Changes have been made to several major races on the Texas Calendar for 2026. “The Texas Thoroughbred Association is very excited about these changes” commented Tracy Sheffield, executive director of the TTA. “We feel that these changes will make several of our most exciting stakes races accessible to a greater number of horses.”
The Texas Stallion Stakes Series now has a pathway to nominate two-year-olds. A foal by a nominated stallion (a stallion paid into the program for the conception year of the foal) that did not nominate for the series as a weanling or a yearling can now nominate as a two-year-old with the following rules:
1. The horse must go through a TTA sale. Either the yearling sale or the two-year-old in training sale.
2. The nomination fee for a two-year-old will be $5000. No partial payments will be accepted.
3. The nomination fee must be paid by May 1.
The dates for the TTA Futurity, Derby and Oaks have been changed. Sam Houston Race Park and Lone Star Park are planning to slightly adjust their racing calendars to allow the TTA Futurity to be run in December of a horse’s two year old year. Currently, the TTA Futurity is run in July. Making this date change will allow trainers and horses more time to prepare two-year-olds and lead to fuller, more competitive fields. In 2026 the Derby and Oaks will be run at the Sam Houston Race Park January through April meet. Sam Houston Race Park will host the TTA Futurity in December of 2026. In an interview, trainer Karen Jacks said she is pleased with the change. “This gives us several more months to prepare two-year-olds for the futurities.”
The TTA Derby and Oaks will be moved to the meet at Lone Star for 2027.
If you have any questions about these changes, please contact the TTA office at (512) 458-6133 or email Tracy Sheffield at tracys@texasthoroughbred.com
