BetAmerica’s horse racing picks of the day: Sept. 2, Churchill Downs and Indiana Grand

Weekday picks and plays for Thoroughbred racing.

Wednesday, Sept. 2

Churchill Downs, Race 9: Unbridled Sidney S. (5 1/2 furlongs on turf, 5:26 p.m. ET)

Wednesday's feature at Churchill Downs is the Unbridled Sidney S., a 5 1/2-furlong turf dash that drew a full field of ten, plus an also-eligible.

#7 Break Even (8-5 on the morning line) won gate-to-wire in her only turf start last summer at Saratoga. She should start sharply again, but she isn't the only speed in this race. #2 Bulletproof One (7-2) has true 5-furlong turf speed, and the only chance for #4 Jakarta (8-1) is to send. After her effort in the Spring Fever S., where she battled early and folded, Break Even looks like the type who either wins this race or runs off the board.

The contested pace gives #8 Change of Control (8-1) a chance to step up. She is a turf dash specialist with a tracking-to-midpack style. She is 3-for-3 over the Churchill Downs turf course. She has freshened for 2 1/2 months but has come sharp off a layoff before. Finally, she has run a strong race on yielding turf, a positive given the possibility of rain on Wednesday.

That's enough to take a shot with Change of Control on the win end, and—given the possibility that Break Even might be good enough to hold anyway—to play a backup exacta with Change of Control underneath the favorite.

$8 to win on #8 Change of Control
$4 exacta: 7 over 8

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Indiana Grand, Race 6: ITOBA Stallion Season S. (1 mile, 4:40 p.m. ET)

It's also a big day at Indiana Grand, with four stakes for Indiana-bred or Indiana-sired horses. Race 5, the IOTBA Stallion Season Stakes, is a dirt mile for sophomore colts and geldings. There are two major contenders, #2 Unbridled Beast (8-5), who carries a two-race win streak into this, and #4 Cash Logistics (6-5), who switches back to dirt.

Unbridled Beast is versatile enough to either set the pace or carve out a nice stalking trip, and either way he should be able to get the jump on his biggest rival. And, with the possibility of rain, that nice win over the sloppy track last time out makes Unbridled Beast look even better.

$8 to win on #2 Unbridled Beast

Good luck!