Expert Pick of the Week: 2026 Coaching Club American Oaks

Jul 22, 2026 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

Counting Stars wins the Acorn Stakes at Saratoga. (Photo by Coglianese Photo)

One of the premier races for three-year-old fillies on the racing calendar will take place on Saturday, when a fine field of nine will contest the $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) at Saratoga. The 1 1/8-mile race on the dirt attracted the one-two finishers of the recent Acorn (G1) on the track on June 5, and I expect that same pair to be the first two across the wire once again in the exciting feature.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse will saddle Acorn winner Counting Stars in hopes of making it two huge wins in succession on the course. The bay daughter of Honor A. P. was a winner in three of her first four races to commence her career, and following a pair of losses, the sophomore has been excellent in three performances since. She won the Fantasy  (G2) at Oaklawn Park for fun three back, and following a third in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) with a less than ideal voyage at Churchill Downs, the $150,000 purchase was sensational in the Acorn. Counting Stars is proven on the surface and at the distance, and Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be in the saddle once again.

✨𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗦 shines in the Grade 1 Acorn stakes at Saratoga.

Jockey: @iradortiz
Trainer: @markecasse
Owner: @westpointtbred pic.twitter.com/Uv4NL8YVhx

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) June 5, 2026

Kentucky Oaks star Always A Runner suffered her first setback in the Acorn following a trio of wins to start her career and can surely turn the tables with her best run on Saturday. Trained by Chad Brown, the dark bay daughter of Gun Runner is relatively lightly raced with just four runs to her credit, and she has reportedly been training well in advance of this big race, too. The filly brought seven figures at public auction as a yearling, and following a bout with some serious physical issues earlier in her lifetime, the filly has been healthy and showing why she was such an expensive purchase.

Always A Runner has a high cruising speed and loves the distance, and I feel that she will sit in a perfect spot in the clear to the top of the stretch before being asked to put in her strong and steady closing kick late under the guidance of Jose Ortiz.

Expert Pick

An exacta box with #1 Counting Stars and #6 Always A Runner in the 2026 Coaching Club American Oaks is the Best Bet of the Week.