05/31/2026
by James Pacheco
Saturday was by no means a normal day of racing at the Rolex SailGP Championship, so if you missed it, here’s an explanation of what happened and why.
It’s a shame we didn’t get the amount of racing we would have hoped for, but it’s still all to play for as we head into Sunday in New York. Read on to catch up on all the latest betting odds, where the favorite to win the event isn’t the usual one…
How Conditions Moved the Goalposts in New York
“The best laid plans of mice and men can go awry,” as the saying goes, and that was an appropriate phrase to use for what unfolded on Saturday at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix.
As ever, safety comes first at the Rolex SailGP Championship, and just before proceedings got underway, this was the official statement from the organisers:
“Due to high winds affecting crane operations, we’re running an adjusted format today.
We’ll have a reduced fleet of four boats racing, selected based on championship standings.
Despite every effort, conditions have prevented all boats from being safely launched. At this stage, there are no changes to tomorrow’s schedule.”
Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team Win Mano-A-Mano Race 1
So what did ‘reduced’ mean in these circumstances?
Well, in Race 1, it meant only the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team and Los Gallos SailGP Team took to the water in a rare case of a two-boat race in SailGP and of those, it was the Brits who came out on top, making the better start and enjoying a strong breeze to pull clear of their Spanish rivals, a lead they never gave up.
And it wasn’t just the SailGP organisers and fans whose plans went awry. There was plenty of thought and analysis, as ever, that went into our preview of who might win the day’s opening race, but all bets were off, both figuratively and literally, as a result of the change in format and reduction in the number of teams taking part, which were determined by which four teams were best-placed in the Championship standings.
Los Gallos Near-Flawless in Races 2 and 3
In Race 2, the Spaniards and Brits were joined on the Hudson River by the United States SailGP Team, as the teams ranked second and third in the Championship, respectively, welcomed the fourth-placed Americans to the action.
A lack of practice in these conditions on the day cost the Americans, who ended up third in Race 2, while Los Gallos reached high speeds and nailed their tactics to bite back and take the day’s second race.
And credit should be given to the USA’s Taylor Canfield, who, having missed out on the day’s first race, put in a very decent effort in Races 2 and 3, at one stage reaching a speed of 100km/h, the top speed of the day.
But Canfield had nothing to show for his efforts in terms of points, as it was Los Gallos first past the post once again, Emirates GBR finishing second.
If you’re wondering why we haven’t mentioned the BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team so far, top of the standings and one of the four teams chalked in to race on Saturday, it’s because the windy conditions that preceded Race 1 caused their F50 to take a huge nosedive in their warm-up, resulting in them opting to skip the day’s racing and making sure both the crew and the boat were safe.
What’s Happening on Sunday?
At the time of writing, we don’t know for sure, but the hope is that we’ll revert to a full fleet for Races 4, 5 and 6 when the action resumes on Sunday.
The Spanish will go into the second and final day on four points thanks to two wins and a runner-up spot, while Emirates GBR carry three points into Sunday courtesy of a win and two runner-up finishes.
Whereas the US didn’t pick up any points, they will at least have benefited from being involved in two races under truly unique conditions, while the rest of the fleet watched the action from the shore.
Los Gallos the Team to Beat…So Say the Odds
So all to play for on Sunday.
The latest odds have the BONDS Flying Roos as favorites to win Race 4 at 3.7 with Los Glalos 5.26 and Emirates GBR on offer at 6.06. The USA look an interesting price at 11.76 to take Sunday’s opening race.
For a change this season, it’s Los Gallos who are favorites going into Sunday’s racing to win the event, not the Aussies.
They’re 3.57 on the back of having those crucial four points on the board, having three races under their belts and looking in superb form on Saturday, with Tom Slingsby and his crew at 6.06 and Dylan Fletcher’s team splitting the two at odds of 4.0.
Whether the Spaniards go on to win the event remains to be seen, but those who followed our advice that they were a great bet to make Sunday’s final are now sitting pretty.
They were 1.8 when we tipped them up, but are now just 1.22, so a good performance either of the day’s two fleet races and they should be in that final.
Starting points for our US readers
Starting points for our UK readers
Starting points for our Global readers