Tournaments, carryovers worth playing at Churchill, Colonial

The first Saturday of the Churchill Downs September meet is absolutely packed with enticing betting opportunities.

Here’s a quick rundown of the action:

• The card includes five stakes led by the Iroquois (G3) and Pocahontas (G3), respectively the opening stops on the 2025-26 Road to the Kentucky Derby and Road to the Kentucky Oaks.
• There’s a non-jackpot $3,127 Super High 5 carryover up for grabs in Race 1.
• TwinSpires.com is hosting two tournaments involving Churchill Downs: the $200 Churchill Downs Feeder to 9/20 Pennsylvania Derby/Churchill Downs BCBC Qualifier and the $100 Churchill Downs Challenge. Both require betting your bankroll across at least five Saturday races at Churchill.

Churchill Downs $3,127 Super High 5 carryover

The opening race on the card is a $50,000 maiden claimer for two-year-olds sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on dirt. The 11-horse field contains numerous first-time starters, so selecting the top five finishers (and winning a share of the Super High 5 carryover) won’t be easy.

One must-use contender at appealing odds is #4 Fulmine (8-1). The unraced son of Spun to Run is trained by Rohan Crichton, a 22% winner with first-time starters and a 25% winner with horses debuting in maiden claimers. Fulmin has put together a flashy work tab highlighted by a bullet five furlongs from the starting gate in :59 2/5, so don’t leave him off the top of your Super High 5 tickets.

Churchill Downs tournaments on TwinSpires.com

While Super High 5 wagers aren’t eligible for tournament play, tournament players should consider betting on Fulmine in other ways. At 8-1, even a straightforward win bet could reap valuable dividends:

• Race 1: $10 to win on #4 Fulmine

The stakes action gets underway in Race 6, the Pocahontas. Seven juvenile fillies have entered the one-mile dirt race, and we’re intrigued by the chances of #3 Taken by the Wind (5-1) and #5 Our Two Girls (6-1). Both are trained by Kenny McPeek, and both won first-time out, with Our Two Girls taking an Ellis Park maiden special weight and Taken by the Wind nabbing a $75,000 maiden optional claimer at Saratoga.

MUCCIOLO: Tipsheet: 2025 Pocahontas Stakes

When McPeek juveniles win on debut, they often develop into quality stakes horses, so tournament bettors should consider boxing Taken by the Wind and Our Two Girls in the exacta. A 1-2 finish for the McPeek fillies wouldn’t be shocking.

• Race 6: $5 Exacta: box 3,5 ($10)

Race 8 is the Iroquois for two-year-olds racing one mile over the main track. #7 Comport (6-5) owns the fastest Brisnet Speed ratings in the field, and he’s a heavy favorite after winning the Ellis Park Juvenile S. by two lengths.

But #1 Nothing Personal (8-1) is a formidable challenger. He dominated his debut sprinting seven furlongs at Colonial Downs by 8 3/4 lengths over a next-out winner, suggesting he has serious talent.

MUCCIOLO: Tipsheet: 2025 Iroquois Stakes

We suggest betting a trifecta boxing Comport and Nothing Personal in the first two slots while adding #5 Spice Runner (7-2) and #8 Vost (12-1) for third place:

• Race 8: $2.50 Trifecta: 1,7 with 1,7 with 5,8 ($10)

Bonus carryover: Colonial Downs $12,761 Pick 6 mandatory payout

Saturday is closing day of the Colonial Downs meet, which means the $12,761 carryover in the 50-cent “Old Dominion 6” Pick 6 will be paid out in mandatory fashion.

The Pick 6 gets underway in Race 5 at 2:30 p.m. ET. We suggest building tickets around #6 Wolfie’s Dynaghost (1-1) as a short-priced single in Race 8, a $100,000 handicap taking place over 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Much of Wolfie’s Dynaghost’s success has come over synthetic tracks. Back in 2023, he won the Autumn (G2) on Tapeta by 4 1/2 lengths.

But Wolfie’s Dynaghost has been sharp on turf this year. He wired the 1 1/8-mile Prince George’s County S. at Laurel Park by 4 1/2 lengths, then ran second in a 1 3/16-mile $150,000 allowance optional claimer at Saratoga after leading in midstretch.

Cutting back to 1 1/16 miles at Colonial Downs should suit Wolfie’s Dynaghost just fine. His last two Brisnet Speed ratings (95 and 97) stand out as the highest numbers recently posted by any horse entered in Race 8, so a typical performance from Wolfie’s Dynaghost should result in a comfortable victory.

Good luck!