2023 Stephen Foster Stakes predictions, odds, post time, lineup: Surprising picks from horse racing insider
Bob Weir has studied the Stephen Foster Stakes 2023 field and locked in his picks for Saturday's race at Ellis Park
By
CBS Sports Staff
•
3 min read
Trainer Ken McPeek will try to win the Stephen Foster Stakes for the first time when he sends out two horses in the 2023 Stephen Foster Stakes on Saturday at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. The 60-year-old McPeek has won more than 1,900 races in his career, and his horses have earned more than $109 million, but the Kentucky-based trainer has never won the Stephen Foster Stakes, one of the country's most storied races for older horses. This year, McPeek has two chances to win the race, Smile Happy and Rattle N Roll. Smile Happy is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the 2023 Stephen Foster Stakes odds. West Will Power is second in the odds at 7-2 in the Stephen Foster Stakes 2023 field, while Proxy and Rattle N Roll are the co-third choices in the odds, at 4-1.
Post time is 5:26 p.m. ET. With several accomplished horses set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see what racing insider and Beyer Speed Figure maker Bob Weir has to say before making any 2023 Stephen Foster Stakes picks of your own.
A member of the Beyer Speed Figure-making team who is based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Weir is a two-time qualifier for the prestigious National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. He has produced multiple five-figure days at the track over the years, including a $60,000 Pick 6 at Del Mar in 2014.
Last year he was red-hot in the Triple Crown prep races, hitting the superfecta in the Blue Grass Stakes for $1,678 and exactas in the Fountain of Youth Stakes and Tampa Bay Derby. He also hit the 19-1 winner of the Man o' War Stakes, the trifecta in the Pegasus World Cup, the superfecta in the Met Mile and multiple Pick 4s.
In April of this year, he hit a Pick 4 at Gulfstream Park for $641, the exacta in the Florida Derby, a Pick 5 at Keeneland and the exacta in the Lexington Stakes. He smashed the trifecta in the Belmont Stakes for $532.96, and last week he crushed the Pick 4 at Belmont for $555. Those are just some of his scores this year.
For Saturday, he has handicapped the 2023 Stephen Foster Stakes lineup, made his picks and constructed his bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top Stephen Foster Stakes predictions
One surprise: Weir is not making Smile Happy his top pick. The 3-1 morning-line favorite, Smile Happy has won two of his last three starts. He is coming off a two-length win in the Alysheba Stakes, which earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 110.
But he has not been able to win back-to-back races since he was a 2-year-old in the fall of 2021. "He also must show that he can beat Grade 1 horses," Weir told SportsLine. "He is 0-for-2 in Grade 1s." Weir prefers another horse over Smile Happy. You can see all of Weir's Stephen Foster Stakes picks here.
How to make 2023 Stephen Foster Stakes picks
Instead, Weir's top pick is a horse who will be one of the longer prices in the field and is "awfully dangerous." Weir is only sharing his analysis and which horses to back at SportsLine.
So who wins the Stephen Foster Stakes, and what longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest Stephen Foster Stakes odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Weir's picks for the Stephen Foster Stakes, and find out.
2023 Stephen Foster Stakes odds
| Prg # | Horse | Odds | Projection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proxy | 4-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 2 | Stilleto Boy | 6-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 3 | Speed Bias | 12-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 4 | Rattle N Roll | 4-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 5 | Smile Happy | 3-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 6 | West Will Power | 7-2 | SEE PICKS |
| 7 | Last Samurai | 6-1 | SEE PICKS |
| 8 | Happy American | 20-1 | SEE PICKS |
