Highlander Stakes – GII
$200.00 For Four Year Olds And Upward
5 Furlongs – Turf
Woodbine Racetrack – June 27, 2026

The Highlander Stakes has been run seventeen times before and always at six furlongs on the grass. This Saturday the race will chop a furlong off of its traditional distance and be run at five furlongs for the first time. Maximilian Farm won the Highlander a year ago with Whoa Bo who has been successfully stretching out on the grass this season but the barn can repeat and has three entrants with which to do that. The race has drawn a total of seven horses this year with four barns each sending one against the Maxmillion threesome. 

1. Bay Another Man (Our Athletes/L. Salles) Was a G1 winner sprinting on the grass last year as a three year old and was good enough to make it into the Breeders Cup Turf Srpint where he ran a very good fifth just missing out on the checks and only trailing the winner by a length. Has not shown the same form yet as a four year old but did place third in an allowance at Churchill Downs in his last start so may be starting to come around. 

2. Bayldonite (The Sidley Stud/S. Chernetz) Has been right there in the mix at the end of all of his six races this season and found his way into the winners circle in his last race when he won the Beau Stakes at Churchill Downs three weeks ago. Very fast works in addition to the win show he is coming into this race very sharp.

3. Bear Head (Maxmillion Farm/S. Vives) The first of the three starts from Maxmillion Farm. He finished eight in the G1 BC Mile last season where he finished eighth. He regrouped and came back in March duplicating that eighth place finish in the G2 Kilroe Mile. He cut back to a sprint after that and ran a much better third in the G2 Shakertown at Keeneland but then was back to his eighth place ways in the G2 TS Turf Sprint. Hard to figure out his current form but his record shows he has the class to win on his best day. 

4. Because I Want To (Night Rider Stables/E.J. Wilson) Has hit the board in eleven of his twelve lifetime starts. His first eight races were at the free tracks before he was purchased for $20.00. Night Rider Stables obviously saw talent in this six year old and he wasted no time testing his class against stakes company entering in three straight stakes races where he proved his class and validated his new owner’s faith. Although he did not win any of them he placed in all three of those stakes races and was second in his last start which was an allowance race at Churchill Downs. He has been second in his two turf sprint races including a half length loss in The Turf Dash where he finished ahead of Nitro who was third that day. One to fear. 

5. Operation Mongoose (Maxmillion Farm/P. Moran) The second of the Maxmillion Farm trio. He also ran in last year’s G1 BC Mile. He finished twelfth but then bounced back to finish 2025 by winning the Janus. He opened the season with a ninth in The GP Turf Sprint but has not been seen since finishing third in a February allowance race. The morning works are fast and suggest that the time off has done him good. Expect him to be sharp. 

6. Douda (Spankys Barn/W.T. Buick) He has yet to break through with a win in ten stakes tries but he has come very close on several occasions. He comes into the Highlander following two sharp efforts. He won an optional claiming race at Santa Anita and then was a close second in an allowance at Churchill Downs. Four year old could still be improving.

7. Ineedu2party (Maxmillion Famr/D. Moran)  The last of the Maxmillion Farm hopefuls. He won the G1 Jerkens Memorial at Saratoga last year. Like his two stablemates he was good enough to participate in the Breeders Cup last fall finishing tenth in the BC Sprint. He has not hit the board since finishing third in the G2 Gallant Bob last September but he did show some life in his last start when he finished sixth in the G1 Jaipur. He led that one early and, although sixth, he was only one length behind the winner. 

A lot of horses in this race seem to be trying to find old form or looking for a breakthrough win. It’s hard to be super confident about any of them but I am going to go with Because I Want To as the pick. He just seems like a dark horse ready for a big effort and his new barn seems to have him figured out. We’ll go with some back class to round out the superfecta picks. Follow Because I Want To with Operation Mongoose, Bayldonite and Ineedutoparty.

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES