Aqueduct Racetrack Picks: Withers Stakes Day, 2/6/26

Key Takeaways

• With the Withers Stakes moved to Friday, Aqueduct delivers a rare weekday stakes-heavy card, featuring five stakes races and strong betting depth across 11 races.
• Several favorites on the card face legitimate distance or pace questions, creating value opportunities for proven two-turn runners and tactical stalkers.
• In the Ladies Stakes, distance is the dividing line: Curlin’s Girl and Scalable both bring proven two-turn form that could expose short-priced rivals stretching out.
• The Race 7 claiming mile shapes up as a pace-driven affair, favoring versatile runners like Mister Holden and proven Aqueduct specialists like Skylander who can capitalize on honest fractions.
• A speed-laden Ruthless Stakes sets up perfectly for off-the-pace runners, with Two Bits positioned for a breakthrough and Ivy Girl offering longshot upside if she improves off the layoff and benefits from the contested pace.

The Withers Stakes has been rescheduled to Friday, February 6, after winter storms blew up and down the East Coast last weekend. This means a bonus day of stakes racing -- and betting -- on Friday at Aqueduct! The Withers, a 20-point Kentucky Derby prep, anchors an 11-race card including five at the stakes level, a surprise weekday bounty.

In addition to the 1 ⅛-mile Withers for early Kentucky Derby prospects, the card also features the Ruthless for sophomore fillies at seven furlongs, the Toboggan for older sprinters at seven furlongs, the seven-furlong Interborough for older fillies and mares, and the 1 ⅛-mile Ladies for older fillies and mares.

First post for the card is at 11:45 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. You can get the latest news on contenders and watch every race at FanDuel TV, and you can get past performances and bet every race at FanDuel. Make sure to check scratches before betting, as they can affect pace and class balance. There is a slight chance of snow flurries or light rain, but scratches can happen for any reason.

Here are the three best bets at Aqueduct on Withers Stakes day:

Aqueduct Racetrack Picks - 2026 Withers Stakes Day Best Bets

Race 6 - Ladies Stakes, 1 ⅛ miles on the dirt - Curlin’s Girl and Scalable

FanDuel odds: 10-1 and 4-1

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Even as redrawn, the Ladies remains an interesting betting race because the likely favorite, Weigh the Risks, is unproven over the distance of the race. She has won five of her last six races, all on the dirt at either Aqueduct or Saratoga, but all of those races have come at either seven furlongs or the one-turn mile. She does have tactical speed and good form on the local track, but now she faces horses who are more proven over two turns, meaning she gets a significant test at a short price.

Linda Rice is a prodigious winner this winter at Aqueduct, and she has a live one in Curlin’s Girl (10-1). Her dirt racing experience is limited, as she has raced much of her career on either turf or Tapeta, but she comes into the Ladies off of a pair of allowance-level victories on the Aqueduct dirt. That includes a score two back at 1 ⅛ miles—and though that came in the mud, she did it in fast fashion and followed that up with a next-out win at the flat mile. Rice fires well with fresh horses, and Curlin’s Girl should be able to get a sweet outside stalking trip off some pace from Low Country Magic, Bernietakescharge, and Weigh the Risks.

Scalable (4-1) has tables to turn on Weigh the Risks from her last two starts, though both of those came at one turn. The mare, making her 5-year-old debut, has back form and class over two-turn trips, however. That could move the Todd Pletcher trainee forward. She should be able to get a tactical stalking trip over this longer distance, and if she runs one of her better races, she is good enough to turn the tables at a solid price under jockey Kendrick Carmouche, who has done good work with her at Aqueduct.

Race 7 - $10,000 claiming, one mile on the dirt - Mister Holden and Skylander

FanDuel odds: 8-1 and 3-1

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They brought this race back from last Saturday’s canceled card—the field is a little different, and the pace more contested, though the new one also drew 12 horses, making it an interesting betting opportunity even in its new form.

Mister Holden (8-1) tries dirt for the first time in his career after 15 starts on either turf or all-weather throughout his career. The question, of course, is whether he’ll take to the dirt at all. But, if he does, he could be tough here. Though he wired his last start, a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer at Woodbine, that’s not his only dimension. He was winning at that optional-claiming level last year at Woodbine—on turf and dirt, at one turn or two—from either the lead or a stalking spot. That dimension of versatility should serve him well in this spot. He was also winning races with 10 and 11 horses last year from relatively inside posts, making the 4 hole in a field of 12 seem like no serious concern.

Skylander (3-1), who drops to the $10,000 level for the first time, also fits here. He was third at this distance against $16,000 foes last time and won for $12,500 at this trip back in October. The one-turn mile at Aqueduct is his home, and with a likely honest and contested pace in front of him, he’ll get his trip from a tracking to midpack spot. With Aqueduct tending to play reasonably fairly to horses drawn toward the outside at the one-turn mile, he should have a fair chance in a race that, class-wise, could not be a cozier spot for him.

Race 8 - Ruthless Stakes, seven furlongs on the dirt - Two Bits and Ivy Girl

FanDuel odds: 2-1 and 12-1

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The original draw of the Ruthless had a decent amount of speed, but this one came back even speedier. In addition to Interstatelovesong, Shilling, and possibly Courage on Tap being forward—all three returned in this new draw—Midnite Ginny can also hit the gas pedal. This spells out great news for Two Bits (2-1). She broke her maiden two back over the one-turn mile at Aqueduct, and although this is a slight turnback, it’s still an extended-sprint trip over a track she has shown she likes. She wasn’t disgraced when second in the Busanda last out, and with Dazzling Dame not returning for the Ruthless, the path looks cleared for her to get a cozy trip and take a step forward.

Two Bits isn’t the only one from the Amelia Green barn—her other entrant also has an interesting price chance in this spot. Ivy Girl (12-1) broke her maiden over this course at the one-turn mile, and though she did it for a $40,000 tag, she did it in fast enough fashion to fit in just fine with this bunch. She was never a factor in the two-turn Demoiselle (G2) next out, but now she got a freshening and turns back to an extended one-turn trip at Aqueduct, something that should suit her kindly. She should be able to work out a stalking trip behind a contested pace, and if she has moved forward during her time away, she could spring the upset.

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