Bradley Stakes ($100.000 Purse)
FG- For Four Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Turf
January 17, 2026

The Bradley Stakes is an ungraded race that takes place on Saturday, sending a field of eleven older horses a little more than a mile on the turf course. It’s a race that debuted in 2005 and held a Grade 3 designation for a little while but has never had a large purse. Last year, Mb Stables won the race with On Fire, a still active gelding that has not won since that race. After struggling over the summer, he has not run since August and a work earlier this month likely suggests he won’t win a stake again. Here’s a look at this year’s field:

1- My Dog (Choppy Inc., ridden by J Loveberry)- Over his 16-race career, this five-year-old gelding did a very good job of consistently hitting the board in allowances, and that led to his stake debut in August last year. Running in the middle of the pack after being moved from the turf to the dirt for the race was not enough for the trainer, and My Dog was gelded afterward. Won in a four-horse field at TAM in November and will now run in stake for the second time, and on the turf, where he seems to like it more.

2- Jerry West (La Canada Racehorses, ridden by P Lopez)- This will be the 37th career start for the gelding, and it comes off a 2025 where he hit the board in eight of nine races. Two were wins, but none in the stakes that he attempted. Very consistent horse, and a regular at running this type of distance, but when it comes to the stakes ranks, he’s usually one you can count on to finish third or fourth rather than on top. At the same time, he’s due for this first stake win since July 2024.

3- Port Gibson (The Sidley Stud, ridden by J R Velazquez)- You can dig deeper into this one’s past performances to see plenty of stakes appearances, and he particularly liked to run with the NM-Bred condition. However, since last Spring, he has been running in smaller claimers and has bounced around a couple times during that period. Port Gibson makes his first start in the silks of The Sidley Stud, after he was claimed for $4.000 in October. With some rest, the horse gets an opportunity to relive his better days.

4- Legit (Bigchief Stables, ridden by J L Ortiz)- Just two of his fifteen starts have resulted in a trip to the winner’s circle, and his last victory was in an allowance at TAM in February. Since then, he’s been okay but doesn’t really have that one race that stands out. He’s not out of place in this type of race, but he is also not an easy one to get excited about. Perhaps if his odds climb, he’s worth stronger consideration because you never know if he’ll break out.

5- American Icon (Riggins Racing, ridden by A A Reyes)- Doesn’t have the resume that others have in this field, with only eight starts and $23.880 in earnings. His two wins have come at BTP, and the last time we saw him, it was in October when he was fifth in a FE allowance. Clearly, there is something that the trainer sees in him since that race to enter him here, but I will have to see it on the track first.

6- Louis Litt (Chili King Stables, ridden by I Castillo)- Had a nice stretch of races against NY-Breds last spring and summer, but has not really done much else to generate a lot of excitement for his chances here. When he has run in stakes, he has consistently run near the back of the field. Been idle since early October, so perhaps there’s improvement within that time.

7- Diamond Haggis (John Henry, ridden by F Geroux)- When it comes to lifetime earnings, Diamond Haggis is a monster in this field, making over $2,200.000 in 22 starts. He is a two-time BC runner and finished second in the 2024 BC Mile while running for Fractious. John Henry picked him up in December of that year, and while Diamond Haggis has not won for him, he’s did run well most of the year, including a runner up in the Grade 1 Manhattan. Unfortunately, after that, this gelding has had a decline in form but his SRF’s are not bad. This is a great spot for him to run against good enough competition for the trainer to see if Diamond Haggis can be brought forward into graded races again.

8- Snidely Whiplash (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by M Franco)- The trainer has been very active to start the year, already starting 119 horses as of press time. The wins have not been there, and that can describe Snidely Whiplash as well. In 27 starts, he only has one victory. We know that won’t stop the trainer, and with a little more luck at the wire, Snidely Whiplash could have won four times in 2025. I like his works and look for him to be competitive here.

9- Sweet Deliberation (Langley Farms, ridden by M Pinto)- The six-year-old gelding is on the best form of his career right now. While he was never unproductive, Sweet Deliberation hit his stride in August of last year, when he kicked off a three-race winning streak. Those were in overnights and highlighted by a victory at AQU in October. From there, it was off to a couple of graded races where he hit the board and picked up his first triple digit SRF’s. Very dangerous in here if he continues that form or even improves it.

10- Pincay (Royalty Stables, ridden by B Curtis)- Entering his four-year-old season, this gelding has hit the board seven times out of eleven starts. Two of those were wins, with the last coming in October at CD in an N1X allowance. Now, Pincay will do something that he has never done before and run on the turf. Royalty Stables has been preparing him for this, and he had a particularly nice work at GP in December. Not picking him, but he wouldn’t surprise me.

11- King Speed Party (Winning Link Stables, ridden by R M Hernandez)- After a lengthy career with Jokerjoes, King Speed Party was claimed by Winning Link Stables for $50.000 at SA, an optional claimer that he won in a photo. The horse had ample stake experience prior to that, so there was little concern about him when he debuted in his new silks in the $150.000 AQU Turf Sprint Championships. He’s at about a 50-50 split in sprinting and going long, and the trainer may be exploring where he feels most comfortable with him.

Prediction: 7-9-8-2

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded