Papa Dudes Free Picks for Churchill Downs 6/12/21

As some of you might know and in the coming months you will definitely know I am a huge fan of the Oklahoma Sooners.

Always have been and always will be. Sooner born and Sooner bred and when I die I’ll be Sooner dead.

I know, I know that is pretty lame.

Most people know Oklahoma as a football school and rightly so with their rich tradition and countless championships, Heisman Trophy winners and All-Americans.

But, we are no longer a football school. On this past Thursday, our women’s softball team won their 5th national championship in the past 21 years capping off an historic season with a final record of 56-4. Not only that, they have made it to the Women’s College World Series nine of the past 10 years which is a remarkable achievement in itself.

I must admit I wouldn’t pay much attention to softball if my team wasn’t so damn good, but I have really became a fan and I am in awe of the athleticism and skills these girls have. They can really play and when you think about it, they are playing for the right reasons and for the love of the sport. They aren’t going to make millions of dollars playing pro softball. They are studying for a degree and they are true student athletes in every sense of the words. There’s a purity and an innocence to what they do and as I get older, I appreciate more and more that aspect of sports.

So, congratulations to the Lady Sooners and their great season and making Oklahoma a SOFTBALL SCHOOL.

Ok, enough of that. Let’s get out to Churchill Downs for the Saturday race card and see if we can find some winners and we will continue to take a stab at the NBA Playoffs which are really heating up.Race

Race 1: Maiden Claiming

My Picks: 6,2,3 (Confidence Level 2 out of 5)

Race 2: Maiden Claiming

My Picks: 4,5,1 (Confidence Level 2 out of 5)

Race 3: Claiming

My Picks: 2,7,3. (Confidence Level 2.5 out of 5)

Race 4: Maiden Claiming

My Picks: 5,4,7. (Confidence Level 1.5 out of 5)

Race 5: Starter Allowance **Papa Dude Best Bet**

My Picks: 5,1,2 I like #5 Keep Your Distance trained by Robertino Diodoro. He has won 4 in a row including a victory by 8 lengths over the local track. He should get the lead and if he runs like his recent past, he should come across the line a winner.

My Bet: $30 on #5 to Win (Confidence Level 4 out of 5)

Race 6: Allowance **Papa Dude Best Bet**

My Picks: 6,1,4. I’m going with #6 Goin Good over the favorite #1 Lady Edith. This 3-year old filly trained by Brad Cox has two wins and two seconds in her five starts. In her last outing, she had a bad trip and couldn’t find any racing room as she finished but only by a length and a quarter. I’m looking at better fortunes for her in this one.

My Bet: $30 on #6 to Win (Confidence Level 4 out of 5)

Race 7: Maiden

My Picks: 3,1,10 (Confidence Level 1.5 out of 5)

Race 8: Allowance **Papa Dude Best Longshot**

My Picks: 1,10,7 Al Stall has #1 Portilla making her 2nd start after winning her debut race on April 30th. This race has a ton of speed in it and she showed great closing speed in her lone start. She is relatively inexperienced but is worth a shot at 6-1 but don’t bet the house on it.

My Bet: $10 Across the Board on #1

Race 9: Mint Julep Stakes G3 **Papa Dude Best Bet**

My Picks: 2,9,3 It’s never a bad thing to pick a horse trained by Brad Cox and it’s even better when he sends out the talented #2 Juliet Foxtrot in this G3 on the turf. She has 6 wins in 20 starts and has earned over $700,000. She is coming off a G1 win in April at Keeneland and is well rested and should get to the lead and bring home the money.

My Bet: $40 on #2 to Win (Confidence Level 5 out of 5)

Race 10: Starter Allowance

My Picks: 6,2,1 (Confidence Level 2 out of 5)

Race 11: Maiden

My Picks: 3,4,2 (Confidence Level 3 out of 5)

Papa Dude Sports Plays of the Day

Once again there are no NHL games for today so we will focus on the two NBA games on the schedule.

Utah at LA Clippers

The Jazz are one of those small market teams that always seem to be very good but vastly underrated. Despite winning the first two games in Utah, they are a 4 point dog in this game in LA against a Clippers team that has underachieved so many times in the postseason. LA showed a lot of guts against the Mavs in coming back to win that series, but this isn’t Dallas.

My Pick: Utah +4 (Confidence Level 3.5 out of 5)

Brooklyn at Milwaukee

The Nets won the first two games in Brooklyn before falling in Game 3 in Milwaukee. The Bucks came back after getting blown out of New York in Game 2. Can they do it again against the talented but injured Nets?

My Pick: Brooklyn -2 (Confidence Level 2 out of 5)

That’s it for today. Good luck everyone and Boomer Sooner!!