Key Bets & Races for Saturday, May 6
Woodford Reserve Turf Classic - Race #11 at Churchill Downs– Post Time 5:25 PM ET
Ballagh Rocks is one of two horses (the other being Conquest Panthera) coming out of the Maker's 46 Mile a Grade 1 stakes last month, in which there were five horses in a blanket finish on the wire. He won his last start as a three-year-old in December and his first start as a four-year-old in January then Hall-of-Fame trainer Bill Mott saw fit to put the horse in grade one company off the January win and was almost rewarded with a victory as he closed from the last of 11 to nearly win the race. The key to his four big races in a row were the Blinkers added starting last November when he won on the Churchill Downs turf and with any improvement of his last start he can post the upset in this race, opening at 10-1.
Bal a Bali also added Blinkers four races back, nearly winning the first of the four and winning his most recent start, a similar Grade 1 stakes like this one. Castellano rode him for the first time in that victory and rides again so he fits on all counts for another effort enough to win in this situation.
Conquest Panthera finished a neck in front of the top pick in the Maker's 46 Mile in a career best effort and in his second start off a short layoff and second start as a four-year-old. It won't take much improvement off that effort to earn his first graded stakes win today.
Divisidero won last year's edition of this race by a neck in a big effort to bring his record to a perfect two for two on the Churchill Downs turf. He missed by a nose in his most recent race following a couple of months off is approaching top form once again so would be no surprise if winning this race for the second year in a row.
World Approval missed by a neck in last year's running of this race and enters the race in top form off a sharp win at this 9 furlong trip on grass. He's approaching the million-dollar mark in career earnings and as that last win came off a 5 1/2 month layoff, the same or better can be expected today.
Beach Patrol suffered a narrow defeat on this weekend last year after leading late when run down by a head on the wire in the American Turf Stakes. First or second in four of six races since then, all on grass, although his career record of four second-place finishes and to go along with three wins may suggest he's just as content finishing second as winning, I wouldn't hold that against him as his best race is good enough to be right there on the wire with the other main contenders in this very deep field.
Bet Ballagh Rocks to win and place at odds of 3 to 1 or more
Bet Bal a Bali to win at odds of 3 to 1 or more
Play an exacta of Conquest Panthera and Ballagh Rocks over ALL
Play an exacta of ALL over Conquest Panthera and Ballagh Rocks
Play an exacta of Bal a Bali over ALL