Oaklawn Park pick of the day for April 24

Oaklawn Park will feature 10 races Friday, and there is a chance for wet weather in Hot Springs, Arkansas. #5 Louise the Laser should be able to handle any conditions in Race 6, and she is the pick of the day.

A full field of fillies and mares will contest the $6,250 claiming event at 5 1/2 furlongs, with 14 entered, including a pair of also-eligibles. The speed appears to be drawn on the outside, and Louise the Laser has the tactical speed to receive a good trip from her middle post.

The 7-year-old mare will make her second start off the claim for trainer Federico Villafranco. His barn hasn’t had the same level of success as last year, with just a 9% win rate this meet, but the trainer snapped a lengthy winless streak with a victory Saturday and strikes at a 21% clip in the second start off the claim, from a 148-race sample.

Louise Laser looks faster than her rivals, based on recent efforts, and registered an 81 Brisnet Speed rating for a runner-up finish two starts back and a 78 Speed figure for a third last time out. Both starts came at this level, and Louise Laser’s most recent Speed rating is at least five points higher than any other last-out number.

I like seeing leading rider Ricardo Santana Jr. pick up the mount, and Louise the Laser should be prominent from the start.

Listed at 3-1 on the morning line, Louise Laser has appeal for straight wagers, and she will be singled in my multi-race bets.

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Tune into Churchill Downs’ virtual "Kentucky Derby at Home" party on NBC on May 2, from 3-6 p.m. ET.