Saturday picks for NHC Qualifier, $35,779 Pick 6 carryover

An NHC qualifier tournament and a $35,779 Pick 6 carryover are among the betting highlights TwinSpires players can pursue on the fourth Saturday in May.

$1,000 Churchill Downs NHC Qualifier tournament

One of five TwinSpires tournaments involving the Saturday card at Churchill Downs is the $1,000 Churchill Downs NHC Qualifier. Players who wager their $500 bankroll across at least five races at Churchill (minimum $50 in a given race for it to count) will compete for at least one entry into the 2027 National Horseplayers Championship (NHC).

Race 6 offers the possibility for compelling plays. It’s a maiden special weight for three-year-olds and older horses racing one mile on dirt. #3 National Charter (4-1), a three-year-old son of Constitution, looms as a logical win contender.

National Charter debuted in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Keeneland last month. After pressing the pace and taking over the lead, he tired to finish third by seven lengths.

Trainer Rusty Arnold doesn’t win at a high percentage with first-time starters, but he strikes at a 15% rate with second-time starters. National Charter is eligible to improve while stretching out over one mile for his second start, so we recommend betting him to win and playing him over #1 Market Runner (7-5) in an exacta.

• $35 to win on #3 National Charter
• $15 Exacta: 3 with 1
  Total: $50

We also suggest playing Race 9, the Keertana S. for older fillies and mares racing 1 1/2 miles on turf.

#1 Sultana (3-1) has won three starts in a row and boasts a 2-for-2 record on turf. In her 2026 debut, she unleashed a fast finish in the 1 1/2-mile Orchid (G3) at Gulfstream Park, clocking her final quarter-mile in :21.87 to get up and beat pacesetter #3 Ayra Stark (9-5) by a neck.

The form of the Orchid was flattered when third-place finisher Speed Shopper returned to win the Bewitch (G3) at Keeneland. We’re confident Sultana can win right back while sticking to 1 1/2 miles in the Keertana, so we recommend tournament players bet Sultana to win and key her over Ayra Stark in an exacta.

• $35 to win on #1 Sultana
• $15 Exacta: 1 with 3
  Total: $50

$35,779 Sunset Six Pick 6 carryover

The Sunset Six, a $1 Pick 6 featuring the final three races apiece at Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita, has tossed up a $35,779 carryover for Saturday.

If you’re looking for a single to build tickets around, check out Race 9 at Santa Anita, the penultimate leg of the Sunset Six. It’s a $20,000 allowance optional claimer for California-breds racing one mile on dirt, and while plenty of capable older horses have entered, three-year-old #5 Start the Ride (4-1) looks formidable.

You can draw a line through Start the Ride’s last three defeats. One came on turf, and the other two came against tough competition in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and San Felipe (G2) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Four starts back, Start the Ride faced fellow California-breds in the 1 1/16-mile California Chrome Cal Cup Derby. He prevailed by 1 3/4 lengths over a field including future Louisiana Derby (G2) runner-up and Kentucky Derby (G1) starter Pavlovian.

Returning to the California-bred ranks (and to dirt) for Race 9 should be all Start the Ride needs to get back to the winner’s circle.

Good luck!