FG Stakes – Grade III
$175.000 For Four Year Olds And Upward
1 1/8 Miles – Turf
Fair Grounds – February 14, 2026

Going into the race Seven Is Lucky appeared to be the standout, and he did not disappoint his fans and backers putting on a dominating performance to take the FG Stakes with relative ease. Graded stakes winning turf sprinter Whoa Bo was a fast closing second in a promising turf route debut. More to come?

Winner: Seven Is Lucky (Mb Stables/P. Lopez) Clockwork Chai/Tough Talk (No Doubt About It) Stalked in third early but then made his move heading into the far turn and it was over at that point. Powered by the leaders and quickly opened up a few lengths at the top of the stretch and coasted home. Whoa Bo closed stoutly on the outside late, but he was not close to getting to the winner at that point. 

Second: Whoa Bo (Maxmillion Farm/F. Geroux) Bo Judge/Kathryn H (Mystic Mac) Made his turf route debut after making his reputation as a G2 winning turf sprinter in his thirty fourth career start and… proved he is versatile and he is a threat going long as well. Usually shows early speed but sat at the back of the pack early and made a strong late move after circling the field but had too much to do in the stretch and was no threat to Seven Is Lucky. 

Third: Hackett (Nakamura Stables/I. Castillo) Thoughtful Idea/Shadow Woman (Cherokee Sunset) Kept Whoa Bo company at the back of the back early. Also made a late move and had a more advantageous route than Bo who had to go wide but could not challenge the top two. Three straight good efforts for Nakamura since the claim.

Fourth: Manticore (High Voltage/D.E. Centeno) Extremo/Queen of Africa (King Of Africa) Another who bided his time early settling a few lengths off of the pace. Ran an even race and picked up a check but could not move with the winner and could not hold off the strong closers and had to settle for fourth after finishing second a year ago. 

Preview Pick: Seven Is Lucky (Winner) Went off the favorite and seemed the likely winner. 

Seven Is Lucky gains the fourth graded stakes win of his career bringing his total earnings to $1,968.260. This was the second straight win to start off his seven-year-old campaign so seven had been lucky for him so far. This was the first FG Stakes win for Mb Stables and the second in a row for jockey P. Lopez who won this race a year ago with American Generals.

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES