Playing the late Pick 3 at Churchill Downs on Saturday, Nov. 7

A pair of juvenile tilts will sandwich a sprint stakes on the dirt to close out the card at Churchill Downs on Saturday. 

Race 9 Wager

• $3 Pick 3: 4,8 with 3,6,8,11,13 with 4,8 ($60)

Race 9 – Maiden Claiming

A full field of two-year-old fillies will jaunt 6 1/2 panels on the main oval in the $150,000 maiden claiming heat. These races are often super tough to figure out without seeing where some of the early money is going, but I’ll take a shot, nonetheless. 

Trainer Mark Casse has a pair of players who will drop down from the special weight ranks, going from the green to the main oval for the initial time, and I will commence the sequence with his duo. #4 Viaggio (8-1) and #8 Stormed Off (6-1) will be the ones. 

Race 10 – Bet on Sunshine S. 

A baker’s dozen will speed six furlongs on the dirt in the middle leg of the tough sequence. I would like to use all the contenders in this well-matched contest, but I will narrow it down to a quintet of value runners. 

Smile Sprint S. victor #3 Viking (6-1) has shown marked improvement since joining the barn of David Fawkes two back and is the inside pace of the race. The lightly raced gelding has never been better and will have Tyler Gaffalione on board. 

#6 Echo Again (6-1) is in fine form and comes off a fine stakes second behind Built on the surface in his latest showing. Bob Baffert’s #8 Greenwich Village (9-2) can be any kind on his return to the dirt off the shelf. Upset contender #11 Tap Me a Song (20-1) and Gulfstream Park Sprint S. hero #13 Jack’s Promise (20-1) will also be included. 

Race 11 – Maiden Special Weight

Two-year-old males will travel 1 1/16 miles on the grass with an overflow field of 16 entered. #4 Time in Motion (8-5), a $475,000 Not This Time colt, missed by a head on the course in September and is my top pick. Will Walden pupil has a lot of appeal to me, with Concepcion retaining the ride. 

Brad Cox’s #8 Justify Joey (6-1) will also make the ticket with Tyler Gaffalione signed on. The $350,000 yearling purchase is bred to love the lawn, and the son of Justify shows a long string of morning moves in advance of his unveiling for a trainer who is 20% debuting on the turf in total.