The start of closing week to the spring meeting at Churchill Downs begins on Wednesday afternoon with a nine-race card that gets started at 12:45 PM eastern. The slate features a pair of solid allowance races late in the day and gets a big five days in Louisville started capped off by two great wagering cards. Here are a few horses I like most.


Race 1:
My first play of the week comes in the opener, which is an open $20k claimer at 1 1/16-miles over the main track where I like #7 Great Escape. The two most recent efforts from this 7YO gelding leave a lot to be desired, but they both came over a sloppy track for his former barn. Trainer Joe Sharp claimed the son of Midnight Storm for $20,000 on May 22 and legs up Irad Ortiz Jr. for his first start under his care. Sharp takes the blinkers off of Great Escape, a move which he has only done six times over the last five years with horses he has raced first off the claim. He has won with two of those and comes in hot having tallied four wins over the final three days of racing in Louisville last week. Do not be surprised if the veteran conditioner has a big final week of the spring under the twin spires with this new acquisition getting things started.

Play: #7 Great Escape (7-2 ML)
Picks: 7-1-4


Race 6:
This MSW event for fillies and mares at one-mile over the grass is wide-open based on Nick Tammaro’s morning line with a lukewarm 4-1-ML favorite. I like #3 Conquering Marin. The Irish-bred returns to a two-turn trip after a pair of turf sprints in the Blue Grass this spring. She tried a route of ground back in February in her first start in the States for Brendan Walsh, but was headstrong early and caught wide throughout. She was also caught extremely wide most of the way in her first race over this turf course on May 14. Now, she moves inside and attracts Flavien Prat. Hopefully, Prat can do what he does best and find a way to relax this daughter of Ghaiyyath early, so she can run her race late. If so, I like her chances to breakthrough for career victory number one.

Play: #3 Conquering Marin (5-1 ML)
Picks: 3-6-8


Race 9:
The card concludes with a second-level allowance at one-mile over the grass where the pace should be honest with #1 Johny’s Rendezvous and #2 Barb likely to show early zip from their inside draws and perhaps #9 Joejoe Go from the outside. This should set things up enough for 5-2-ML favorite #3 Love’m Or Liam. There is no doubt this son of Liam’s Map got a much stronger setup in his win on May 9 than he is likely to get in the Wednesday finale, but he has shown a strong turn of foot in all starts since moving to the grass. Despite the rise in class, Love’m Or Liam does not meet that much tougher of a group than he encountered in his most recent score. In fact, the horse that finished second that day came back to win in Louisville in his next start flattering the Bill Mott trainee’s three-length victory. He will not be 5-1 like last time, but should be tough to hold off once again under jockey Jaime Torres.

Play: #3 Love’m Or Liam (5-2 ML)
Picks: 3-6-7