Dan Illman

The Kentucky Oaks card at Churchill Downs is a wonderful lead-in to the first Saturday in May with several fascinating stakes races.

Perhaps it is a Foolish Pleasure, handicapping a cavalry charge of twenty horses that have never previously raced a classic distance. 

Today's HandiGambling 231 exercise is the third race at Keeneland, a maiden special weight for 3-year-old fillies at 1 3/16 miles on the turf.

As always, we have a ton to cover. Here are the top 25 winning Beyer Speed Figures from last week's races (4/18/11 - 4/24/11):

Two weeks to the Kentucky Derby and the field is still in flux.  It's the last chance for Silver Medallion, the El Camino Real Derby winner that bombed as the chalk in the Santa Anita Derby.  He'll get his opportunity to run for the roses if he win today's Grade 3 Lexington at Keeneland. Preakness hopefuls will clash over wet going at Aqueduct, but the major story of the weekend is the guaranteed payout of the Rainbow Pick Six on closing afternoon at Gulfstream Park.