Picks: $1,000 King’s Plate Contest, carryovers at Ellis and Colonial

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares horses to bet on Saturday in the $1,000 King’s Plate Contest and in four-figure carryovers at Ellis Park and Colonial Downs.

Woodbine: $1,000 King’s Plate Contest

Saturday’s 13-race King’s Plate Day program at Woodbine is the focus of the $1,000 King’s Plate Contest, a lucrative tournament in which TwinSpires players can participate.

Players must bet their entire $600 bankroll across at least five races at Woodbine, with at least $120 in a given race required for that race to count toward the five-race minimum. Registration for the tournament closes at 11:00 a.m. ET. Multiple entries into the 2026 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) and 2027 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) will be awarded to the top finishers.

The feature event on the stakes-packed card is, of course, Race 10, the King’s Plate S. for Canadian-bred three-year-olds racing 1 1/4 miles on Tapeta. The filly #1 Luster (1-1), winner of the Selene (G3) at Woodbine Oaks this season, is a heavy favorite who looks tough to beat.

Since double wagers are eligible for tournament play, we recommend singling Luster to start a cold double ending with #3 Gas Me Up (8-5) in Race 11, the King Edward (G2), a one-mile turf test.

Gas Me Up won this race last year before finishing third in the Woodbine Mile (G1) and seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). He competed well in graded stakes at Santa Anita during the winter and should be formidable in his return to Woodbine for trainer Kevin Attard, a 22% winner with horses coming back from layoffs of 90 days or more.

Ellis Park: Race 1: $3,204 Super High 5 carryover (11:00 a.m. ET)

Saturday’s opening race at Ellis Park features a $3,204 carryover in the $1 Super High 5.

Race 1 is a $16,000 claimer for fillies and mares who have never won two races. The six-furlong dirt dash drew 11 entries, though #7 Tumbleweed Queen (10-1) is an early scratch.

#11 Diagram (3-1) is the morning-line favorite after leading by daylight at every call to trounce a recent $10,000 maiden claimer at Ellis Park by four lengths. But two of her other three starts this year (against tougher competition) saw her lose by double-digit margins. Stepping up in class and breaking from the far outside post could complicate Diagram’s path to the winner’s circle.

#1 What’s Her Number (9-2) might be a more reliable horse to build tickets around. She rarely finishes out of the top five, and she’s dropping in class after finishing fourth in a $20,000 claimer at Churchill Downs. What’s Her Number’s Brisnet Speed ratings stack up well against this field, so another strong showing appears likely. She may even win.

Colonial Downs: Race 5: $1,715 Pick 6 carryover (2:31 p.m. ET)

Bettors chasing the $1,715 carryover in Saturday’s 50-cent “Old Dominion 6” Pick 6 at Colonial Downs should be aware of the impact rain could have on the sequence. Five of the six races are slated for turf, but there was rain in the forecast for Colonial Downs on Friday evening, so there’s a chance the grass races will get switched to dirt.

Race 8, the $125,000 Find S., is scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf. Whether it stays on turf or gets rained on to dirt, #5 Gigante (1-1) is a formidable favorite. On dirt this season, he’s recorded third-place finishes against tougher competition in the Cornhusker H. (G3) and Steve Sexton Mile (G3). But in between, he ran third by two lengths in the Texas Turf Classic.

Gigante is a multi-surface threat who has won eight stakes through the years, and bettors should consider singling him in the Pick 6.

Good luck!