Ups and Downs: Alex Bregman's big second half includes celebrating his horse's win with Cubs teammates

CINCINNATI -- Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman has been one of the best hitters in baseball in the second half of the 2026 season, and his hot streak extended from the field to the track. Bregman's horse won a race at Churchill Downs Thursday night, giving him and the Cubs reason to celebrate on a day off. Bregman had his entire team with him on a bus trip. The timing was perfect with the off day lining up just before a three-game series in Cincinnati, roughly a 90-minute drive from Louisville, home of Churchill Downs. 

"It helps build the camaraderie, and it's fun," Bregman said. "I just think it's good to get the whole group together and having fun. That's what it's all about. Building that team chemistry, and it was a great time.

"That was probably a core memory for me right there. We've won probably 25 or 30 races, but that was the most meaningful. In terms of the size of the race, that was probably the smallest one we've ever won, but it was probably the most memorable because of all the guys being there." 

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Bregman's horse, Act of Parliament, was a winner with jockey Axel Concepcion. The Cubs' instagram account shared an 11-slide update of all the fun, which included second-year reliever Ryan Rolison dressed up in a horse costume, which he estimated felt like 100 degrees. 

"Everyone was just going crazy watching the videos," said Rolison, who noted he would reuse the costume for Halloween. "We put the jockey up on our shoulders and I think he enjoyed that. Pedro [Ramírez] was walking me around by my ear. That was quite the experience. It was a great time. It was awesome."

Bregman isn't alone in his love for the horse track, as Cubs manager Craig Counsell also loved it. 

"We just had a fun day, that's the big thing," Counsell said "Churchill Downs is a historic place, like Wrigley Field. It's like a Wrigley Field for horse racing. It was fun to introduce a bunch of guys on the team to a different world that they don't get to see and we got to hang out outside of baseball." 

"It was cool to see, Breggy and Counsell love their horse races," said utility man Matt Shaw. "And for us to see and experience that. The horses were beautiful, the place was beautiful, it was really cool." 

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As noted, Bregman's hot streak is happening on and off the field. 

Heading into Friday, Bregman in the second half of the season is hitting .305/.384/.623 with 17 homers and 47 RBI. He trails only his teammate and NL MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong in second-half WAR in all of baseball. He's second in slugging (again, to PCA), fourth in home runs and second (again, to PCA) in RBI. 

All this came after a very disappointing first half, but Bregman puts in the work. 

"He's just a relentless competitor," Counsell said. "We throw around the term 'baseball junkie' but that's just what he is. I joked the other day that he doesn't sleep, but I don't know if he sleeps. He's always looking for ways to get an advantage. It's more hours of the day than I have. That's just who he is. He's great at it. He loves doing it and it's fun to see." 

The Cubs, who entered the weekend in possession of the National League's top wild-card spot with nine games remaining, hope to add a lot more fun and core memories in the 2026 postseason.