Saturday’s Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont at the Big A offers one of the last meaningful routes into the Belmont Stakes picture, with Lexington winner Trendsetter, rapidly improving Growth Equity and Withers scorer Talk to Me Jimmy heading a field with clear Classic implications.
The race has a familiar role in the American three-year-old calendar: a late spring test that can still reshape the Belmont Stakes picture.
A Belmont berth is very much on the line here, with Growth Equity installed as the 6-5 morning-line favourite after a maiden win at Aqueduct and Trendsetter close behind at 3-1 after his decisive Grade 3 Lexington Stakes success at Keeneland in April. TDN also highlighted Withers winner Talk to Me Jimmy as one of the key names returning to the spotlight after his Wood Memorial setback.
Wider Picture Taking Shape
The Peter Pan is at the centre of Saturday’s stakes programme; a local prep for the Belmont Stakes, given that the race has historically been a springboard to the final leg of the Triple Crown. Worthy of note here is Trendsetter’s upset Lexington victory, the return of Talk to Me Jimmy, and the significant rise in class facing Growth Equity.
The wider Belmont context is already taking shape. Kentucky Derby runner-up Renegade has arrived at Saratoga to train toward an intended start in the Belmont Stakes on June 6. That means today’s Peter Pan is not just a standalone Grade 3, but part of an increasingly defined Belmont picture in which fresh or lightly raced colts still have time to force their way into contention.
Trendsetter brings perhaps the sharpest recent form after his Lexington breakthrough, while Growth Equity arrives with less experience but obvious upside. Talk to Me Jimmy, by contrast, has already shown he can dominate over this circuit when conditions suit, even if he has to rebound from a disappointing Wood run.
The Road to Saratoga
This race is one of the last recognised stepping stones before Belmont preparations become fixed. A convincing performance today would not only strengthen a colt’s form credentials but could also alter how the June 6 race is discussed alongside established names already moving toward Saratoga.
Peter Pan Stakes Runners 2026
- 1 – Trendsetter (KY) – Kazushi Kimura Ben Colebrook 3/1
- 2 – Azam (KY) – Jose Lezcano Jose Francisco D’Angelo 10/1
- 3 – Growth Equity (KY) – Flavien Prat Chad C. Brown 6/5
- 4 – Bull by the Horns (KY) – Micah J. Husbands Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 8/1
- 5 – Talk to Me Jimmy (NY) – Manuel Franco Rudy R. Rodriguez 9/5
- 6 – Gulfy (KY) – Kendrick Carmouche Gustavo Rodriguez 8/1
See our Peter Pan Stakes picks here, plus runners guide.
Note: Peter Pan betting odds are subject to change
