Daily Racing Form expert handicapper and analyst Marcus Hersh handicaps the Saturday, June 20 racing card at Churchill Downs, including his projected 1-2-3 finishers. His best bet of the day comes from Race 3.
Also, view FREE DRF Past Performances for today’s Race of the Day.
BEST BET: Gigi Spirit (3rd race)
Third Race
1. Gigi Spirit
2. Sister Jean
3. Passionfruit
Supertrainer S Joseph sees fit to ship first-timer GIGI SPIRIT from Palm Meadows to debut at CD, which says something in itself. Attracts services of Irad Ortiz, which also might offer a hint, and there is the long, long string of workouts. All fine, but go to the work video, and things really start to spark. This is a powerful, seemingly well-balanced horse who travels very well. The trainer was willing to match the unraced 3yo filly May 8 inside the older horse Navajo Warrior, who eight days later won the Pimlico Special – she appeared to comfortably hold her own. Thought the cut back to a one-turn mile last out might not suit SISTER JEAN, but think I thought wrong – she probably better suits longer one-turn contests than two-turn routes. Even more “obvious” than last time and will be played accordingly. PASSIONFRUIT debuted for $50K, earned the bump to restricted MSW with sustained closing run for second behind front-running winner above par for the class level.
Here are Marcus’s thoughts on the other nine races on Saturday’s Churchill Downs card.
First Race
1. Let My People Go
2. Eakly
3. Our Starry Night
Tough one to start the card. LET MY PEOPLE GO purchased out of a digital auction for $85K in January 2025, didn’t take to Tapeta, but then ran two CD turf sprints about a year ago that probably would win this – the key question being whether he can get back to that. My guess is yes. Plausible explanations, if not excuses, for the four defeats that ended his ’25 campaign. Think he’s going to run well fresh, show enough pace to keep up. EAKLY beat LMPG in their common start in November, but only just, and was fading as LMPG was closing. While he ran out of gas there, he got started too late in his May 28 comeback run to have any chance to win – though I liked the look of his stretch kick there. Has not really put a wrong foot forward in grass sprints, but very limited upside. OUR STARRY NIGHT seems like he needs the lead and drew inside whatever other speed there is. His near miss last out came in a race at this class level, where several main players either didn’t show up or had the wrong trip.
Second Race
1. Midnight Escapade
2. Etna
3. Mood Spin
I have little grasp on this field. Seems like in every 2yo MSW this meet until this one, there was at least something to latch onto from watching workout video – I can’t say I liked anyone in this group. Looks like MIDNIGHT ESCAPADE goes better in company, though that assessment based on two team works, one solo – in hand, pretty hard held in the company works – as though there might be a lot more in the tank? They also could’ve debuted this horse in a restricted maiden, but go for the unrestricted race. Finally, the published work pattern is quite light – as though more heavy work had been done here before the horse ever got to the racetrack. ETNA, who has gone in blinkers, had one team workout in which she galloped out long and strong. MOOD SPIN the firster of some interest for which there’s no work video – unfortunate, because she has the feel of a live horse.
Fourth Race
1. Muir Woods
2. Ramblin
3. The Town
The favorites lack speed and lack appeal at the expected odds, and so will try MUIR WOODS, who stretches out from sprints and switches to turf – as though he were claimed out of his last race with a specific plan in mind – namely, this one. Out of a Lemon Drop Kid mare – looks potential lone speed and might be capable of pulling off the front-running upset. RAMBLIN was in the wrong spots probably his last three races, though one would’ve liked to see at least a little more last out, but he can factor at a price just getting back to his better FG form. Off since 4/25 – old school trainer keeps sending him through those 6f drills, which you don’t often see. THE TOWN I think is well meant, perhaps at a price shorter than the published odds – probably in right spot, has no pace, likely overbet.
Fifth Race
1. Manuka Honey
2. Kihei Kiana
3. Side Quest
Were she not on the AE list, MANUKA HONEY might’ve been the best bet on this card. Works look good on paper – filly looks even better working. Especially noteworthy – the 6/6 gate drill with two other horses, House Boat Party placed just outside her. That’s the Flightline filly who debuted with a good third earlier this week, 66 Beyer, and Manuka Honey eventually took her measure. Yes, she was asked around the club turn, but she gave, too, and kept on giving as the rider twice more, after periods of less aggressive handling, encouraged her to go on. Impressive drill. Firster KIHEI KIANA might be live, based on work pattern and barn habits – but hard to say since we have no work video here. Firster SIDE QUEST looks like a powerhouse – and has looked somewhat green in work video.
Sixth Race
1. Road Trippin
2. Prince J J
3. Arabian Power
ROAD TRIPPIN races for the first time as a gelding, and also first time for a tag on turf, which is the surface he needs. Not any world beaters in those FG MSWs, but MSWs they were, and he consistently marginally contended. At all possible to show just a touch more pace? Could fall into a good trip stalking from the second flight and get first run on capable closers. PRINCE J J nothing in two starts, but connections still value the horse, raising him from $50K tag last out to $75K here. First turf with some grass in pedigree, first blinkers – could show a lot more at a long price. ARABIAN POWER also up in class in his third start, but his second race yielded a front-running second in a turf route. One notch of improvement makes him tough, and doubt he needs to lead.
Seventh Race
1. Colonial Rose
2. Going Steady
3. French Blue
COLONIAL ROSE off since Feb. 26 after an extended form cycle. Two-turn racing doesn’t seem to suit her, but a longer one-turn contest with true speed up front? That seems ideal, and that could be what this spot offers. GOING STEADY not only has a neck loss at this class level in her last start, she has good form through Foie Gras, who’s ascended to solid stakes status. Watch her better races, though, and see a horse who doesn’t seem especially interested in closing the deal – as indicated by her ratio of seconds to wins. FRENCH BLUE twice this meet has invalidated the high opinion I held of her before she raced at Churchill, and I am unsure there’s much more there.
Eighth Race
1. Quarry
2. Mount Horeb
3. Mega Magic
You know, QUARRY is bred along the lines of a grass horse, and whether he can only hit his top level on dirt is a question you have to answer, because if he does, he’s among the more likely winners, and probably value. I’m coming down on the “yes, he can” side of things. The previous grass tries weren’t bad, and both came before he began racing in blinkers and on Lasix. MOUNT HOREB is prone to losing even when he runs a winning race, and a wide post – should he draw into this from the AE list – hardly helps with that. Still, he’s one of the surer bets to turn in a contending performance. I mean, MEGA MAGIC is going to take betting, and while fast enough sprinting, can he run that race around two turns? Same circumstance applies to a couple others here, as well.
Ninth Race
1. Eclatant
2. Lotsandlotsofcandy
3. Foie Gras
Trainer offers assurances that the slightly checkered workout pattern ECLATANT brings to this contest has no negative connotations. It still opened a crack of doubt for me, but I wound up siding with a favorite I expect to be odds-on. It’s glaringly obvious – if she comes close to her form in two races this year, she wins, and 7f is her trip. The idea is to get someone other than Usha into second, and I think that can be done. LOTSANDLOTSOFCANDY has her issues, but she’s very, very fast, could shake loose on the lead, and probably will handle 7f. She’s the horse with the best chance at an upset, given her style and the chance we haven’t seen her very best. If you reversed the trips Usha and FOIE GRAS had in the Winning Colors, Foie Gras might have won that. Moreover, FG would prefer stalking the pace and coming with a run, which she can do here, rather than leading on a contested pace.
Tenth Race
1. Lockdownyourtown
2. Sweettalkingwoman
3. Diagram
LOCKDOWNYOURTOWN gets plenty – and I mean plenty – of class relief here. Doesn’t just go from MSW to $30K maiden-claiming, she exits and extra-salty MSW. Appears to have a measure of ability, and hope she also has a measure of rate-ability – could sit a perfect trip just behind two pace players. SWEETTALKINGWOMAN on the third start class drop, blinkers on, and has raced over a sloppy track and on turf – who even knows her baseline? DIAGRAM caught sloppy tracks her last two, and her speed appears more effective over a fast track.
Daily Racing Form is the most trusted source for horse racing news and information. Get an edge when you play the races with DRF.com.
Get more Daily Racing Form horse racing picks on a daily basis on our VSiN Horse Racing page.
