Expert Pick of the Week: 2026 Street Sense Stakes

Oct 21, 2026 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

Mystik Bayou wins at Belmont Park. (Photo by Coglianese Photo / Credit to Walter Wlodarczyk)

A cast of eight two-year-old colts will run 1 1/16 miles over the Churchill Downs dirt in Sunday’s $200,000 Street Sense (G3). The two-turn test for juveniles will serve as a qualifying race on the 2027 Road to the Kentucky Derby, with the top-five finishers earning points on a 10-5-3-2-1 basis.

The Chad Brown-trained Card Man was unveiled at Saratoga on Aug. 15 and finished a clear second in a highly regarded maiden tilt while running six furlongs. Moving out to one mile in his second appearance, the Life is Good homebred was a heavy favorite while facing nine foes at Belmont Park and ran to his odds en route to posting a five-length tally in a solid final time under regular pilot Flavien Prat.

Card Man is bred to handle the move to two turns with relative ease, and the two-year-old has also posted a trio of well-spaced morning workouts in advance of his stakes debut, as well. The February foal has good speed from the gate and will always be in striking range with Prat retaining the mount.

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Bashford Manor S. victor Blessed Flyer rallied well late to get up in a debut run at Keeneland on April 16, then made good in his stakes bow when once again powering home in the latter stages to earn his first black-type victory beneath the Twin Spires on June 28. Purchased for $270,000 following his first-out score, the Michael Tomlinson trainee will have blinkers on for the first time on Sunday. The colt has been training swiftly leading up to his first route race, as he tries stretching out for the initial time. The Kentucky-bred will be the major late threat to the top choice, with Brian Hernandez, Jr. taking the reins.

Mystik Bayou, one of two in the field for trainer Kenny McPeek, was a distant third to the excellent U. S. S. Valor at first asking and took a big step forward second time out when dominating maiden foes at Belmont Park at 1 1/16 miles on Oct. 3. The dark bay son of Wells Bayou did everything right in his route victory last time, and the juvenile is also bred to run long so he will have no trouble navigating two turns for the first

time in this tilt. He posted a solid five-eighths drill on the surface in preparation for his stakes debut and picks up standout jockey Jose Ortiz.

Expert Pick

An exacta with #3 Card Man on top of #2 Blessed Flyer and #4 Mystik Bayou in the 2026 Street Sense Stakes is the Best Bet of the Week.