When I say Stephen, you say Foster! Stephen Foster Day continues to be one of the best days of racing in Louisville every summer with a dozen races on the docket starting at 12:45PM ET. It also card comes with a series of three $2,500 Hit & Splits only on Xpressbet and 1/ST BET on the Early Pick 5, Late Pick 5, and Late Pick 4. Much like the rest of the country, Kentucky has been feeling the effects of a heat wave this week, but it should dissipate by Saturday with AM showers and a high of 90 degrees. I took the liberty of going through the Early Pick 5 (Races 1-5) and here are my thoughts on each race.

CD Race 1, 12:45PM ET: This race is chock full of first-time starters with the #7 AMERICAN BEAR bringing us the only experience, and that’s just from one start. Steve Asmussen saddles two in the opener and my eyes are on #8 PAPA KEN with Jose Ortiz aboard. This son of Yaupon has been working regularly and well for the Asmussen barn here in the Kentucky string, seemingly waiting for a race like this to pop up in the condition book. Play him alongside the #1 PRINCE OF LIGHT, a homebred for Dixiana Farms for trainer Brendan Walsh with Ben Curtis up.

CD Race 2, 1:15PM ET: We’re back to maidens again but this time we go to a 3-year-old crop with some experienced hard-knockers looking for that elusive first win. We’ve got another Walsh horse on the rail here in the #1 RULE SEVENTY SIX. He was a dismal 8th last out under Edgar Morales over this same Churchill turf course a week after the Derby but today gets two major changes: first time Lasix and jockey Flavien Prat. RULE SEVENTY SIX is out of the Tapit mare Benvenutta, a full sister to top WinStar Farm sire Constitution.

CD Race 3, 1:45PM ET: This allowance optional includes a few short-priced horses and an opportunity to spread a little bit after singling in the 2nd leg. #2 BESTFRIEND ROCKET will make his first start for longtime D. Wayne Lukas assistant Bas Nicholl upon Lukas’ recent retirement after a 6th place finish in the Sir Barton on Preakness day. #8 EXCITE, Claiborne’s homebred out of Bill Mott’s superstar mare Elate (who won the Fleur de Lis on Stephen Foster Day in 2019) comes back off a win at Churchill on May 31 and will likely be the post time favorite. Irad Ortiz is back on to ride and Mott horses who won their last start are 23% winners coming back this year. With minimal pace in the race, Flavien Prat will likely send #4 SHANGRALA ROAD to the front for Brad Cox and try not to look back.

CD Race 4, 2:15PM ET: Cutting back in distance to 7-1/2 furlongs on the dirt, #5 LOCO ABARRIO makes his first start in the Will Walden barn and comes off a 42-day layoff. This marks his first appearance in Kentucky, but Walden first-time starters are currently 25% winners for an ROI of $1.76. We’ll also take a bit of a better value play with the #2 PRINCETOWN and jockey Irving Moncada’s 5lb bug allowance. PRINCETOWN was loose on the lead here at Churchill on June 14 in a miler that favored closers. Linda Rice’s recent claim, #9 CHASING TIME, also makes an appearance after $531,785 in lifetime earnings – clearly the class of the field and should get a solid ride under Cristian Torres.

CD Race 5, 2:45PM ET: We’re ending this Early Pick 5 sequence on a deserving favorite, #3 LAMBO for the combination of David Jacobson with Jose Ortiz. There are plenty of speedy contenders in this 6-furlong sprint, but his recent final fractions are almost 2 seconds faster than the rest of the field. He was swapped to the Jacobson barn after spending a spring season this year with Steve Asmussen and it seems like things in Hot Springs weren’t quite clicking for the 4yo. He’s been working over the synthetic at the Churchill training center since early June. I’ll personally be playing him in some exactas with the #2 PROTEGE and the #8 HONEST AL.