Down the Stretch for January 5, 2026

Every racehorse celebrated a birthday on January 1 and racing fans celebrate that the now 4-year-old Sovereignty will race in 2026. Pychic Nikki gives us her predictions for horse racing this year and trainer Marty Drexler predicts he will be a Sovereign Award finalist. The Ontario-bred Full Screen won a Stakes race at Aqueduct recently and we kick off the year with the first Kentucky Derby preps – the Jerome Stakes from Aqueduct and the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn. The first night of harness racing in 2026 at Mohawk produced hattricks from Tyler Borth and Jody Jamieson. We tell you why Clive Cohen is a lock for what will be his 10th Joe O’Brien Award and wait until you hear Ryder Pallet call a horse race – the Australian racing fan is just 11 years old.