If you're betting Fairmount Park without knowing who runs this track, you're donating money. I've spent time digging through race results, entries, news coverage, and industry publications to build you the most complete picture of the human side of Fairmount that exists anywhere outside the racing office itself. Top jockeys, top trainers, the dominant combos to follow, and the history that shapes how this track operates. Let's get into it.
The Track at a Glance
Fairmount is a one-mile dirt oval in Collinsville, Illinois — nine miles from downtown St. Louis and the only thoroughbred track outside the Chicago metro area in the state. It has straight chutes built in for six-furlong and 1¼-mile races. The 2026 meet runs April 14 through October 27 on Tuesdays and Saturdays, 57 race days total.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Main Surface | 1-mile oval, dirt |
| Chutes | Six furlongs & 1¼ mile straight chutes |
| Race Days | Tuesdays & Saturdays, April–October |
| First Post | 1:30 PM |
| Typical Card | 8 races per day |
| OTB Locations | Alton, Carbondale, Springfield, Sauget |
| New Owner (2024) | Accel Entertainment (Chicago) |
| Casino Added | 2025 — nearly 300 slot machines + table games in 2026 |
The #1 Combo to Bet: Bendezu & Becker
Before I go through individual profiles, understand this: at Fairmount, one trainer-jockey pairing consistently gets flagged as the "top combo" in handicapping tools all meet long. It's Scott Becker and Alexander Bendezu. When these two show up together on a horse with decent speed figures, the public usually takes them down to a short price — and for good reason. They win together constantly. I'll break both down in detail below, but burn that pairing into your brain before you bet a race at this track.
Top Jockeys
Alexander Bendezu
🏆 2024 Fairmount Meet Champion — Leading JockeyBendezu is the jockey at Fairmount. He won the 2024 meet title and came into the 2025 season as the undisputed top rider at the track. He's a Spanish-speaking jockey who rides throughout the Illinois circuit — including weekend cards in northern Illinois — and Fairmount is his home base during the summer.
What makes Bendezu dangerous is his relationships. He gets first call on horses from Scott Becker's barn — the most powerful stable at the track — and he's also the go-to rider for trainer Maximino Quinonez. When those two stables have live horses, Bendezu is in the irons. Handicapping tools consistently flag the Bendezu/Becker pairing as a top combo, and the results back it up.
His own quote on the 2025 track improvements: "The competition will be better here, and it's great because this site is great. I love it here." He's committed to Fairmount for the long haul.
Betting angle: When Bendezu is on a morning-line favorite from the Becker barn in an allowance or stakes race, the combination deserves serious respect. Don't fade it looking for value unless you have a compelling reason.
Ademar Santos
Veteran Rider — Strong Trainer ConnectionsSantos is the number two rider at Fairmount and a legitimate threat in every race he enters. He's rated among the top jockeys across speed figure categories and is the primary rider for trainer James M. Watkins and also picks up mounts regularly from Ralph Martinez's barn.
Santos gets the call on some of the better-class horses at Fairmount, particularly in allowance optional claiming races. He rode Smooth N Silky — a Watkins trainee — to victory in a prominent 2025 mid-summer card. He's also the regular pilot on George Leonard III's star horse My Bariley, an 11-year-old who keeps finding the winner's circle. Handicapping tools describe Santos as having "top ratings across all categories."
Betting angle: When Santos is on a Watkins horse in a route race, take a close look. Watkins conditions horses well going long and Santos knows how to save ground on the inside and make a well-timed move on a one-mile oval.
Travis Wales
Active Rider — Becker Barn AlternateWales is Scott Becker's alternate when Bendezu isn't available — which means he's on live horses more often than his name recognition might suggest. During the 2025 season, Wales rode several Becker-trained 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds and appeared in multiple top picks. He's a consistent mid-card presence all meet long.
Betting angle: When Bendezu is scratched or unavailable and Wales picks up a Becker horse that was already shortlisted, don't use the jockey change as a reason to toss the horse out. The horse is still a Becker horse.
Alex Gonzalez
Pace Specialist — Mike Durham BarnGonzalez is the regular rider for trainer Mike Durham and appears consistently on pace-setting horses in the $4,000–$8,000 claiming ranks. He's a get-to-the-front type who works best in sprint races where his horses can take control early. Not a big closer.
Betting angle: In a race with a projected slow pace and a Durham-trained early speed horse under Gonzalez, that combination can be very difficult to beat. Watch the pace scenario closely — if there's no pressure, Gonzalez's horse may wire the field.
Javour M. Simpson
Emerging Rider — Anthony Blea III ConnectionSimpson appeared on several 2025 top picks working with trainer Anthony Blea III. He rode Allabouttheimage, a Ready's Image filly, in a late-season card where the horse was flagged for "good early speed in a projected paceless race." Worth keeping an eye on as the 2026 meet develops.
Top Trainers
Scott Becker
Dominant Local Trainer — Belleville, ILScott Becker is the trainer to know at Fairmount Park. His family has been racing at this track since the 1960s — he grew up here and his operation is deeply embedded in the fabric of the track. He trains out of a large, well-managed stable with co-owner Charles W. Ritter. Throughout the 2025 season, "Ritter, Charles W. and Becker, Scott" appeared in the winner's circle repeatedly, including in allowance optional claiming races worth $20,000+.
Becker both breeds and trains horses. His name appears in the breeder column as well as the trainer column throughout the year — he's deeply invested in the product he puts on the track. He also breeds horses alongside William Stiritz, the former Ralston Purina chairman who previously owned the entire track.
Becker was the trainer calling for the track's revival under Accel Entertainment, saying the improvements mark the end of "30 years of negativity" at Fairmount. He's not going anywhere, and his stable only gets stronger as purses climb.
Betting angle: Any Becker horse that is dropping in class or making its first start at the track after a brief freshening deserves serious attention. His win percentage on favorites is high. In stakes and allowance company, he's the trainer most likely to have the best-conditioned horse in the field.
Maximino Quinonez
Prominent Owner-Trainer — Controls His Own BookQuinonez is unique at Fairmount because he functions simultaneously as trainer and owner — "Max Quinonez" appears in both the owner and trainer boxes in race entries throughout the season. This means he's completely in control of the decisions for his horses: when to run, what class, which distance. That self-contained structure is a tell for sharp bettors.
Quinonez regularly saddles the morning-line favorite at Fairmount with Bendezu in the irons — that's the top-rated trainer/jockey pairing on the card. His horses are often described as having "controlling early speed," suggesting he trains pace-pressing or front-running types who use their speed to demoralize opponents.
Betting angle: When Quinonez is both owner and trainer and Bendezu is listed in the irons, that is a "connections want to win today" signal. Quinonez doesn't have to answer to a separate owner. He runs when his horse is ready.
James M. Watkins
ILHBPA President — Collinsville, ILWatkins wears more hats than anyone at Fairmount. He's the president of the Illinois Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association — the horsemen's union and the organization that negotiates directly with track management over purses, stall space, and working conditions. He's also an active trainer, owner, and breeder operating out of Offspring Farm with his wife Cynthia Rush.
His political role matters to bettors because Watkins has been publicly bullish on Fairmount's trajectory. When the guy who represents all the horsemen says the track is going to be "a destination," he has inside information that the general public doesn't. He's been central to the negotiations that have led to rising purses under Accel Entertainment.
On the track, his horses tend to be route types — he frequently appears in mile-and-a-quarter and longer races. Santos is his primary rider.
Betting angle: Watkins horses in route races with Santos up are a legitimate play, especially when stepping up in purse money. He runs horses when they're fit.
Mike Durham
Claiming Race SpecialistDurham is a consistent mid-level claiming trainer at Fairmount who conditions horses in the $4,000–$8,000 claiming range. Jodie Durham — likely family — appears frequently as an owner in his entries, another sign of a tight, self-contained operation. Alex Gonzalez rides for him regularly.
His horse Mister Sharpie, a Sharp Azteca gelding, was a consistent presence throughout the 2025 season and regularly appeared as a top speed figure horse in sprint races. Durham's horses tend to show controlling early pace on the tote sheets.
Betting angle: At the $4,000–$5,000 claiming level in sprint races, Durham with Gonzalez and an early-pace advantage is a legitimate combination. Look for his horses in cheap sprint fields where the pace setup favors a front-runner.
Ralph Martinez
Consistent Mid-Card ConditionerMartinez is a steady presence on the Fairmount condition sheet who regularly partners with Ademar Santos. His horses tend to be older, experienced types that know their way around the track. Irish Declaration, an eight-year-old by Declaration of War, was one of his 2025 regulars — a horse flagged as "top combo of trainer and jockey" in late-season cards.
Betting angle: Martinez with Santos is a legitimate mid-card combination, particularly in routes. Experienced horses under experienced pilots are worth a look when the price is right.
Terry Burdess
2-Year-Old DeveloperBurdess showed up prominently in 2025 entries with 2-year-old horses, including Jack's Yellow Rose, a Sleepy Eyes Todd filly who was rated as having "top ratings across all categories" in an October card. He pairs with Santos and appears to specialize in bringing young horses along at sprint distances.
Betting angle: At a smaller track, a trainer who consistently develops young horses is gold for patient bettors. Identify Burdess's maiden 2-year-olds early in the meet and note which ones flash speed — those same horses may be live plays when they come back after their debut.
The National Talent Signal: Ken McPeek at the St. Louis Derby
Why Hall of Famers Are Coming to Fairmount Now
In 2025, Hall of Fame trainer Ken McPeek — who won the 2024 Kentucky Derby with Mystik Dan and the 2020 Preakness with Swiss Skydiver — entered horses in the Fairmount St. Louis Derby. He previously trained 2022 St. Louis Derby winner Rattle N Roll.
"I've always loved St. Louis," McPeek said. "I think there's more potential at Fairmount Park than most racetracks in the nation."
When a trainer with 2,100+ wins and $140 million in career earnings says a track has more potential than most tracks in the country, pay attention. The $250,000 purse is drawing real horses from Churchill Downs and beyond. The St. Louis Derby is no longer a local race.
100 Years of History: The Context That Shapes the Present
You can't bet a track intelligently without knowing its history. Here's the condensed version of Fairmount's century on the racing map.
Track opens with both thoroughbred flat racing and standardbred harness racing. The Fairmount Derby becomes a popular regional event during the 1920s. The track quickly becomes a cornerstone of St. Louis metro sports and entertainment.
Ogden Corporation purchases the track. Racing continues but the intimate family ownership era ends.
Standardbred harness racing is discontinued. Fairmount becomes thoroughbreds-only from this point forward — and remains that way through 2026.
Bill Stiritz, former chairman of Ralston Purina, buys the track from Ogden. Stiritz keeps racing alive through a long, difficult period as riverboat casino competition and declining attendance hammer the track's economics. His family maintains connections at the track through the Becker/Stiritz breeding operation.
Fairmount runs its landmark race for the first time — a $250,000 purse that draws 10,000 fans to the track. Lawyer Ron wins. It's the highest purse ever offered at Fairmount at that point. Then financial pressures force it to be shelved. The race won't return for over a decade.
FanDuel Group partners with Stiritz, rebrands the track as FanDuel Sportsbook & Horse Racing, and restores the St. Louis Derby. Racing gets a temporary infusion of energy, but the track is still waiting for the racino legislation passed in 2019 to be fully implemented.
Chicago-based gaming company Accel Entertainment purchases the track. They immediately restore the Fairmount Park name, announce $100 million in renovations, and begin construction on a new casino. The Illinois Racing Board approves the new ownership and the track is granted 55 race days for 2025.
Fairmount's 100th season. New casino opens. Longshots BBQ restaurant debuts. New inner rail installed for safety. The $250,000 St. Louis Derby runs September 19 as the centerpiece of a three-day Centennial Celebration. Hall of Fame trainers show up. Alexander Bendezu is the meet's leading jockey. The track is declared the best horse racing product in Illinois by its own general manager — and there's a legitimate case to be made for that claim.
Purses increase again as casino revenue grows. Actual table games added (not just electronic). Permanent casino building announcement expected. Barn expansions planned to attract more outside stables. Opening Day is April 14. The St. Louis Derby moves to August 29.
What You Actually Need to Know Before You Bet
All of this history and biographical detail is useful — but here's how it translates into actionable betting information for the 2026 meet:
1. Follow the Becker/Bendezu combo in class
When this pairing shows up in allowance optional claiming races ($20,000+) or stakes prep races, give them serious consideration. Their win rate together is the best at the track. The public usually takes them down to short prices — your job is to decide whether the price is right, not whether they're good.
2. Owner-Trainer horses are live at lower prices
Quinonez owns and trains his own horses. Watkins breeds, owns, and trains. When the trainer IS the owner, they control the decision to run. They don't need to run to stay in good standing with an impatient owner. When they do run, it often means the horse is truly ready. Watch for short-priced horses from these operations — they go off lower for a reason.
3. The St. Louis Derby is a national race now
Don't handicap it like a local stakes. When horses ship in from Churchill, Oaklawn, or Fair Grounds specifically for a $250,000 purse, they deserve maximum respect on class. The 2025 field included a Ken McPeek horse. The 2026 edition will likely attract similar national attention. In 2026 it runs August 29 — mark your calendar.
4. New ownership = new money = better horses
Purses at Fairmount were historically less than half of what similar tracks in Kentucky and Indiana were offering. That gap is closing fast. As it closes, better-quality horses ship in and the competitive balance of every race improves. Older handicapping databases will underrate Fairmount horses — a horse that ran a 78 Beyer here three years ago is now racing against better competition. Adjust your speed figure expectations accordingly.
I'll be posting Fairmount picks here on WonWingWonder every race day starting April 14. Jockey changes, trainer patterns, post position bias after the new rail settles in — all of it. Bookmark the horse racing page and follow along.
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