A key change in the 11th race Saturday at Keeneland, where Alberobello drew in from the also-eligible list, makes the late pick five an appealing wager. Her presence may provide a “free square” in the sequence, reducing the cost and making it easier to spread in other races.
TimeformUS handicapper David Aragona highlights some contenders on Sunday's card at Aqueduct.
Amazing Audrey (#6) ran very well in her second start, and Hot Cash has a right to improve after getting a wide trip at Gulfstream. However, the horse who interests me most is Sansibar Jewel, who makes her first start in this country.
I’ll start off the nine-race Sunday card with what I hope is a wire-to-wire winner of the 1:05 p.m. Eastern opener, YANKTON (5), who gets a triple-dose of firsts for ever-capable trainer Phil Sims. He’s a first-time gelding going for a first tag when stretching out for the first time when exiting one of those rugged Oaklawn MSWs that drew a full field; looking for Gabriel Saez, who has enjoyed a terrific start to this spring meet, to go straight to the lead.
Closing day at Oaklawn Park is highlighted by the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, which is the anchor leg of an all-stakes pick four beginning with race 8. Here’s a look at that sequence using DRF TicketMaker.
The road to the Kentucky Derby concludes with the 82nd running of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park, offering a total of 170 qualifying points to the top four finishers. This came up as one of the deepest races in the final round of preps, as four runners in this race appear likely to advance to Churchill Downs. Magnum Moon and Quip have already solidified their spots in the Kentucky Derby starting gate, whereas Solomini and Combant require top 3 finishes in order to book their tickets to Louisville.
TimeformUS handicapper David Aragona highlights some contenders on Saturday's card at Aqueduct.
TimeformUS handicapper David Aragona provides his Highlight Horse for Friday's card at Aqueduct.
Saturday's card has several opportunities and we’ve selected two that might work out.
In recent years, with the move away from the graded-stakes earnings qualification system, the Lexington Stakes has not had a major impact on the Kentucky Derby. However, it could play a role this year as one contender looks to solidify his spot in the starting for the Run for the Roses with a solid performance in this race.
