by Jerry Shottenkirk
May 22, 2020
The $500,000 All Stakes Pick 5 is part of a tremendous card at Churchill Downs, and while it’s not Breeders’ Cup Day or Kentucky Derby Day, this program possesses quality far better than your average Saturday.
The 50-cent Pick 5 begins in the seventh and wraps up with the 11th. Top distaffers, turf horses and middle sprinters and Triple Crown race hopefuls. It’s a knockout of a card, and the suggested Pick 5 play here totals a higher-than-our-average $90 play with a 2x2x3x5x3 strategy.
Here’s a look at what’s cooking the sequence:
Race 7 (Shawnee S., 4:08 p.m. ET)
#4 DUNBAR ROAD (4/5) and #8 SHE'S A JULIE (2/1) are the most accomplished distaffers in this field, and those two should be enough for this slot. Dunbar Road was fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and had won three straight in New York last summer. She’s a Julie hasn’t raced since finishing fourth in the Spinster in October and has had her share of success at Churchill, winning half of her six starts.
Race 8 (Tepin S., 4:40 p.m. ET)
#9 SHARING (3/1) and #14 ALMS (3/1) aren’t having a match race in the Tepin. Or ARE they? Sharing won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last year and is 3 of 4. Graham Motion sends her out for the first time this season and she’s trained well for her first since that Cup triumph. Alms brings her 4 of 4 record into this one, and while she hasn’t won races the caliber of a Breeders’ Cup, she’s never been seriously threatened in the final sixteenth of any race and could be up to the task here.
Race 9 (Blame S., 5:12 p.m. ET)
Strong older middle-distance campaigners gather for the Blame, and this one is a bit more challenging on your Pick 5 ticket. #8 OWENDALE (3/1) makes his return off a seven-month vacation and last appeared over this strip, when he was second to Tom’s d’Etat in the Clark. He was third in the Preakness and won the Lexington, Ohio Derby and Oklahoma Derby in an impressive sophomore campaign. Owendale is a deep closer and will have to tune it up early to be in contention in this mile race. #3 GLOBAL CAMPAIGN (9/2) and #7 SILVER DUST (8/1) will offer plenty and are worthy of inclusion. Global Campaign has won four of six, took the Peter Pan and was third in the Jim Dandy last year. He came back with a sharp seven-furlong win at Gulfstream. Silver Dust won the Louisiana and Mineshaft Stakes, then tired to fifth in the New Orleans Classic. He’s a front-end threat and definitely has the credentials.
Race 10 (G3 Matt Winn S, 5:44 p.m. ET)
#10 MAXFIELD (5/2) makes his first start of the year and brings perfection after two starts. He broke his maiden from far off the pace at Churchill and then was dominant in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. He hasn’t start since October, but plenty of folks will have their money down on him. The Winn is far from a gimme. #2 PNEUMATIC (4/1) also is perfect in two starts, his coming at Oaklawn. He narrowly broke his maiden and then was more dominant against winners. #6 NY TRAFFIC (10/1) was second in the Louisiana Derby after he was third in the Risen Star. He drops back from 1 3-16th miles to 1 1-16th mile. #11 ATTACHMENT RATE (4/1) was third in the Gotham and followed with a second in the Unbridled. After a dismal debut, he’s been improving much of the way. #14 MAJOR FED (5/1) is 1 of 4 but was second in the Risen Star and then was a closing fourth in the Louisiana Derby. He has the form be a formidable player here.
Race 11 (War Chant S., 6:10 p.m. ET)
The Pick 5 ends with a mile turf race for 3-year-olds and it comes down to three on this ticket – Field Pass, Hieronymus and Billy Batts. Field Pass is working on a third straight victory. He won the Dania Beach on Gulfstream turf and then took the Jeff Ruby Stakes on the Turfway all-weather strip. Hieronymus is 4 of 5 and his only blemish came at Churchill last fall. He won three straight on the Fair Grounds turf, which is not easy to do. Billy Batts was unplaced in the Saudi Derby Cup in Saudi Arabia in February, but his form other than that has been sharp lately. He was a closing second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and won the Baffle Stakes at Santa Anita.
Here’s the suggested All-Stakes Pick 5 at Churchill Saturday:
Race 7: #4 Dunbar Road, #8 She’s a Julie.
Race 8: #9 Sharing, #14 Alms.
Race 9: #3 Global Campaign, #7 Silver Dust, #8 Owendale.
Race 10: #2 Pneumatic, #6 Ny Traffic, #10 Maxfield, #11 Attachment Rate, #12 Major Fed.
Race 11: #5 Field Pass, #6 Hieronymus, #13 Billy Batts.
Late Pick 5 Ticket: 8-9 with 9-14 with 3-7-8 with 2-6-10-11-12 with 5-6-13 ($90).