BetAmerica’s horse racing pick of the day: May 25, Churchill Downs

Weekday picks and plays for Thoroughbred racing.

Monday, May 25

Churchill Downs Race 8: Allowance Optional Claiming (6 furlongs, 4:40 p.m. ET)

There’s no shortage of speed in this competitive 6-furlong allowance dash. At one time or another, #2 Relentless Dancer (5-1 on the morning line), #3 Echo Town (9-5), #4 Hop Kat (8-1), #6 Johnny Ritt (20-1), #7 Little Menace (10-1), and #8 Meru (7-2) have all shown varying degrees of early speed. For those keeping count, that’s six of the eight starters.

This abundance of pace could give an advantage to #5 Digital (6-1), who rallied to break his maiden sprinting 6 furlongs at Fair Grounds in December. The son of Into Mischief has since competed admirably against tough competition in a trio of two-turn routes, finishing fifth in a division of the Risen Star (G2) and sixth in the Oaklawn S.

Digital lost ground from the eighth pole to the wire in all three of his route runs, so cutting back in distance could significantly sharpen his late kick. Trainer Bret Calhoun strikes at a 24% rate with runners transitioning from a route to a sprint, so let’s bet Digital to win and box him in the exacta with Echo Town, narrow runner-up in a fast renewal of the Bachelor S. at Oaklawn Park last month:

$10 to Win on #5 Digital
$5 Exacta Box: 3,5 ($10)
Total: $20

Good luck!

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