The Jury: Expert Picks, Bets, and Fades for Churchill Downs' Stephen Foster Day card and closing weekend

The TwinSpires Jury of Ashley Anderson, James Scully, and Darin Zoccali debate their best bets and fades for Stephen Foster Day on Saturday at Churchill Downs and look at the closing day of the spring meet on Sunday.

Saturday's 12-race card beneath the Twin Spires will feature the $1 million Stephen Foster S. (G1), a Win and You're In event for the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) on Nov. 1 at Del Mar. Last year's Classic winner, Sierra Leone, is installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the Stephen Foster, set as Race 11 with a post time of 6:03 p.m. ET. He'll clash with last month's Blame (G3) victor, Mystik Dan, winner of the 150th Kentucky Derby (G1).

Brad Cox's pair of First Mission and Hit Show are also entered, along with Churchill Downs S. (G1) champ Mindframe, multiple graded stakes winner Skippylongstocking, and Ashcroft, a five-year-old by Munnings from the barn of recently retired D. Wayne Lukas.

Reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna will also return to the races on Saturday in the Fleur de Lis (G2), a Win and You're In for the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), which the four-year-old filly won last fall. The 2024 Kentucky Oaks (G1) victress is coming off a seventh in the La Troienne (G1) on Kentucky Derby Day and will look to bounce back off a nearly two-month layoff.

The Fleur de Lis S. is the seventh race on Saturday's 12-race card and will mark the first leg of an all-stakes Derby City 6. The Tepin S., Wise Dan (G2), and American Derby also comprise the sequence and make up their own $3 All-Turf Pick 3 sequence as well. The Kelly's Landing S. for sprinters is set for Race 9, the third leg of the Derby City 6.

The closing day of the Churchill Downs spring meet will present five more stakes on an 11-race card. The Bashford Manor S. for juveniles and Debutante S. for two-year-old fillies will cover six furlongs. Following those stakes, it's the one-mile Hanshin, headlined by graded stakes winners Banishing and Saudi Crown; the Anchorage Overnight S. for fillies and mares on the turf; and the Maxfield S., a seven-furlong sprint that drew the likes of Withers S. romper Captain Cook and Southwest (G3) hero Speed King.

Join us for our LIVE coverage during Stephen Foster Day as we include all the major stakes races at Churchill Downs for this Horse Racing Weekend on Saturday! Our LIVE coverage will include Churchill Downs expert picks, LIVE odds, exclusive interviews, and other horse racing news. Discover the thrill of Churchill Downs starting at 3:30 PM ET through the Stephen Stakes at 6:03 PM ET.