Pick 3 of the Week: Churchill Downs Saturday, September 12

I will take aim at the closing three-race sequence at Churchill Downs on Saturday, led by a pair of graded events, for the Pick 3 of the Week.  

Race 9 Wager

• $1 Pick 3: 1,4 with 1,7,8 with 2,4,8,9,10 ($30)

Race 9 – Locust Grove (G2)

The first leg of the wager will have six fillies and mares go postward and travel 1 1/16 miles on the main oval. The more I tried to make a case for a third contender, the more this affair seems to come down to just two ladies in a logical start to the play. 

#1 Splendora has won seven of her last eight for conditioner Bob Baffert and might be getting better with age. The Audible five-year-old has been very good in her last pair of performances, including a fine tally on this course two back, and she comes in with four rapid bullet morning drills at this venue in the interim. Flavien Prat retains the mount. 

Champion #4 Immersive owns a smart 4-2-2-0 mark on the course and was a nice victress of the Fleur de Lis (G2) on the surface in June. The Godolphin homebred has been first or second in all 10 lifetime runs in her career and can never be dismissed. The Brad Cox trainee will have Luis Saez in the stirrups. 

Race 10 – Iroquois (G3)

A one-mile tilt on the main oval for juveniles attracted nine, and I feel as though a trio of runners is worth using in the middle piece of the play. Baffert’s unbeaten #7 Salahudin will be tough with another move forward coming off of a dominant stakes score, but I don’t feel that the colt is a cinch, especially at an expected short price

Will Walden’s #1 Caribbean King did nothing wrong in a fine score at seven panels at Ellis Park on debut, and the son of Life is Good looks to have a very bright future. #8 He Is No Lie is the speed-of-the-speed in the race, and could be any kind going one mile if he clears the field early for trainer Doug O’Neill. 

Race 11 – Maiden Special Weight 

The finale on the card is for fillies and mares going 6 1/2 furlongs on the dirt with a full field of 12 signed on. I can’t find a standout in the dash, so I'll use multiple runners in the closing leg. 

#2 Poise, #4 Sweet Reward, top pick #8 Jill’s Folly’s, #9 Ready Comete, and #10 Thesewallshaveears are the ones to conclude the play.