Daily value plays at Churchill Downs this week

Apr 28, 2021 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

Kentucky Derby week is upon us at Churchill Downs! Some of the finest Thoroughbreds from across the nation will take the stage in Louisville over the next four days, and while the 147th running of the $3 million Kentucky Derby (G1) is the obvious headliner, there are numerous top horses that will be on display this fantastic week of racing.

The wagering during this meeting is always challenging with horses arriving from various nationwide venues to compete against each other. I have scoured the upcoming cards and found some horses of value that will be included in my selections. Good Luck!

I am not especially high on the two favorites in the cast and will side with Rusty Arnold’s #8 Ready To Answer (7-2) from the outside. The son of More Than Ready was a sharp winner in his lone prior try on the Churchill surface, and I am also encouraged by his turf-to-dirt move in this spot. The four-year-old will rally into tiring leaders in the lane under James Graham.

My top pick is #7 Centerfold Angel (6-1) with Bejarano on board. The Macias pupil is far from a win machine, but the five-year-old mare comes off of a nice second at Keeneland last time and will only need slight improvement to pull off the upset in the dash. The Kentucky-bred will stalk the pace early on while in the clear throughout.

I expect #5 Christmas Poem (15-1) to take a big step forward following a decent debut for Ian Wilkes. The Broken Vow homebred got good experience at Keeneland at first asking, and the sophomore filly shows a pair of solid morning moves in the interim. The Kentucky-bred has major appeal with Chris Landeros in the controls.

This is the bit of a stab, but if Wesley Ward’s #4 Fu Pegchu (15-1) goes off at his morning-line number, then I will definitely make a play on the five-year-old. The second-time starter didn’t show much on debut in September of 2019, but he is training steadily, and this barn knows how to get a runner ready to roll off of morning drills. I like the presence of good gate pilot Van Dyke in the silks, too.