The biggest card in terms of stakes action on Saturday is in Northern Kentucky where Turfway Park presents the second annual Synthetic Championships. The ten-race card that kicks off at 5:55 PM eastern features four $250,000 stakes races over the back half of the night. Full fields and competitive racing make this a card worth diving into this weekend on 1/ST BET and Xpressbet. Here are a few horses I like most.

Race 6: My Charmer

The first of the stakes races is this one-mile event for fillies and mares where #2 Caitlinhergtness was made the heavy 7-5-ML favorite by oddsmaker Mike Battaglia. The Ontario-bred has had a good season, but her success has all come at Woodbine, which tends to play much differently than the Turfway Park all-weather. She can still win on the ship south, but she is likely to be an underlay, so I will take a swing against with #9 She’s Lookin Lucky. The 5YO mare was sold for $375k at the Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale and remains in the hands of trainer Matt Shirer, who clearly has pointed to this spot post-sale. She has to prove herself over a new surface, but has tactical speed and should be a good enough price to gamble on. Hopefully, jockey Luan Machado can avoid a wide journey into the first turn.

Play: #9 She’s Lookin Lucky (8-1 ML)


Race 8: Prairie Bayou

My best bet of the evening comes in this one-mile event for 3YOs and up where the pace should be honest given the presence of #2 Horsepower, #4 Theismann, and #7 Quartocento. This should allow #5 Dresden Row to find a perfect spot a bit off the pace in the second tier. The Lord Nelson colt has done most of his running up north in Canada, but shipped down to Kentucky last year for this race and ran good to lose. The Lorne Richards trainee broke sharp in the 2024 Prairie Bayou, but checked before the first turn costing him quite a bit of momentum. He regrouped admirably showing a ton of grit along with an affinity for the surface, but missed by a head in the end. He continued to compete north of the border in 2025, but clearly the connections had this spot circled on the calendar. With a cleaner trip, he should find his way to the winner’s circle under regular rider Ryan Munger.

Play: #5 Dresden Row (4-1 ML)


Race 10:

The card concludes with a MSW event for 2YOs at two-turns where #4 Thailand and #5 Empire West return to the races for big-name barns. Both juveniles appear capable of breaking through for their first lifetime win along with #7 Maginnesontap, but I am going to take a bigger swing with #8 Helpful Howie. The son of Midshipman is bred to be a good horse being out of a Wildcat Heir mare that has produced four six-figure earners, including top pick in Race 6, She’s Lookin Lucky. The Richard Dunn homebred underwhelmed in two starts sprinting on the dirt to start his career before an uncomfortable voyage in his first trip on turf and at a route of ground last month. There is no doubt the Matt Shirer trainee has to improve off his first three efforts, but he should get a cleaner trip in this one than he did back last month over the Churchill Downs grass. His price makes him worth the gamble in yet another full field event to close the night.

Play; #8 Helpful Howie (15-1 ML)