Huge Hour of Racing Tomorrow

Tweet Covered over at the Crist blog are the five Grade I races going off between 5pm and 6pm EST tomorrow, including three HUGE Derby preps, the Illinois, the Wood and the Santa Anita. If you're watching or playing from home you'll have to have a quick trigger finger....if I've got it correctly it looks like TVG (Ashland at Keeneland) to NBC (Illinois Derby at Hawthorne) to MSG+ (Wood Memorial at Aqueduct) to HRTV (Skip Away at Gulfstream) back to NBC (Santa Anita Derby at SA) back to MSG+ (Carter Handicap at Aqueduct) back to HRTV (Apple Blosson at Oaklawn Park). Whew...that's some work right there. Good news that MSG+ will be also broadcasting five Saturdays from the Spa this summer!

Some quick picks for the Derby preps (free PP's at the TBA homepage):

Illinois Derby. I like Giant Oak to step forward in this one (will HAW have the track souped this year?) he's definitely bred for the distance. Nowhere to Hide was caught wide in the TB Derby and is his third race off a layoff. I'll try and beat Musket Man with these two, but should round out the trifecta. Longshot: Al Khali.

Wood Memorial. Guessing it's going to be wet tomorrow at the Big A (if it's anything like what's going on this side of the state) just like last year when Tale of Ekati won it in the slop. Going with the upset here. Lime Rickey, a Lemon Drop Kid with Javier up is going turf to dirt with good slop pedigree...his connections have him in here for a reason. Imperial Council will probably take quite a bit at the windows and will be an underlay, he needs the graded stakes money to qualify for the Derby so it'll be all out for this one. Lord Justice decided to stay east instead of going to Hawthorne and has some decent off track numbers (including a win). At least you can't say I'm not chalky playing against I Want Revenge who drew the rail with west coast rider Joe Talamo.

Santa Anita Derby. I think The P-Mousse is the real deal and will handle Chocolate Candy and Pioneerof the Nile easier than people think. I'm a Candy fan, but I think he's overmatched against the Mousse, even with the outside draw.

I had a decent contest day today at Keeneland picking 3 winners in the last 4 races (losing with Tweeter of all horses). My best winner being Heart of a King ($28.40) in the eighth. In real betting, we made a gigantic $2.95 (hey a positive day is a good day!). I like the $0.50 trifectas bets. Was rooting for one of Roman Ruler's first offspring, Supraman, in the second, who faded to fifth. I was a big Ruler fan and look forward to keeping an eye on more that he's sired. Boy, it sure looked cold there today, glad I'm not going til the end of the meet, hopefully it'll warm up by then.

Enjoy the big hour tomorrow and make sure your clicking hand is nimble.