Churchill Downs pick of the day: Sept. 1

Weekday picks and plays for Thoroughbred racing.

Tuesday, Sept. 1

Churchill Downs, Race 5: Maiden special weight (1 mile on turf, 3:08 p.m. ET)

Tuesday's fifth race at Churchill Downs is an important one, particularly for multi-race players: it is the final race of the early Pick 5, and the first race of the late Pick 5.

It's a maiden special weight turf mile for 2-year-old fillies, which full field of 10, plus one also-eligible and one main-track-only entrant.

#2 Cuzzywuzzy (15-1 on the morning line) is an interesting longshot. Her better race was her turf mile debut, and that day she cleared to the lead from the No. 2 gate and finished a clear second, behind next-out stakes winner Crazy Beautiful. Excellent Churchill Downs rider Corey Lanerie has ridden Cuzzywuzzy for both her starts and sticks.

Cuzzywuzzy is worth playing to win, as well as in an exacta, with a couple of logical horses. We'll go ahead and box this exacta, since two of the three are price horses.

#8 Ice Queen (5-2) showed tactical speed in her debut going a mile and a sixteenth for trainer Bill Mott on the Saratoga lawn. She should be fast enough to keep Cuzzywuzzy in her sights and she will be fit after that route debut.

#7 Faith and Honor (8-1) was gaining late into a slow pace in her turf mile debut at Ellis Park. Her trainer, Kenny McPeek, excels with both second-time turf runners (six for his last 19, with a +$2.07 ROI in that stretch) and second-time starters generally (18% over the last three years, with a +$0.05 ROI).

#5 Aunt Pearl (2-1) will likely be a short price for Brad Cox, who is strong with debuting 2-year-olds, even around two turns, but the way to make this race pay is by beating Aunt Pearl, and the experienced horses offer plenty to make the strategy appealing.

$8 to win on #2 Cuzzywuzzy
$2 exacta box: 2,7,8 ($12)
Total: $20

Good luck!