$500,000 All-Stakes Late Pick 5 at Fair Grounds, $74,832 Pick 5 at Turfway Park

Risen Star (G2) Day at Fair Grounds features an all-stakes Late Pick 5 with a guaranteed pool of $500,000. 

Also, following an upset-laden Friday, there's a $4,064 Pick 6 carryover going into the banner Saturday card. The $1 Pick 6 wager gets underway in Race 8, and the 50-cent Late Pick 5 starts in Race 9. 

It’s a high-quality and competitive slate, so let’s take a race-by-race look. 

Fair Grounds, Race 8: $4,064 Pick 6 carryover (4:33 p.m. ET)

Race 8: $80,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (1 1/16 miles)

#6 Banishing (5-2) crushed a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight at Fair Grounds in December, earning a flashy 96 Brisnet Speed rating. But he missed a bit of training time in January, so we’ll use the stoutly bred Fair Grounds debut winner #5 First Defender (3-1) as backup.

Fair Grounds, Race 9: $500,000 Guaranteed All-Stakes Pick 5 (5:05 p.m. ET)

Race 9: Colonel Power S. (about 5 1/2 furlongs on turf)

#8 Surveillance (5-2) has won three straight sprint stakes at Fair Grounds by a minimum of one length, earning sharp Brisnet Speed ratings of 93, 102, and 97. All three of those runs came on dirt, but Surveillance has won on turf in the past, and his red-hot form can carry him to a fourth straight victory even while switching surfaces.

Race 10: Mineshaft (G3, 1 1/16 miles)

#3 Tawny Port (4-1) won the Lexington (G3) and Ohio Derby (G3) during a productive sophomore season and looms as a viable win threat in his four-year-old debut. But #6 Happy American (7-2) is arguably the horse to beat after winning the Tenacious S. and Louisiana (G3) at Fair Grounds this winter, and Kentucky Derby (G1) alumnus #7 Pioneer of Medina (9-2) can’t be dismissed off a runner-up effort in the Harlan’s Holiday (G3).

Race 11: Fair Grounds (G3, about 1 1/8 miles on turf)

#4 Gentle Soul (7-2) overcame a slow pace to rally and win the Colonel E. R. Bradley S. over this course and distance last month. He’s a logical threat to win right back on Saturday, but this is a competitive field with many viable contenders. We’ll spread deep with #1 Tiz the Bomb (9-2), #2 Two Emmys (3-1), and #8 Bay Street Money (6-1) for good measure.

Race 12: Rachel Alexandra (G2, 1 1/16 miles)

#2 Hoosier Philly (6-5) boasts a perfect 3-for-3 record highlighted by blowout victories in the Rags to Riches S. and Golden Rod (G2). She’s trained strongly for her sophomore debut and looms as a logical Pick 6 single.

Race 13: Risen Star (G2, 1 1/8 miles)

This Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier has drawn a large and competitive field. We’ll use unbeaten Smarty Jones S. winner #13 Victory Formation (3-1), Churchill Downs maiden winner #8 Tapit’s Conquest (6-1), Lecomte (G3) runner-up #10 Two Phil’s (8-1), and New York raider #12 Crupi (15-1).

• $1 Pick 6: 5,6 with 8 with 3,6,7 with 1,2,4,8 with 2 with 8,10,12,13 ($96)

Turfway Park, Race 4: $74,832 Pick 5 carryover (7:25 p.m. ET)

The classy stakes action at Fair Grounds is exciting, but the Saturday card at Turfway Park is also worth betting thanks to a $74,832 carryover up for grabs in the 50-cent Late Pick 5.

If you’re looking for a nice-priced single to build tickets around, you might consider #9 Cute Khloe (4-1) in Race 4, a maiden special weight for three-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs on Tapeta. The daughter of Uncle Mo faded to finish eighth after setting the pace in a one-mile maiden special weight over the Turfway Tapeta last month, but cutting back in trip can trigger a winning run. Cute Khloe’s first two starts sprinting on turf in California yielded a second and third against maiden special weight company, and this spot should be a bit easier.

Good luck!