Churchill Downs opening night spot plays

Opening night of the Churchill Downs spring meet is taking place on Saturday with a fine 10-race card on tap, highlighted by the $175,000 Roxelana S.

Below are some of the horses I will dabble with on the evening card beneath the Twin Spires:

Race 5: Maiden Special Weight (six furlongs, 7:57 p.m. ET)

I see the six-furlong dash as a virtual two-horse race with Rusty Arnold’s #4 Mapper (3-1) and #7 Sidekick (5-2), from the barn of Steve Asmussen. Mapper ran huge on debut at Gulfstream Park for a conditioner who is not known for his prowess with first-time starters. The Calumet Farm homebred did almost everything right in his unveiling and will be difficult to stop with even slight improvement on this occasion.

Sidekick was outrun in his 2022 finale, but the Honor Code colt flashed a lot of ability in his first trio of assignments. The bay four-year-old will be a menacing figure in the stretch with Luis Saez in the silks.

Wagers

• $20 to win on #4 Mapper
• $10 Exacta box: 4,7 ($20)
  Total: $40

Race 6: Allowance (1 1/16 miles on turf, 8:30 p.m. ET)

#1 Chasing the Crown (7-5) will not be much of a price in the grassy event, but the four-year-old colt looks like a slam dunk in the tilt and a surefire single, in my opinion. The Mike Maker-trained son of Skipshot has hit the board in two straight difficult assignments and simply looks much the best in this race. Luis Saez taking the reins adds to his appeal.

Wager

• $40 to win on #1 Chasing the Crown 

Race 7: Maiden Special Weight (1 1/4 miles, 9:05 p.m. ET)

#6 Angora Deb (12-1) moves from six furlongs to 1 1/4 miles for her second career try, and I trust that conditioner Al Stall Jr. knows what he is doing with the three-year-old miss. Angora Deb is out of and kin to stakes winners, and the daughter of Violence ran evenly at first asking at a distance much shorter than figures to be her best. Corey Lanerie will guide the win threat.

Wager

• $10 to win/place/show on #6 Angora Deb ($30)

Race 9: Roxelana S. (six furlongs, 10:11 p.m. ET)

The feature event of the evening attracted six fillies and mares, and I will suggest a cold exacta in the affair. #1 Frank’s Rockette (3-5) is the class of the field and seems untouchable in her current form cycle for conditioner Bill Mott. The Into Mischief six-year-old hasn't missed the trifecta in four starts at Churchill Downs and will be in the mix from the break under Junior Alvarado.

Herman Wilensky’s #4 My Destiny (10-1) has won four of her last five races in total and will offer a measure of value in this contest. The Majesticperfection six-year-old was very impressive at Gulfstream Park in her latest showing and will sit a decent trip from just off the pace on Saturday with Reylu Gutierrez in the stirrups.

Wager

• $30 Exacta: 1 with 4