The champ is back at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 29, and Book'em Danno is without question the one to beat in the $500,000 Forego Stakes (G1).
Seeking to become the first back-to-back Forego winner since Quick Call in 1988-89, Atlantic Six Racing's 5-year-old Bucchero gelding is a clear even-money favorite in the morning line against six rivals. Exiting a celebratory victory on "Book'em Danno Day" July 18 at Monmouth Park in his native New Jersey, Book'em Danno now returns to the track in which he is 5-for-6 and includes both career grade 1 victories.
However, even though Saratoga has been kind in the past to the Derek Ryan-trained 2025 Eclipse champion male sprinter, it is still the Graveyard of Champions, and anything can happen—especially since the champ's chief rivals are new shooters he's never faced before.
Qatar Racing's Senior Officer sits as the 7-2 second choice for trainer Brad Cox, riding a three-race win streak in a six-race career that has never seen him out of the exacta. The 5-year-old Into Mischief gelding was last seen July 26 running down returning rival Tip Top Thomas by a neck in a Saratoga allowance. Luis Saez takes over the mount Saturday for the injured Irad Ortiz Jr.
Where Senior Officer is making his stakes debut, Tip Top Thomas has already proven to be of that caliber. That neck defeat in the 6 1/2-furlong allowance came in the grade 1-placed and grade 3-winning son of Volatile 's first start since November 2025. He pressed the pace and came up just short.
"I thought he ran a winning race, just didn't quite get his head down on the wire," his Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. "Book'em Danno looks like a tough foe, but outside of that it looks like a wide-open race. I'd like to think we have him fit."
On paper, Tip Top Thomas could play the role of pacemaker for owners James Bakke and Gerald Isbister, with Pletcher saying jockey Flavien Prat will need a clean break from the rail.
"He looks like he could maybe be the speed of the race coming from the one hole," Pletcher said. "We need to get away cleanly. He's a pretty honest horse, shows up and tries hard."
Another honest horse comes from the outside of the starting gate in Awestrike Racing, Berry Family Racing, Legion Racing, GLAM Racing, and Clarke Ohrstrom's Bring the Smoke. The 4-year-old Preservationist gelding showed signs of his talent when jumping into grade 3 company to win the Maryland Sprint Handicap (G3) in May. However, trainer Whit Beckman took his time and didn't rush the horse to higher levels, allowing him to run through his conditions as he continued to learn the horse's style.
Bring the Smoke finished fourth 1 1/4 lengths behind Senior Officer in that July 26 allowance after stumbling at the start.
Video: Race 9 (AOC) at SAR on 7/26/26
"He broke a bit bad, kind of stumbled as he broke out of there, then got back, ran up, and just didn't have a real smooth, fluid trip throughout," Beckman said. "If you look at the horses that were in that 3X (allowance) and what the Forego is, it's a lot of the same horses. I don't think we're necessarily making a huge step up, more of a slight lateral. Book'em Danno is a very nice horse, and some other ones are going to be tough, but I think with his numbers and his style he fits in there."
David Jacobson-trained Banishing will be scratched from the Forego and instead run in the Aug. 28 Charles Town Classic Stakes (G2), according to a Daily Racing Form report.
As part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: "Win And You're In," the victor will be awarded an automatic, fees-paid berth to the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 29, 2026, Race 11Entries: Forego S. (G1)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Tip Top Thomas (KY) Flavien Prat 124 Todd A. Pletcher 5/1 2 2Hymn (KY) Ricardo Santana, Jr. 124 Ron Moquett 12/1 3 3T Kraft (KY) Junior Alvarado 124 William I. Mott 20/1 4 4Crazy Mason (KY) Manuel Franco 124 Gregory D. Sacco 12/1 5 5Book'em Danno (NJ) Paco Lopez 126 Derek S. Ryan 1/1 6 6Senior Officer (MD) Luis Saez 124 Brad H. Cox 7/2 7 7Banishing (KY) Tyler Gaffalione 124 David Jacobson 10/1 8 8Bring the Smoke (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 124 D. Whitworth Beckman 10/1
