Spot Plays for Churchill Downs on June 7

The Saturday card at Churchill Downs offers a few intriguing opportunities, especially on the turf. 

Race 6, 3:18 p.m. ET - 1 1/8-mile turf maiden

While Chad Brown's #11 Fleetingly (7-5) is the likeliest candidate to break her maiden here, I'll go value-hunting in hopes that #9 Marcinkowski (15-1) can sneak into the placings. 

The daughter of Blame is out of a French stakes-placed Smart Strike mare from the extended family of Group/Grade 1 stars War Command and Hit the Road. In her only start, Marcinkowski was a slow-starting fourth going a mile at Kentucky Downs last September. She just missed third by a neck, and the added furlong on a more conventional course could help her make the frame for new trainer Michelle Lovell.

Race 8, 4:23 p.m. - One-mile turf allowance

#5 Maui Strong (5-2) looks strong on the class drop from the American Turf (G1) on Kentucky Derby Day, but #3 Yinzer (10-1) has a stealthy look in his turf debut for Steve Asmussen. The $1 million son of Twirling Candy is out of a full sister to Grade 1-placed turf performer Closing Bell, and he showed enough talent in dirt maidens to take a swing at the Louisiana Derby (G2). His only poor races have come in the slop, and if Yinzer takes to the surface, he figures to outperform his odds.

Race 9, 4:55 p.m. - Six-furlong maiden

Rodolphe Brisset unveils #6 Fast Town (4-1), a son of the outstanding sire Speightstown. The WinStar Farm homebred is out of the stakes-winning Fast Scene, by Fast Anna, and thereby sports the potent Speightstown/Medaglia d'Oro cross. Fast Town also shows a very encouraging work pattern ahead of his debut. 

Race 10, 5:27 p.m. ET - Mighty Beau S.

#5 Epic Ride (9-2) tries turf for the first time, but the Blame colt is bred to excel on the surface. His dam is by three-time Eclipse Award champion Gio Ponti from the family of Honey Ryder. Moreover, Epic Ride's 7-4-3-0 mark on all-weather suggests that he can transfer that form to turf. The John Ennis trainee definitely has the class as a stakes winner who placed third in last year's Blue Grass (G1), and he just chased home the brilliant Booth in the Maryland Sprint (G3) on Preakness Day.