes out his week of free Goodwood coverage with a full Day 5 card on the ITM blog.
ITM Plus
Your Daily Edge at Saratoga and Del Mar
Nick Tammaro brings his Saratoga notebook to ITM Plus every day of the meet, and Adam Discepolo joins with full-card Del Mar analysis — detailed written selections, a play of the day, and exclusive podcasts right through to the Breeders’ Cup.
ICYMI — a proud-dad moment: JK’s son Austin Kinchen made his national television debut this week. Congratulations to Austin and the whole Kinchen family. See JK’s post →
More all week at inthemoneypodcast.com, with daily previews on the ITM YouTube channel and premium tips on ITM Plus.
