Picks: Monmouth’s $53,056 Pick 5, Churchill’s $1,000 tournament

A $53,056 Pick 5 carryover at Monmouth Park and a $1,000 Churchill Downs tournament are two betting opportunities worth considering on Saturday.

$53,056 Pick 5 carryover at Monmouth Park

Saturday’s 50-cent Early Pick 5 at Monmouth Park features a lucrative $53,056 carryover.

The sequence gets underway right off the bat in Race 1 (post time 12:50 p.m. ET), a $16,000 claimer for fillies and mares racing 1 1/16 miles on turf. Only seven horses have entered, and we recommend singling #6 Princess Summer (7-5) at a short price.

Princess Summer might be 0-for-3 this year, but she’s been facing much tougher competition. At Gulfstream Park, she finished sixth and fourth in $35,000 claimers. Then at Saratoga earlier this month, she ran 11th (beaten only 7 1/2 lengths) in a $45,000 allowance optional claimer.

Dropping in class for a $16,000 claimer at Monmouth Park might be all Princess Summer needs to secure victory. The Brisnet Speed ratings she’s posted this year (71, 73, and 72) are right around the par winning number for Saturday’s conditions (73), and none of her rivals have posted a number higher than 73 this year. A typical performance from Princess Summer should send her to the winner’s circle.

$1,000 Churchill Downs KDBC/BCBC Qualifier tournament

The Saturday card at Churchill Downs kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET and is the focus of the $1,000 Churchill Downs KDBC/BCBC Qualifier tournament on TwinSpires.com.

Bettors must wager their entire $500 bankroll across at least five races at Churchill Downs. At least $50 must be wagered in a given race for it to count toward the five-race minimum.

Depending on how many players participate, the tournament may award multiple entries into the 2026 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) and 2027 Kentucky Derby Betting Challenge (KDBC).

One horse we recommend betting early on the card is #9 Mood Spin (4-1) in Race 9, a maiden special weight for two-year-old fillies dashing five furlongs on dirt.

Mood Spin is trained by Norm Casse, who wins at a solid 18% rate with horses debuting in maiden special weights. The daughter of Hard Spun has put together a sharp work tab capped off by a bullet three furlongs from the starting gate in :35 3/5, so she appears to have talent. This field doesn’t look all that tough on paper, so at 4-1, Mood Spin is worthy of a win bet.

• Churchill Downs Race 2: $50 to win on #9 Mood Spin

Good luck!