Expert Pick of the Week: 2026 Ack Ack Stakes

Sep 23, 2026 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

Owen wins the Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs.

An especially well-matched cast of eight talented runners will travel the one-turn mile on the dirt at Churchill Downs on Saturday in the $400,000 Ack Ack (G3). Six of the eight contenders have previously enjoyed success at the graded stakes level in this race, and the contest also attracted numerous horses with very good early speed, which could set things up well for a horse rallying from off of the early pace, too.

The Brian Lynch-trained Owen Almighty was a good three-year-old in the early portion of 2025 before tailing off some in the second half of his sophomore season, but the Speightstown colt is in fine form currently and gets top billing on this occasion. He has never been worse than second at the distance, evidenced by his 4-1-3-0 lifetime mark at the trip, and the colt has also finished first or second in four of five career tries beneath the Twin Spires in his lifetime, as well.

Owen Almighty, who was a $350,000 yearling purchase in 2023, rallied to be a clear runner-up in the Hanshin (G3) on the course in June, which preceded a professional score in the Cowboy Jones S. at Ellis Park on Aug. 9, where he led every step of the way against a solid field. The Kentucky-bred has shown good versatility in his running style as he can run well from the front, or from off the tempo, equally, and his morning workouts in advance of Saturday. I expect the bay horse to get a voyage behind a contested early pace prior to putting in his winning run in the stretch. Francisco Arrieta will take the reins.

💨𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗡 𝗔𝗟𝗠𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗬 holds on strong to win the R.A. Cowboy Jones S. @EllisParkRacing for jockey @luissaezpty and trainer @BLynchRacing. pic.twitter.com/mZYWyEZvqj

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) August 9, 2026

Grade 3 winner Coal Battle was a solid third behind the top selection at Ellis Park last time and will be coming on late as a top-three threat. The 2025 Rebel (G2) hero is winless since garnering his best win to date, but the son of Coal Front has run some good ones along the way and has been very consistent leading up to this competitive event. The four-year-old colt fired a bullet five furlongs in a recent workout to prepare for this challenge and will have Juan Vargas in the stirrups.

Expert Pick

An exacta with #3 Owen Almighty on top of #6 Coal Battle in the 2026 Ack Ack Stakes is the Best Bet of the Week.