Churchill Downs: $400 KDBC Qualifier, $1,529 Super High 5 carryover

Horseplayers participating in Saturday’s $400 Churchill Downs KDBC Qualifier tournament on TwinSpires have another good reason to bet the Churchill card: a $1,529 carryover in the $1 Super High 5.

Super High 5 bets won’t count toward tournament play (only some bet types qualify—the complete rules can be viewed here), but the required handicapping can be used separately for carryover chasing and tournament wagering.

The carryover is up for grabs in Race 1, a maiden special weight for fillies and mares sprinting seven furlongs on dirt. It’s a tricky race to handicap. Morning-line favorite #3 Mo for Us (2-1) brings sharp Brisnet Speed ratings to the table and has placed in her last two starts sprinting over this track and class level. But with two seconds and two thirds from five starts, the three-year-old filly has thus far shown a tendency to settle for minor awards.

Perhaps we can beat Mor for Us with fellow sophomore #6 Roselee May (9-2). She hasn’t run since January, when she finished second in a one-mile maiden special weight on Tapeta at Turfway Park. But last fall, Roselee May cracked the trifecta in a pair of maiden special weights over the Churchill main track, most notably closing to finish second by a head in a one-mile contest.

Roselee May’s Brisnet Speed ratings are a little light, but she’s eligible to run faster in the fall of her three-year-old year than she did as a juvenile. Throw in the fact trainer Michael McCarthy wins at a 16% rate with horses returning from layoffs of 90 days or more, and Roselee May is an appealing win contender. Tournament players should consider betting her to win, while Super High 5 bettors might want to take a chance keying her on top of their tickets.

We’ll toss out one other suggested tournament play. Race 9, a $100,000 allowance optional claimer taking place over seven furlongs on dirt, has drawn a full field. #9 World Record (3-1) is the morning line favorite thanks in no small part to a 6 3/4-length romp in the Amsterdam (G2) during the summer at Saratoga, but he rode a favorable rail that day and may prove vulnerable while facing a deep group of challengers at Churchill.

One of the main threats to World Record is #8 Track Phantom (4-1), making his first start since setting the pace in the 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1). Track Phantom finished 11th on the Derby, but that wasn’t a bad effort considering his pedigree and past performances suggest he’s better over shorter distances than 1 1/4 miles.

Indeed, Track Phantom boasts wins in the 1 1/16-mile Lecomte (G3) and 1 1/16-mile Gun Runner S. on his record, as well as a close runner-up finish against future Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Sierra Leone in the 1 1/8-mile Risen Star (G2). Dropping in class and cutting back to seven furlongs may work wonders for Track Phantom. At 4-1, tournament players should consider betting him to win and keying him in exotic wagers.

Good luck!