Pick 3 of the Week: Churchill Downs Friday
A very appealing three-race sequence of graded stakes tilts for the ladies on the Friday card at Churchill Downs comprises the Pick 3 of the Week.
Wagering
John Mucciolo
Handicapper and journalist John Mucciolo has been a contributor to Brisnet and TwinSpires since 2004. Mucciolo's work has included efforts in the 'Notebook' series of The Handicapper's Edge in the early days of Brisnet.com and most recently on TwinSpires Edge. John has also offered selections for a varied array of Brisnet products. Outside of Mucciolo's frequent analysis on horse racing, Mucc is an acclaimed high school soccer coach who earned Times-Tribune's Coach of the Year honors in 2020.
Betting the 2025 Kentucky Derby on Different Budgets
With larger fields of high-quality horses, there are many angles to take when finding selections for betting. Here are suggestions on approaching your bets with a variety of budgets.
Triple Crown
Tipsheet: 2025 Kentucky Derby
A total of 21 three-year-olds are entered for Saturday’s highly anticipated $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs.
Triple Crown
Tipsheet: 2025 Kentucky Oaks
An exciting field of 14 three-year-old fillies will travel 1 1/8 miles on the Churchill Downs main oval in Friday’s $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks (G1).
Wagering
Best Way for Beginners to Bet $10 on the Kentucky Derby
You don't have to be a seasoned pro or bet a lot to wager on the Kentucky Derby. Here is the best way for beginners to bet $10 on the Kentucky Derby.
Kentucky Derby
Pick 3 of the Week: Aqueduct Saturday
The Pick 3 of the Week will come from Aqueduct on Saturday in a sequence that includes the headliner of the afternoon, the $125,000 Woodhaven S. on the grass for three-year-olds.
Wagering
How to bet the Natural State Breeders’ Stakes
A total of 10 Arkansas-bred fillies and mares will travel one-mile in Sunday’s $150,000 Natural State Breeders’ S. at Oaklawn Park.
Oaklawn Park
How to bet the Royal Heroine Stakes
A massive field of 13 fillies and mares will go eight panels on the Santa Anita lawn in Saturday’s $100,000 Royal Heroine S. (G3).
Wagering
Betting With, and Against, Sandy Bottom in the Roxelana Stakes
The opening-night feature at Churchill Downs on Saturday is the $200,000 Roxelana S. Seven fillies and one mare will go postward in the six-furlong heat on the main oval.
Wagering
Pick 4 of the Week: Churchill Downs Saturday
The last of the three Pick 4 wagers offered at Churchill Downs on opening day comprises the final four races on the slate, including the feature, the Roxelana S.
Wagering
Exotics Plays for the Monroe Stakes
A total of 11 fillies and mares will travel 1 1/16 miles over the Gulfstream Park green in Saturday’s $75,000 Monroe S.
Gulfstream Park
How to bet the Bewitch Stakes
The closing-day feature at Keeneland on Friday is the $350,000 Bewitch S. (G3), a 1 1/2-mile turf affair for fillies and mares.
Wagering
How to bet the American Stakes
A cast of seven will run one-mile on the Santa Anita lawn in Sunday’s $100,000 American S. (G3).
Wagering
Betting With, and Against, Pay Billy in the Federico Tesio Stakes
A well-matched field of 10 sophomores will run 1 1/8 miles on the Laurel Park main strip in Saturday’s $150,000 Federico Tesio S.
Laurel Park
Pick 4 of the Week: Oaklawn Park Saturday
A pair of stakes races, led by the lucrative, $1.25 million Oaklawn H. (G2), will be a part of the Pick 4 of the Week from Oaklawn Park on Saturday.
Oaklawn Park
Pick 3 of the Week: Keeneland Saturday
The Pick 3 of the Week comes from Keeneland on Saturday in a sequence that concludes with the feature of the day.
Wagering
How to bet the 2025 Doubledogdare Stakes
A fantastic field of seven fillies and mares will travel 1 1/16 miles on the Keeneland dirt in Friday’s $350,000 Doubledogdare S. (G3). The feature attracted four previous graded stakes heroines, including two of the Grade 1 kind, in an exciting affair with an abundance of quality to it.
Wagering
Exotics Plays for the Elkhorn Stakes
An overflow field of 13 turf marathoners will travel 1 1/2 miles on the Keeneland lawn in Saturday’s $350,000 Elkhorn S. (G2).
Wagering
Pick 3 of the Week: Keeneland Sunday
The Pick 3 of the Week will come from Keeneland on Sunday, concluding with the ultra-competitive Giant’s Causeway S.
Wagering
Pick 4 of the Week: Laurel Park Saturday
Four black-type events will headline a fine nine-race card at Laurel Park on Saturday, and a trio of the stakes tilts are a central part of the Pick 4 of the Week.
Wagering
Exotics Plays for the 2025 Jenny Wiley Stakes
A fantastic field of nine fillies and mares will travel 1 1/16 miles over the Keeneland grass in Saturday’s $650,000 Jenny Wiley S. (G1).
Wagering
Betting With, and Against, Thorpedo Anna in the Apple Blossom
Six brave souls will hope to upend reigning Horse of the Year #6 Thorpedo Anna (2-5) in the $1.25 million Apple Blossom H. (G1) at Oaklawn Park on Saturday.
Oaklawn Park
How to bet the Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes
A talented group of nine will travel eight furlongs on the Keeneland green in Friday’s $650,000 Maker’s Mile S. (G1). I feel that three horses are potentially a cut above the rest of their foes in the event and will focus on the trio for the top slots in my vertical exotics plays.
Wagering
Tipsheet: 2025 Lexington Stakes
A well-matched field of seven sophomores will travel 1 1/16 miles over the Keeneland dirt in Saturday’s $400,000 Lexington S. (G3). The 2025 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series contest will reward the top five across the wire with qualifying points on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis.
Kentucky Derby
Exacta of the Week: Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland Tuesday
The Exacta of the Week will come from Keeneland on Tuesday with the focus on the wildly competitive $250,000 Commonwealth S. (G2).
Wagering
Mucciolo’s Top 5 Horse Betting Strategies for 2025
Playing the ponies is an inexact science that is ever-evolving for me. Horse racing offers the most diversity from a gambling perspective.
Wagering
Pick 4 of the Week: Santa Anita Saturday
The $750,000 Santa Anita Derby (G1) highlights a big Saturday of racing at The Great Race Place. A trio of Pick 4 wagers are on the menu at the Arcadia, Calif. venue, and my focus will be on the middle one that begins in race six.
Wagering
Betting with, and against, Ballerina d’Oro in the Gazelle Stakes
A total of eight three-year-old fillies with their eyes on Louisville for the first Friday in May will contest Saturday’s $200,000 Gazelle S. (G3) at Aqueduct.
Wagering
Tipsheet: 2025 Blue Grass Stakes
A strong field of seven sophomores will travel nine panels over the Keeneland dirt in Saturday’s $1.25 million Blue Grass S. (G1).
Kentucky Derby
Tipsheet: 2025 Santa Anita Derby
A compact, but sensational, field of five three-year-olds will go 1 1/8 miles on the dirt in Saturday’s $500,000 Santa Anita Derby (G1).
Kentucky Derby