Picks for the $2,000 Turfway Handicapping Championship tournament

Saturday’s $2,000 Turfway Handicapping Championship tournament on TwinSpires.com boasts epic prizes.

For every 10 entries, a 2025 Kentucky Derby Betting Challenge entry will be awarded. In addition, $10,000 in added-money prizes will be distributed to the top five finishers, including $5,000 to the winner.

To play along, you must bet your entire $1,500 bankroll across at least six races (minimum $125 per race) at Turfway Park. That won’t be too difficult since Turfway’s Saturday card is packed with competitive races, including four stakes worth a combined $1 million that comprise the inaugural Turfway Park Synthetic Championship Night.

If you want to climb the leaderboard early on, consider betting #9 Team Troy (8-1) in Race 2, a maiden special weight for two-year-olds sprinting six furlongs. Team Troy showed little in his debut on dirt at Horseshoe Indianapolis, finishing last out of seven. But he improved when switching to turf for a five-furlong maiden special weight at Horseshoe Indianapolis, finishing fourth by 1 1/2 lengths.

Team Troy hails from the barn of Paulo Lobo, who has gone 3-for-8 (38%) saddling experienced two-year-olds in sprints at Turfway since 2021. Switching to Turfway’s synthetic Tapeta track may unlock improvement from Team Troy, so consider betting this midrange longshot to win and playing him in exotic wagers for good measure.

An even bigger longshot we recommend supporting is #5 Night Time (30-1) in Race 7, the six-furlong $250,000 Turfway Park Synthetic Championship Holiday Cheer S.

Night Time has cracked the trifecta in eight of his nine starts at Turfway, which includes a quick win in the 2023 Holiday Cheer. He recently ended a six-month layoff with a victory in a $40,000 claimer at Keeneland, in which he beat a next-out winner by one length while earning a respectable 93 Brisnet Speed rating.

Night Time was claimed out of that win by high-percentage trainer Brittany Vanden Berg, a 21% winner with new claiming acquisitions. There’s no reason to think Night Time won’t fire a competitive shot while returning to Turfway for his second start off the layoff, so his 30-1 morning-line odds are too enticing to pass up. Bet him to win and use him in exotic wagers.

And don’t forget to play Race 9, a six-furlong maiden special weight in which a $1,786 Super High 5 carryover is up for grabs. While Super High 5 wagers don’t count toward tournament play, you may wish to chase after the value-adding carryover just the same.

One price horse you’ll want to include on your tickets is #4 Jimmy Rules (15-1). The three-year-old son of Jimmy Creed has been gelded since rallying to finish second in a five-furlong maiden special weight on dirt at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Horseshoe Indianapolis dirt form often carries over well to the Turfway Tapeta, so Jimmy Rules is eligible to crack the top five at a big price.

Good luck!