The 2026 Mother Goose Stakes (Grade II) goes Saturday, November 7, 2026, as Race 9 at Belmont Park with a 3:43 p.m. ET post time, and Bodacious Bay is the 5/2 morning-line favorite from post 7. Cognition (9/2) and Tap to Open (5/1) are the next two choices in the 11-filly field, according to the official Belmont Park race card.
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | Morning line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cognition | Flavien Prat | Chad C. Brown | 120 | 9/2 |
| 2 | Answered Prayers | Junior Alvarado | William I. Mott | 120 | 8/1 |
| 3 | Tap to Open | Manuel Franco | Brad H. Cox | 122 | 5/1 |
| 4 | Laken | Vincent Cheminaud | Saffie A. Joseph Jr. | 120 | 20/1 |
| 5 | Iron Orchard | Dylan Davis | Steven M. Asmussen | 124 | 12/1 |
| 6 | Ati Girl | John R. Velazquez | William I. Mott | 120 | 6/1 |
| 7 | Bodacious Bay | M.J. Husbands | Saffie A. Joseph Jr. | 124 | 5/2 |
| 8 | Ivy Girl | Antonio Fresu | A.J. Green | 122 | 30/1 |
| 9 | Tahlequah | Paco Lopez | Saffie A. Joseph Jr. | 120 | 12/1 |
| 10 | Intrepids Fantasy | J. Ruiz | Gary Capuano | 120 | 8/1 |
| 11 | Run Wild | S. Marin | Miguel Clement | 120 | 15/1 |
Scratches: No scratches reported. Morning line odds per the official Belmont Park race card; live odds change until post.
Bodacious Bay is the 5/2 morning-line favorite in the 2026 Mother Goose Stakes. She breaks from post 7 for trainer Saffie A. Joseph Jr. and jockey M.J. Husbands and carries 124 pounds, the top weight. Cognition is second choice at 9/2, followed by Tap to Open at 5/1 and Ati Girl at 6/1.
Under the race conditions, the base weight is 124 pounds. Fillies that have never won a graded stakes get 2 pounds off, and fillies without a stakes win in 2026 get 4 pounds off. Only Bodacious Bay and Iron Orchard carry the full 124, so they are the only two in the field with both a graded stakes win and a 2026 stakes win.
The 2026 Mother Goose Stakes starts at 3:43 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 7, 2026. That is 2:43 p.m. CT, 1:43 p.m. MT, and 12:43 p.m. PT. It is Race 9 on the Belmont Park card, and it is the first leg of a $1 Daily Double into Race 10, per the official race card.
The 2026 Mother Goose Stakes is run at 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-old fillies. It is a Grade II race with a $300,000 purse. Lasix is not allowed within 48 hours of post time under HISA Rule 4212, so every filly runs without it. Nominations closed Thursday, October 22, 2026, with 18 nominations.
You can bet the 2026 Mother Goose Stakes at BUSR on win, place, show, and exotics. The official race card lists a $1 Exacta, $0.50 Trifecta, $0.10 Superfecta, and a $1 Daily Double covering Races 9 and 10. New BUSR members can claim up to a $1,000 Welcome Bonus before post time.
Bodacious Bay has the profile of a deserving favorite: top weight, a graded stakes win and a 2026 stakes win under the conditions. At 5/2, though, the price leaves little room. The value case sits with Iron Orchard at 12/1. She is the only other filly in the field carrying 124 pounds, which puts her in the same class bracket as the favorite at almost five times the morning-line price. Steven M. Asmussen trains her, and Dylan Davis rides from post 5.
Tap to Open (5/1) and Ivy Girl (30/1) carry 122, which means a stakes win but no graded win. Tap to Open has the stronger connections with Brad H. Cox and Manuel Franco. Cognition is the 9/2 second choice with Flavien Prat aboard for Chad C. Brown, but at 120 pounds she comes in without a 2026 stakes win.
Saffie A. Joseph Jr. sends three of the 11: Bodacious Bay, Tahlequah (12/1) and Laken (20/1). William I. Mott has two: Ati Girl (6/1) and Answered Prayers (8/1).
Bets to consider, with example costs at the card's minimums:
Read the Mother Goose Stakes race page, check the latest horse racing odds and see the full Belmont Park hub for the rest of the card.
Bodacious Bay is the 5/2 morning-line favorite, per the official race card.
Post time is 3:43 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
Belmont Park, as Race 9 on the Saturday, November 7, 2026 card.
$300,000 for the Grade II race.
TBA.
TBA. The race goes at 3:43 p.m. ET on November 7, 2026; results will be added here after the official order of finish.
At BUSR, which offers win, place, show, Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta and Daily Double wagers on the race.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
