A challenging three-race sequence to close out the card, led by the day's headliner, will comprise the Pick 3 of the Week at Churchill Downs on Saturday.  

Race 9 Wager

• $1 Pick 3: 2,3,6 with 1,6,9 with 1,4,5,10 ($36)

Race 9 – Louisville S. (G3)

The 1 1/2-mile feature on the lawn attracted nine, and I will go three deep to get the wager going. I’ll give #2 Missed the Cut one more chance in his third run off the break. The Cherie DeVaux trainee has burned money with subpar showings in a pair of performances since coming back from Royal Ascot in the summer. I hope he gets back into his best form on Saturday under Brian Hernandez, Jr. 

DeVaux’s #3 Rebel Red was a useful fourth in the Elkhorn S. (G2) at Keeneland last time out and broke his maiden on this surface, too. The Frankel five-year-old will be running on late with Declan Cannon inheriting the ride. #6 Utah Beach wasn’t a factor in the race last season as the 9-5 second choice, but he looked good in his recent Elkhorn triumph and will be tough with something resembling that performance for Correas. 

Race 10 – Allowance 

The boys will go nine panels on the dirt in the middle leg. I could make a solid case for five of the nine in the group, but for cost reasons, I will narrow my search down to a trio of contenders. Kenny McPeek’s #1 Gould’s Gold is a solid performer with a lot of room for improvement in his second assignment of 2025. The stakes-winning colt is well drawn on the rail, and the son of Goldencents drilled a bullet half-mile on the oval in advance of Saturday. Brian Hernandez, Jr. has the call. 

#9 Willy D’s might be the sleeper in the group from the outside post slot. The gelded son of Lookin at Lucky ran well last time, and improvement is expected in his second following the claim by Mike Maker. Norm Casse’s #6 Baddest Good Boy has displayed ability for sure, and he will run with the blinkers off after a one-race experiment with the hood last time. The Bernardini gelding smoked a rapid four panels last weekend to prepare for this assignment. 

Race 11 – Maiden Special Weight

An incredibly challenging six-furlong dash on the dirt for three-year-old fillies caps the card. Without the help of seeing where the early money is going doesn’t make things easier, but I’ll take a shot to narrow down the exciting group of prospects. 

#1 Me and Molly McGee was a strong second at first asking when going postward as the favorite in a large field at Keeneland and has to be on the ticket for trainer Peter Eurton. Vekoma filly breaks from the rail under Frankie Dettori. 

Godolphin homebred #4 Lemon Zest is kin to a debut winner and could be any kind for the always dangerous Brad Cox. Juddmonte homebred #5 Temperate has a pair of two-year-old winning siblings and could be precocious for conditioner Mike McCarthy. #10 Putonahappyface ran into an excellent top pair in her lone run at Santa Anita and was flattered when the runner-up out of that heat came back to win next time out. Axel Concepcion will guide the Richard Dutrow trainee. 

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