Expert Pick of the Week: 2023 William Walker Stakes

May 11, 2023 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

An excellent field of eight sophomores will dash 5 1/2 furlongs over the Churchill Downs lawn in Saturday’s $225,000 William Walker S. The ultra-competitive event attracted the top six finishers of the recent Palisades S. that was contested at Keeneland on April 16, and I will side with one of those to come out on top in the grassy heat.

The Steve Asmussen-conditioned Private Creed offered only a belated run at Keeneland last time out when finishing fifth while favored, but he will show marked improvement while making his first run beneath the Twin Spires. He is the Expert Pick of the Week.

By Jimmy Creed, the talented three-year-old endured a very good juvenile campaign that saw him bag the Juvenile Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs and Indian Summer S. at Keeneland, before concluding 2022 with a fast-closing third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) in November. The colt is winless this season but has excuses for each of his setbacks.

In the Texas Turf Mile S. in his sophomore bow, the Kentucky-bred missed by a head when runner-up going one mile over a soft turf course at Sam Houston. He was a non-factor in the Risen Star S. (G2) when going two turns on the dirt two back, and his Palisades run came over 'good' footing, which is not his ideal surface with which to work with.

The $155,000 two-year-old purchase makes his second run off the short layoff and shows a pair of useful morning moves to be ready for Saturday. Brian Hernandez, Jr. inherits the mount atop the bay and will have him making a big late run in a field with a lot of pace signed on, aiding his chances inside the final furlong.

The Al Stall-trained Gilcrease was an impressive debut winner on the turf at Saratoga in the summer and has run twice on the dirt since. By More Than Ready, the dark bay colt has given a nice account of himself in his pair of sprint tires on the main strip in 2023, but a return to the lawn will make this horse peak in his third run of the season. The stalker has tactical speed from the rail and could be the one to catch late under a well-timed ride from Corey Lanerie.

An exacta with #7 Private Creed on top of #1 Gilcrease in the 2023 William Walker Stakes is the Best Bet of the Week.