Expert Picks

Ed DeRosa

Ed DeRosa is a Cleveland native who got into racing going to Thistledown with his grandfather. After 9 years as a reporter and editor with Thoroughbred Times and 10 years with Churchill Downs Inc. as a director of marketing, Ed is back to his media roots as vice president of content and product development at Horse Racing Nation. His favorite horses are Rachel Alexandra and Ghostzapper. His favorite food at Keeneland is a corned beef sandwiches with extra pickles. He does not like the bread pudding, but understands that others do. Follow him on X @EJXD2.

Appreciate the well wishes as my son convalesces and the grade to miss a day of picks. Looks like I would have had 7 of 9 winers. Ha ha sike! I didn't look at all. 

Time still limited, but was able to get through today's card and post scratches to boot, so these are the final numbers toward glory on this nine-race card that features a $1 (no jackpot) pick 6 carryover. The $3 turf all-turf Pick 3 also in play on races 5, 7, and 9 and the first turf race for two-year-olds is race 2. 

All that is well and good, of course, but the real reason I had to make sure to handicap this card is so that I can refer to it as the penultimate of the Keeneland spring meeting.

Worth noting looking at that graphic that trainers Ben Colebrook, Tommy Humphries, and Vicki Oliver each snapped at least a 15-race losing streaks to go three-for-his-last ten races. Let's hope we get hot, too, to close this meeting out a winner!

1st Race

PICKS: 3-5

2nd Race

No. 8 Tough Critic and No. 10 Longshoreman are the HRN five-star horses, so went with the bigger (morning line) price on top. Worth noting that No. 12 Barstool and No. 14 Baytown Dreamer both figure to move up on turf and have experience already.

PICKS: 10-8-14-12-5

 

3rd Race

PICKS: 2-3-4

4th Race

Start of the $1 (no jackpot) pick 6 with that $25k carryover!

PICKS: 2-5

5th Race

Start of the $3 all-turf Pick 3 and 50-cent late pick 5, and I'd love to kick things off beating the favored No. 8!

PICKS: 6-2-10-1

6th Race

SINGLE CITY: 9

7th Race

This is one of those situations where picking against a Chad Brown-trained turf import can make you look foolish, but he is not the typical mold of the future Grade 1 winner-type. Obviously he fits with this group, but he will be overbet. Beating both favorites to start the all-turf $3 pick 3 would be huge!

PICKS: 4-2-9-1

8th Race

The penultimate race on the penultimate day of racing

SINGLE CITY: 5

9th Race

Let's get live to this four-star debut horse in some nice multi-race wagers!

PICKS: Dolly Parton (9-5)