Lambeth is the 9/5 morning-line favorite for the 2026 River City Stakes (Grade III), a $300,000 race at 1 1/8 miles on the turf at Churchill Downs on Saturday, November 7, 2026, with post time set for 4:25 PM ET as Race 8. Ole Crazy Bone is the 3/1 second choice and Kupuna is 9/2 in a field of eight.
| # | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carcano | Jaime A. Torres | Victoria H. Oliver | 20/1 |
| 2 | Mercante | Walter A. Rodriguez | B. Knippenberg | 8/1 |
| 3 | Vote No | Umberto Rispoli | Kelsey Danner | 8/1 |
| 4 | Lambeth | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Joe Sharp | 9/5 |
| 5 | Kupuna | Francisco Arrieta | Norm W. Casse | 9/2 |
| 6 | Teao | Luis Saez | John W. Sadler | 6/1 |
| 7 | Piensa | Axel Concepcion | George R. Arnold II | 15/1 |
| 8 | Ole Crazy Bone | Tyler Gaffalione | Michael J. Maker | 3/1 |
Official entries for the River City Stakes (Grade III). Post time: 4:25 PM ET. Entries are subject to scratches and race-day changes.
Last Updated on 11/05/2026
Lambeth is the 9/5 morning-line favorite in the 2026 River City Stakes. The 5-year-old son of Arrogate, trained by Joe Sharp and ridden by Jose Ortiz from post 4, won the Grade II Sycamore Stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Keeneland on October 9 by one length and now cuts back to 1 1/8 miles on the Churchill Downs turf.
Lambeth has won 6 of 21 starts and earned $906,377, according to Churchill Downs. Four of his six wins have come between 1 mile and 1 1/16 miles, so the shorter trip is not new ground.
The 2026 River City Stakes goes as Race 8 at Churchill Downs on Saturday, November 7, 2026, with a post time of 4:25 PM ET, per Churchill Downs. That is 3:25 PM CT and 1:25 PM PT. First post on the 11-race card is 1:00 PM ET.
Ole Crazy Bone (8, 3/1) won Grade II turf stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Kentucky Downs in 2025 and the Bowling Green (Grade II) at 1 3/8 miles at Saratoga in July 2026. His last two starts were a sixth and an eighth in big-money stakes, the latest the Grade II Kentucky Turf Cup. He projects as the main early speed for Mike Maker and Tyler Gaffalione.
Kupuna (5, 9/2) won the Bernard Baruch Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Saratoga on September 3 at 12/1 and is 1-for-1 on the Churchill Downs turf.
Teao (CHI) (6, TBA) is the Chilean Horse of the Year, 6-3-1 from 12 starts. He last won the Gran Premio Latinoamericano (Group I) on April 26 at Monterrico in Peru and makes his United States debut for John Sadler and Luis Saez.
Plensa (7, TBA) won the Tapit Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Kentucky Downs in September by a half-length, then finished seventh in the Grade I Coolmore Turf Mile. Vote No (3, 8/1) was second by a half-length to Plensa at Kentucky Downs and third behind Lambeth in the Sycamore. Mercante (2, TBA) dead-heated for third in the 2025 River City. Carcano (1, TBA) was second by a head in the 1 1/2-mile Colonial Cup Stakes.
You can bet the 2026 River City Stakes at BUSR with win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, and superfecta wagers on Race 8 at Churchill Downs. New members can claim up to a $1,000 Welcome Bonus.
Example payouts at morning-line odds (examples only, not current lines): a $2 win bet on Lambeth at 9/5 would return $5.60; on Ole Crazy Bone at 3/1, $8.00; on Kupuna at 9/2, $11.00; on Vote No at 8/1, $18.00.
The price on Lambeth is short for a closer cutting back half a mile. He rallied from ninth in a 1 1/2-mile Sycamore, and at 1 1/8 miles the field runs a faster middle fraction, so his late run has less time to work. He is the horse to beat on form, but 9/5 leaves little room for a bad trip from post 4 in an eight-horse field.
The pace setup favors Ole Crazy Bone. He projects as the lone early speed, and a Grade II winner who gets a soft lead on the Churchill Downs turf at 3/1 is a fair price if his last two starts were the outliers.
Kupuna offers the clearest value at 9/2. He has only three starts in 2026; he won his last stakes at 12/1, and he is unbeaten on this turf course. Teao is the unknown: Group I form in South America, a first start in North America, and top connections.
Bets to consider: win on Kupuna at 9/2 or better; an exacta box of 5-8 (Kupuna, Ole Crazy Bone); and a trifecta with 4-5-8 (Lambeth, Kupuna, Ole Crazy Bone) on top, adding 6 (Teao) and 7 (Plensa) underneath for price.
Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Churchill Downs, as Race 8 with a 4:25 PM ET post time.
Lambeth is the 9/5 morning-line favorite, followed by Ole Crazy Bone at 3/1, Kupuna at 9/2 and Vote No at 8/1. Lines for Carcano, Mercante, Teao (CHI) and Plensa are TBA.
1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course at Churchill Downs.
$300,000, including $50,000 from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund, per the Churchill Downs stakes schedule.
FanDuel TV will broadcast the 2026 River City Stakes live.
At BUSR, where new members get up to a $1,000 Welcome Bonus.
Get up to a $1,000 Welcome Bonus when you join BUSR and bet the River City Stakes and the full Saturday card at Churchill Downs.
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Related: Churchill Downs | Churchill Downs Odds | Churchill Downs Betting
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