Papa Dudes Free Picks For Oaklawn 4/17/21

For the 2nd Saturday in a row, Oaklawn Park features the best racing in the country highlighted by the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) and the Apple Blossom (G1), both with million dollar purses. There are 12 races on the card and it is full of challenges for the best of handicappers. Let’s dive in and see if we can find some money makers.

Race 3: Claiming

My pick is #8 Carpe Victoriam trained by Karl Broberg and ridden by David Cabrera. This combination have been hitting on all cylinders lately and these are races in which they thrive.

The Bet: $10 to win on #8

Race 4: Claiming

My pick is #1 Dee Bo sent out by leading trainer Steve Asmussen. This horse had a decent debut at Saratoga finishing 2nd in a Maiden Special Weight. He then followed that up with three mediocre races with poor results and has been on the shelf since November of 2020. Asmussen has entered him with a $50,000 tag which tells me he still thinks he shows promise. That’s good enough for me.

The Bet: $20 to win on #1

Race 7: Allowance

My pick is #5 Kadri. I’ve picked this Larry Jones trainee twice and I’m hoping the 3rd time is the charm. It’s a tough race and he has been running in straight allowance races and he is taking a significant drop to the $20,000 level but isn’t in for a tag which is a good sign also.

The Bet: $5 Across the board on #5

Race 9: Oaklawn Handicap (G2)

Wow what a race this race promises to be. This is for older males and let’s focus on 4 of the entries in this one. #1 Silver State comes into this one after winning the Essex Handicap (G3) and the Fifth Season Stakes leading up tp this race. He is trained by Steve Asmussen and he is 4/1 on the morning line which tells you how tough this one is. #2 Express Train invades Arkansas after an impressive 2nd in the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap back in early March. He is worthy of being the morning line favorite at 5/2. #3 Fearless is trained by Todd Pletcher and you have to take a look at him. He won a stakes at Gulfstream is his last race but it was only at a mile. So, can he get the extra distance? And then there is one of my favorite horses #7 Rated R Superstar coming off a narrow loss to Silver State in his last outing that he very well could have won. I’m using these four horses in the late pick 4 in races 9,10,11, and 12.

The Bet: .50-cent Pick 4 1,2,3,7 / 4,5 / 2,6 / 1,4

Race 10: Allowance

This race features the #4 Welder trained by Theresa Luneack. This horse is another all-time favorite horse of mine. All this horse has done is win 26 out of 38 starts albeit most of those wins have come in lesser tracks in Oklahoma. He has won over a million dollars in earnings and is a what horse racing is all about. Just put him on the track and let him go. He might lose this one but I don’t really give a damn. I get to watch and root for him again.

The Bet: $10 to win on #4

Race 11: Apple Blossom Handicap (G1)

This is the most anticipated race of the week. The fabulous #6 Monomoy Girl trained by Brad Cox will be put to the test by the #2 Swiss Skydiver sent out by Kenny McPeek. These two need no introduction to anyone. What a credit to Oaklawn for having this race and a million dollar purse to attract these 2 horses. There’s not much to choose from between these two.

The Bet: $20 to win on #6

Papa Dudes Sports Plays of the Day

There are 12 games scheduled for Saturday in the NHL so let’s focus on 4 of them.

Game 1 Pick: St.Louis over Phoenix

This is a pivotal game for these two teams in the Western Division. The Blues have shown signs of life lately after a miserable stretch and they are an excellent road team. Meanwhile the Coyotes are just average at home. The Blues can gain some control for the final playoff spot with a win.

Game 2 Pick: Nashville over Carolina

This game features two very good teams. The Preds are as hot as anyone in the league at the moment and they were rolling until Carolina took them down Thursday night. This is game 2 of the back-to-back games and it is hard to win them both. Nashville evens it up tonight.

Game 3 Pick: Minnesota over San Jose

The Wild are at home and playing well. Enough said.

Game 4 Pick: Winnipeg over Edmonton

This should be a good one and I’m playing the home ice advantage here.

Hopefully, we hit some winners and even if we don’t the races at Oaklawn will make it a great day. Good luck everyone.