Horse Racing This Weekend: Key Races, Top Horses & Best Bets [March 29-30]
Oaklawn Park - Coady Photography
March 29th, 2025
Jump to each section below for easy access to everything you need for horse racing this weekend!
Get ready for horse racing this weekend
Discover everything you need to know about horse racing this weekend, including top horses, best bets, tournaments, key races, and many great promotional bonus offers you just can't say no to.
Come back to find more weekly horse races and promotional offers every weekend.
TwinSpires Weekend Windup@AshleyAnd502 gets you ready for the big weekend in Arkansas and Florida with the 100-point Kentucky Derby prep races on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/QBQv3yAhPI
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) March 28, 2025
Top horses and best bets for horse racing this weekend
The key horse races this week include a set of the first 100 point Derby preps on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, offering some of our top horses and best bets this week, the Florida Derby and the Arkansas Derby with more great horse racing this weekend.
Click to jump to each race listed!
Best Bets for the Florida Derby
Read the full analysis here: Tipsheet: 2025 Florida Derby
An excellent field of 10 sophomores will travel 1 1/8 miles on the Gulfstream Park dirt in Saturday’s lucrative, $1 million Florida Derby (G2). Check out these best bets below.
Florida Derby Wagers
Top Horses for the Arkansas Derby Stakes:
Click on each horse name to add them to your stable. Never miss a race they're a part of again!
#9 TAPPAN STREET: Top pick has done little wrong from a pair of career runs to date and comes in fresh for conditioner Brad Cox. This lightly raced son of Into Mischief was a sharp debut winner from off the pace at first asking, which preceded a clear runner-up effort in the local Holy Bull S. (G3). The $1 million yearling purchase will stalk the pace early with regular pilot Luis Saez in the irons.
#10 SOVEREIGNTY: Impressive Godolphin homebred annexed the Fountain of Youth S. (G2) in his 2025 debut and looms large with an expected move forward second off the bench. Trained by Bill Mott, the ultra-talented son of Into Mischief possesses a substantial turn of foot, and despite drawing widest in the field, the bay colt will still be a massive threat with anything close to his best effort.
#4 DISRUPTOR: Todd Pletcher pupil smashed maiden foes in his second lifetime run on the surface last time out and looks like a nice prospect going forward. This Gun Runner colt is questionable at the distance while facing this kind, but he has trained well as of late and also retains Irad Ortiz Jr. The $1.15 million purchase will be in the hunt from the start.
#8 MADAKET ROAD: Bob Baffert trainee was a nice second in the Rebel S. (G2) last time out and makes a lot of sense with the blinkers coming off on this occasion. The gray son of Quality Road has posted two bullet drills from a trio of works leading up to this tilt, and I still expect him to be forcing the tempo from the break on Saturday. Tyler Gaffalione has the assignment.
Big day of racing tomorrow with two Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks preps! 🌹🌷
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) March 28, 2025
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đź’° Claim now: https://t.co/qOifdUIYo7 pic.twitter.com/z33hZug2Ly
Best Bets for the Arkansas Derby
Read the full analysis here: Tipsheet: 2025 Arkansas Derby
A total of nine three-year-olds will go 1 1/8 miles at Oaklawn Park in Saturday’s $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1). Check out these best bets below!
2025 Arkansas Derby Wagers
- $15 win and place #8 Coal Battle
- $10 exacta box 6-8
- 30-cent superfecta 6,8 with 6,8,9 with 3,6,8,9 with all
Top Horses for the Arkansas Derby
Click on each horse name to add them to your stable. Never miss a race they're a part of again!
#8 COAL BATTLE (7-2): Horse to beat has been impressive in a pair of stakes races at the meeting, led by a fine score in the Rebel S. (G2) for trainer Lonnie Briley. The dark bay son of Coal Front has a versatile running style, and he gives every impression of a sophomore that will thrive at 1 1/8 miles, too. The dark bay Kentucky-bred is 5-for-5 on the dirt in his career and looms large beneath regular pilot Juan Vargas.
#6 SANDMAN (3-1): Prime Triple Crown contender has rallied to hit the board in a pair of graded stakes tilts on the oval as of late, and the son of Tapit rates a big chance in his nine-furlong debut. The Mark Casse pupil had displayed a fine turn of foot in each of his trio of runs at the current meeting, and I expect him to be a menacing figure inside the final panel with Jose Ortiz in the silks.
#9 CORNUCOPIAN (7-5): Wildcard in the field was super impressive in a six-furlong romp on debut on the oval and takes a massive class hike today. The $1.1 million son of Into Mischief is a half-brother to a Grade 1 winner and could be the real deal, but he’s being asked to do a lot in just his second lifetime run. The bay will likely force the pace from the outside while tracking in second to the top of the lane under John Velazquez.
The Jury: Expert Picks, Bets, and Fades
Best Bets for the Fantasy Stakes
Read the full analysis here: Betting With, and Against, Simply Joking in the Fantasy Stakes
A total of 10 sophomore fillies will vie in Saturday’s $750,000 Fantasy S. (G2) at Oaklawn Park. The 1 1/16-mile affair is led by the unbeaten favorite #7 Simply Joking (8-5). However, if you're heart's not quite set on making this your best bet, here are few ways to look at the field betting with, and against, Simply Joking.
Simply Joking – With
- $8 trifecta 7 with 5,6 with 2,5,6,10 ($48)
Simply Joking – Against
- $4 trifecta 5,6 with 5,6,7 with 2,5,6,7,10 ($48)
Finally back in Louisville for now, and back with the Friday Flash Play in R8 @OaklawnRacing!
— Ashley Anderson (@AshleyAnd502) March 28, 2025
Let’s win some money for happy hour 🥂And be sure to opt in to the 15% Across the Board boost @TwinSpires for your winning WPS wagers at Oaklawn all day long! pic.twitter.com/1XGrVhzcKs
Top Horses for the Fantasy Stakes
#5 Quietside (2-1) has run well in each lifetime performance and comes off arguably her best showing to date when defeating two good ones on the course last time out. Conditioned by John Ortiz, the Malibu Moon homebred has trained swiftly in preparation for her third run off the shelf and will always be in the thick of it on Saturday with Jose Ortiz returning to the saddle.
#6 Necessity (10-1) has a lot of appeal to me at a nice price. By Constitution, the improving sort has moved up since transferring to the dirt in her third lifetime run, and her maiden triumph on the surface two back was impressive, as well. The bay has some tactical speed but will be doing her best work in the lane under the guidance of Ricardo Santana, Jr.
#2 California Sunset (12-1) is consistent if nothing else and represents good value for the exotics for trainer Brad Cox. The Quality Road homebred has won or placed in each of her five assignments since having blinkers added, and the filly could get a very nice trip from midpack early while saving ground throughout. The Kentucky-bred will have Florent Geroux in the silks.
#10 Runnin N Gunnin (20-1) has won three of four coming in, led by a score in the Sunland Park Oaks most recently, and she is too big of a price to omit, in my opinion. This dark bay daughter of Gun Runner will be coming from off the pace with Flavien Prat in the stirrups.
Breath Away (GB) wins the 2023 Sanibel Island S. (Photo by Coglianese Photos/Gulfstream Park))
Exotics Plays for the Sand Springs Stakes
An overflow field of 13 fillies and mares is entered to travel 1 1/16 miles on the Gulfstream Park lawn in Saturday’s $165,000 Sand Springs S. The wildly competitive affair on the Florida Derby (G1) undercard boasts a bevy of win contenders in the deep and well-matched cast.
Sand Springs Exotics
- 50-cent trifecta 6,11 with 1,6,11,12 with all ($30)
- 20-cent superfecta 6,11 with 1,6,11,12 with 1,3,4,6,9,11,12 with 1,3,4,6,9,11,12 ($24)
Saudi Crown wins Pennsylvania Derby (Photo by Equi-Photo)
Pick 3 of the Week: 2025 Oaklawn Park Saturday
Oaklawn Park plays host to a fantastic 14-race card on Saturday, led by the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1). I found a three-race sequence that has a lot of appeal to me prior to the feature for the Pick 3 of the Week
Race 8 Wager:
$2 Pick 3: 1,3,8 with 1,2,3,4,7,8 with 5 ($36)
Turfway Park Racing (Coady Photo/Turfway Park)
Pick 4 of the Week: Turfway Park Saturday
The Pick 4 of the Week will come from Turfway Park on Saturday, and the sequence will include the feature, the $125,000 Serena’s Song S.
Race 5 Wager:
$1 Pick 4: 8,11,12 with 2,5,6,9 with 3,5,12 with 7 ($36)
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