EXTRA INCENTIVESBreeders’ Cup Bankroll | Bet $25, Get $5 | Sycamore Stakes (Race 9 Keeneland)SCHEDULE NOTEDelta Downs | opening day | first post 5:40 pm ETSPECIAL WAGERSCoast-to-Coast Pick 5 | Gulfstream Races 8-9, Santa Anita Races 2-3-4Sunset Pick 6 | Gulfstream Races 7-8-9, Santa Anita Races 7-8-9TOURNAMENT TIME$500 Keeneland Last Chance BCBC-NHC Qualifier | details$100 Santa Anita Feeder | details$40 Charles Town Feeder | detailsNOTABLE CARRYOVERSMandatory Payout Pick 6 | $50,447 (CAN) | Woodbine | begins Race 3 | 2:11 pm ETJackpot Super Hi 5 | $78,319 (CAN) | Woodbine | Race 8 | 4:53 pm ETKEY RACESKeeneland | Race 9 | 5:16 pm ET | Sycamore StakesDelta Downs | Race 9 | 7:56 pm ET | Magnolia StakesLONGSHOT RACE ALERT FROM BETMIXKeeneland | Race 2 | 1:32 pm ETWoodbine | Race 6 | 3:49 pm ETBelmont Park | Race 9 | 5:38 pm ETTRAINERS TO WATCHLinda Rice | Belmont Park | 6 of 7 entrants 5-1 or less oddsDID YOU SEE?Last 2 Days | Belmont Park | trainer Chad Brown | won 3 races back-to-back daysPUT US ON YOUR HANDICAPPING TEAMScott Shapiro: Breeders’ Cup Bankroll Builder Bets for Friday, Saturday, SundayJeremy Plonk: Keeneland Longshot Plays for FridayFrank Carulli & Brian W. Spencer: best bets today in the Xpressbet member’s section

Some great October promotions have been a theme for my writing the last few days and that continues today when the second week of our Breeders’ Cup Bankroll Builder commences later this afternoon. The promo allows 1/ST BET and Xpressbet customers to earn a $5 bonus for betting $25+ on select races leading up to the World Championships at the end of the month. Head to the promotional landing page to register if you have yet to do so and for more details. Here are my thoughts on each of the three stakes events included in the Breeders’ Cup Bankroll Builder over the next few days.Friday: Sycamore (G2), Keeneland Race 9:The feature later this afternoon in Kentucky is this $400k 12-furlong affair over the Keeneland grass where #2 Just a Touch was made the 5-2-ML favorite by oddsmaker Nick Tammaro. The son of Justify has won 3 of 4 since trainer Brad Cox moved him to the grass earlier this year, but the lone defeat came when facing Grade 2 foes like he does at 5:16 PM eastern. The fact he won his only start over this course in April, draws favorably along the inside, and lures Irad Ortiz Jr. are all positives, but he is likely to at least be somewhat involved in what should be a contentious early pace.I respect the favorite, but cannot back at him at his likely price, so I will try to beat him with #8 Tiz Dashing. The son of Tiz the Law is one of just a handful in this field that does no exit an arduous race for a huge purse at Kentucky Downs, which has always seemed to be an overall positive at the Keeneland Fall Meeting. The Barclay Tagg trainee got a confidence boosting win against allowance foes last out after a mid-pack finish when against the flow in the Kelso (G3) in early July. Javier Castellano returns to ride the 4YO colt.Play: #8 Tiz Dashing (9-2 ML)Picks: 8-2-7Saturday, California Flag, Santa Anita Race 9Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Bankroll Builder race is this $100k event for Cal-breds down the Hillside Turf Course named for the 2009 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner goes through 6-5-favorite #1 Lonesome Slew. The son of Grazen has proven form over this course for Mark Glatt and meets a somewhat suspect field of fellow state-breds. It would be difficult to bet against the chalk in this spot if the race appeared to have more speed signed on and he did not draw the rail. However, both of those things make it difficult to get excited about betting on Lonesome Slew despite being the likeliest winner.#6 Big City Lights has been a dirt horse throughout his career and a solid one at that for Hall of Famer Richard Mandella. I rarely like to bet dirt horses trying the turf later in the career with the expectation that they will be as fast or faster on the green, but in this case the price should be right to gamble on this son of Mr. Big that ran better than looks in his lone turf start last year at Del Mar in the Stormy Liberal. The slow start from the rail and wide move did he him no favors, but at his ML offering I am willing to give him another shot, especially with the move to an outside post down the hill.Play: #6 Big City Lights (9-2 ML)Picks: 6-1-7Sunday, California Distaff, Santa Anita Race 9The final crack this week at the BC Bankroll Builder is in yet another race for Cal-breds down the beautiful Hillside Turf Course. This time it is for the ladies where I will try #10 Liberation. The 3YO takes on older runners for the first time, which is always a big challenge, but trainer John Sadler is having a strong meet and this gal should sit a stress-free trip in the clear a few lengths off an honest early pace. Her lone turf effort came in late August when she went two turns at Del Mar against open company foes and went far too fast early from her inside draw. Hopefully, she is able to relax on the cutback in distance and move to an outside draw.Play: #10 LiberationPicks: 10-4-7

Each day during the 17-day Keeneland Fall Meet, I’ll spotlight the double-digit morning line prices that you’ll want to consider for your exotics plays. These are based on my top-3 choices in each race and will only appear if they’re in my mix and of significant odds.Race 2:#11 Harborcoat (12-1 ML) – In a race with very little positive form to evaluate, newly gelded second-timer was a decent-enough fourth of 10 vs. similar at Churchill in his debut while showing early interest.Race 5:#12 Aopotheon (15-1 ML) – Bill Mott trainee gets to stretch is legs for the first time with a pedigree to do so if he handles the turf. Employs the classic Jeff Siegel “two sprints to a route” form cycle that’s had much success over the years as a handicapping angle.Race 7:#4 Cavalli (10-1 ML) – Flightline first-timer cost $625K and has had a long, consistent workout pattern on the Tapeta at Turfway for the debut. Walsh-Gaffalione one of Keeneland’s most potent pairings.#6 Ferrous (12-1 ML) – One of my key bets on the card has shown surface versatility through 3 starts and could be ready deliver for Rodolphe Brisset, who popped a winner here Thursday and 2 seasons ago dominated Week 2 for the Fall Meet with 4 winners, aiming for these spots in the condition book that are slightly easier than opening week.Race 10:#9 Big Luz (20-1) – first-time starter for a Kenny McPeek barn that had big success during Week 2 of last year’s Fall Meet with 4 winners, and posted a Week 2 winner here yesterday.

Hoosier Park has over $2.4 million in purses on the line with Indiana Sire Stakes Super Finals as the headliners. The Spot Plays are in Race 2, Race 4, and Race 9. Comments and selections below are based on a fast track.Race 2 (5:53 PM EDT)4-Tell's In The Game (9/2)-Finished 3rd at 30-1 in last and won't be those odds but should offer a square price. The last 2 races have been good and the Erv Miller pupil hit the board in 7 of 11 with 2 pictures. My take is the fractions could be lively. If so that helps and Atlee Bender could finish best of all.4-6-5Race 4 (6:39 PM EDT)3-Brooklets Rockette (7-1)-The Robert Taylor price shot has been consistently in the mix and until last week didn't get much help with post draws. Drew the pegs in last and lost by a nose at 11-1. Can offer a better price than the morning line this time and is versatile. Should get a cozy trip, will look for a big try once again, and could take its 8th picture in 14 starts.3-4-7Race 9 (8:34 PM EDT)2-For Dayze (3-1)-The morning line chalk is #5 Fresh Face Yankee and it deserves top billing with a (9-8-1-0) record this year and has 11 pictures in 13 starts. It won its last going gate to wire, winning handily versus my top choice who finished 2nd. Tonight, will be 2nd time on Lasix for the Roger Welch trainee (2) and will look for a bit more in the tank down the lane. Offers more value, and getting a similar 2-hole trip can happen again. Will look for John De Long to have in play at the top of the lane and the morning line choice to not be able to steal a quarter with a larger purse on the line.2-5-4Check me out on X!

It’s a Pick 5 with full fields on paper, but short-priced favorites abound in races 6 through 10 this Saturday, Oct. 10, at Charles Town for the 40th running of the West Virginia Breeders Classics. All five favorites are 9-to-5 or less on the morning line, shaping the potential payout dramatically for the 50-cent wager. Players at 1/ST BET and Xpressbet benefit greatly in payouts with $2,500 Hit & Split promotions on the late pick 5 and late pick 4 -- both sequences including the Race 7 1/ST BET West Virginia Breeders Classic race.Here’s a closer look:Charles Town, Race 6 (9:32 p.m. EST) RYAN’S RUN was on a perfect four-race run by a combined 28 lengths until the streak ended in the $500,000 Robert Hilton Memorial last out. He dueled from the start until he gave way in the stretch of the two-turn sprint. He scratched from a Grade 2 stakes race at Parx to run in $75,000 Russell Road BC and remains the one to beat. Jeff Runco, the all-time leading trainer at Charles Town, also sends out a viable price option in PENGUIN’S PRIDE, who won three races by a combined 20-1/2 lengths but lost all chance with a ‘tangled start’ against RYAN’S RUN in the 7F Robert Leavitt Memorial on a muddy track.Charles Town, Race 7 (10:02 p.m. EST) THELASTSAY’S only loss in five starts since late April was at 7F against $500,000 earner OVERNIGHT POW WOW (see 8th race). She tracked a heated pace battle and surged 3-wide to prevail in the last jump for her first stakes victory last out. But MAGGIE’S GIRL was resilient, too, in the same $50,000 Autumn Stakes, dueling from the outset and missing by a neck in her first start off a 4-1/2-month layoff. The rematch should be a good one in the $75,000 1/ST BET Breeders Classic.Charles Town, Race 8 (10:32 p.m. EST) OVERNIGHT POW WOW just keeps winning … and winning … and winning. She has 12 wire-to-wire wins, all but one carrying 120 pounds or more, and seeks a re-run of her 2024 West Virginia Cavada BC victory. But PETTY PERFECT upset her in last year’s Cavada and arrives for her title defense in comparable form, with a projected ideal pace to rally into from the rail. She advanced inside on the second turn in an allowance race three weeks ago before OVERNIGHT POW WOW hit another gear in the stretch to prevail. LIL MISS HONKYTONK is a longshot to consider at 20-1 on the morning line in the $125,000 race for fillies and mares. She showed marked improvement since a $10,000 August claim, winning an allowance at 22-1 and returning on short rest to make a middle move to the lead and finish second on a ‘good’ track at tonight’s distance.Charles Town, Race 9 (11:02 p.m. EST) Defending Classic champ TEACHINTHERELEASE will go down as one of the best claims in Charles Town history. He is 11-for-15 with six stakes victories in seven starts (average 90 Beyer) since Robert Cole Jr. claimed him for $20,000 in June 2024. His main rival in 1-1/8-mile $300,000 Classic, JUBAWITHATWIST, starts from post 10 after he rallied to finish second in a pair of 7F matchups in August.Charles Town, Race 10 (11:32 p.m. EST) The most evenly-matched field in the Pick 5 sequence could be the finale. RAY OF SUNSHINE is a deserving favorite with a stakes victory and five consecutive 80-plus speed figures on a fast track, but he drew outside of post 5 only twice in the last year and got beat by 9 lengths both times. Hit the ‘ALL’ button in the race named after Onion Juice -- the first Breeders Classic champion in 1987 -- in hopes of a midnight celebration after the race.Suggested Pick 5CT 6th Race: 3, 9CT 7th race: 4, 8CT 8th Race: 1, 3, 4CT 9th Race: 4CT 10th Race: ALLCost for a 50-Cent Ticket: $60

EXTRA INCENTIVESBet $100, Get $10 | Thistledown | today’s racesSCHEDULE NOTESThistledown | closing day of meet ThursdayTOURNAMENT TIME$100 Keeneland Feeder | details$40 Charles Town Feeder | detailsNOTABLE CARRYOVERSMandatory Payout Pick 6 | $4,424 | Thistledown | begins Race 6 | 2:00 pm ETJackpot Super Hi 5 | $72,025 (CAN) | Woodbine | Race 7 | 6:26 pm ETKEY RACESThistledown | Race 5 | 1:30 pm ET | Emerald Necklace StakesLONGSHOT RACE ALERT FROM BETMIXDelaware Park | Race 7 | 3:58 pm ETWoodbine | Race 4 | 4:52 pm ETHorseshoe Indy | Race 8 | 5:47 pm ETTRAINERS TO WATCHScooter Davis | Presque Isle | 4 of 5 entrants 9-2 or less oddsDID YOU SEE?Yesterday | Belmont Park | trainer Chad Brown won with 3 of 4 startersPUT US ON YOUR HANDICAPPING TEAMScott Shapiro: Thistledown Promo Plays for ThursdayJeremy Plonk: Keeneland Longshot Plays for ThursdayFrank Carulli & Brian W. Spencer: best bets today in the Xpressbet member’s section

Later today marks another chance for horseplayers to take advantage of one of 1/ST BET and Xpressbet’s new October promotions. “Bonus Boonanza” for those who missed it on Tuesday or last Thursday gives our customers an opportunity to bet $100+ at a select track and earn a 10% bonus for doing so. We move from Indiana on Tuesday to Ohio and Thistledown for an 11-race card headlined by the $75k Emerald Necklace. For those yet to do so, remember to register for the new promotion before diving into the slate that gets rolling at 11:30 AM eastern. Here are a few horses I like most, including my top choice in the feature.Race 2:My first play comes in this state-bred $50k claimer at six-furlongs where the pace should be highly contentious given the number of runners signed on that like to be prominent in the early stages. The three ML favorites all stand a chance to get the right trip, but #1 Red Chips and #8 Momma K’s Boy are coming back on very short rest to get one last chance to compete over this surface before the meet concludes. Perhaps, they fire big on the two-week return, but I give the edge to the more rested #4 Excitement. The Tim Hamm trainee finished second beaten a neck to Momma K’s Boy on September 1, but moved wide into the lane while the eventual winner rode the rail to a tight victory. Hamm goes to jockey Luis Rivera this time on the seven-time winner over this racetrack.Play: #4 Excitement (3-1 ML)Picks: 4-8-7Race 5: Emerald NecklaceThe featured event for Ohio-bred 2YO fillies at six furlongs over the main track appears wide open. I landed on #3 Miss Middle. The daughter of Corfu debuted in a race in late August won by #4 Bee Boppin and it was not a friendly experience for a first-time starter. The Robert Cline trainee was caught between rivals when attempting to find a quality forward position early and was shuffled back before making a wide move into the lane and tiring in the end. Cline wheeled her back quickly on September 9 where she got the job done by three-quarters of length. The favorites in here can win, but are underlays at their morning line prices, so I will try one of two runners entered with more than one start under their belt.Play: #3 Miss Middle (6-1 ML)Picks: 3-6-4Race 11:My final play of the day comes in the finale where I will try to wire the field with #1 Gottomakeithappen. The son of Cowtown Cat had a day to forget after being bumped at the start back on September 22, but prior to that almost stole a race against better in late August. There is not much speed at all signed on in this conditional state-bred claimer at six-panels, so I will take veteran jockey Deshawn Parker and the inside draw at a very fair ML offering to close the day in the Buckeye State.Play: #1 Gottomakeithappen (8-1 ML)Picks: 1-3-7

Each day during the 17-day Keeneland Fall Meet, I’ll spotlight the double-digit morning line prices that you’ll want to consider for your exotics plays. These are based on my top-3 choices in each race and will only appear if they’re in my mix and of significant odds.A good day of price winners and exotics fillers Wednesday rolls into a Thursday with some chances to shine.Race 2:#7 Prince of Tides (15-1 ML) – Fast worker at local training center likely gets overlooked for small-time trainer, but sire Dialed In’s offspring relish Kee dirt. He’s posted 21% winners with a wild $1.72 ROI for every $1 bet over the past 3+ meets.Race 4:#3 Ides of Demarch (10-1 ML) – Deep closers at Prairie Meadows have absolutely no shot on that speed-crazy track, but capable trainer Kelli Martinez might get a fair shake to garner a share with plenty of pace here and a track that’s been pretty fair through 4 days.Race 5:#11 Fan’s Choice (20-1 ML) – Terrible race where field is 23: 0-1-1 combined, so class drop and 2 sharp works since her last start might be enough to wake up this Runhyappy filly for an underrated John Ennis barn.Race 6:#3 Lady Valor (20-1 ML) – Won her only local race last Fall and adds blinkers after idling late last time, a move that can help her punch. Hard to argue with 7-7 in the money and a win over the track. Tough race but helps spruce up the exactas if she can work into it late.Race 10:#11 Can’t Stop Willis (10-1 ML) – One of my best bets on the card should graduate in his second start since owner-trainer Steve Asmussen took over the controls. Overmatched when here in 2024, give me a Nyquist on this main track at 10-1 any day, much less in door-knocking maiden form.#10 Tuxedo Park (30-1 ML) – Blinkers go on this gelding by Complexity, a sire whose offspring have won 25% on the Kee dirt over the past 3+ meets. She’s had plenty of issues missing time but working like she might fit with these at a big price.