Buy TicketsTwo graded stakes on today's card and the grade 2 Elkhorn features a favorite that looked good when the similar race in the fall meet so he'll be tough to beat. In the other stake, I think there's a price horse that could be dangerous. Good luck!
8-Golden Degree drops out of straight maiden company into this spot with maiden claimers and that's a strong angle for the Calhoun barn. 7-She's Always Rosie has been better in two starts since coming off a short break and she's been well bet each time. 6-West Coast Harbor showed good speed in starts in Arkansas and she'll look to go wire-to-wire. 1-Put the Crazy Away was claimed by a barn that has good numbers in that category.
10-Up On the Edge was second to a filly here last fall that will be one of the top choices in the Kentucky Oaks and Prat in the saddle is noteworthy. 1-Ice Water ran an improved race in her second start and she showed the speed last time that it will take to get good early position from the inside spot. 8-Princess Is Olivia has good early foot and ran a good second last time in a strung out field. 6-Classy'n Connected has consecutive runnerup efforts and her Beyer number took big jump last time.
4-Mr Skylight has posted solid Beyers in both of his starts and he had some trouble at the start to overcome last time. 3-Motor City showed significant improvement in the first start of a break and another move forwad would not be a surprise. 5-Knicks Storm ran well on opening weekend and those runbacks often benefit from that experience. 3-Motor City won first time out and then improved against a tougher group in the second start.
There's no standout here so I'm looking for a price and I landed on 4-Twirl Around. The Foley barn does good work with turf sprinters and Gafflione showing up to ride this one is noteworthy. This filly has never been on turf but they tried twice and the race was rained off plus she's bred to relish the sod. 3-Cloudwalker was a decisive debut winner on this turf course last fall so she'll be a strong chalenger at a shorter price. 5-Baraye gets respect from the Ward barn but the speed figures are only average. 1-Royal Flower ran well off a long layoff and gets Dettori in the saddle.
2-Divine Armor drops down for a trainer that plays the claiming game well and Saez may be a hot rider off how he started the week. 5-Direct Line ran second to a next-out winner last time and the third-place finisher also came back to win. 8-Fromanotheamutha has been running solid races at the Fairgrounds and this spot might not be as tough for this gelding. I'm taking a stand against 6-Systemic Change on the drop in class.
1-Freydis the Red might want more distance that she gets here but she did run a good second at a mile here last spring and she was running in stakes races shortly thereafter. The second start off a long layoff might mean a big move forward. 8-Glittering Lights is worth a look for a barn that excels with these horses coming from overseas. 10-Sacred Wish narrowly missed in a grade one last summer but the layoff is the questionn. 11-Pleasant Passage needs to step up but she's run well here.
4-She's Wicked Smart ran a good third to champion Just FYI last summer at Saratoga and she'll be tough if ready off the layoff. 3-Soundbite comes from a good first-out barn but this distance of more than seven furlongs is a tough for the debut. 2-Justify Perfection ran fifth behind a nice filly in her only try on dirt. 6-Flightning Bolt took money in her debut race and got a bad start. 8-Sarir is worth a look only because it's the Ward barn.
4-Bold Act looks tough to beat in the grade 2 VisitLex Elkhorn Stakes. He looked good winning a turf marathon stakes on this course last fall and his only outing this year was very good. 11-Silver Knott is the stablemate and the runners from this ownership have been firing. This one showed good form at two but didn't take a big step forward last time. If that improvement kicks in at four, he could be a player in races like this. 7-Winning Spirit has been competing in Germany and the horses that do that are usually battled-tested. 3-Highland Chief likes this course and the trainer excels in turf marathons.
I think 7-Dynamic One could be an upsetter in the grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes. He just missed in this race last year and now gets more distance with the race lengthened by a sixteenth of a mile. In three starts this year, two of the races were too short for him and in the other one, he had trouble at the start. Stablemate 4-Kingsbarns is the one to beat off a nice comeback effort. 3-Smile Happy is dangerous if he brings his 'A' game because his best runs are better than his rivals here and he likes Keeneland.
2-Proud Mary gets Dettori in the saddle for a barn that has strong numbers in turf sprints. 5-Definitive Diva ran improved races in two starts off a long break. Ignore the last race for 11-All I Want Is You because it wasn't on turf--this one's grass numbers stack up well and she's run decently in two tries here. 1-Golden Dagger won both starts last year and the trainer has good numbers off a layoff.