Papa Dude’s Free Oaklawn Park Picks for Sunday 3/28/21

We’re back again at Oaklawn with some more spot plays on what should be a good day for racing in Hot Springs. This is a pretty tough card overall and most of the races are evenly matched. Let’s see if we can get lucky and hit some winners today!

Here are my best bets for Sunday:

Race 3: Claiming

I like the #9 Ike Likes trained by Chris Hartman who is starting to win after a very slow start for him. She is coming off a win in her last start as she graduated breaking her maiden for a $10,000 tag. She is entered again for the same money and if she returns to the previous race she has a good chance.

The Bet: $10 to Win on #9

Race 8: Starter Allowance

Let’s look at the #1 Canadian Game sent out by William Martin in this $12,500 Starter Allowance. He won 7 out of 13 races last year spread out over 5 tracks showing his versatility. His morning line odds are 8/1 and at that price we have to consider him. He’s coming off a layoff with his last race way back in October so that is a concern but I can’t get away from the odds. I also like the #3 Honoring Major from the Roberto Diodoro barn. He was a winner his last time out at Santa Anita for a $12,500 claim and this barn is very good.

The Bet: $10 to Win on the #1 and a $5 exacta box on the 1,3

Race 9: Allowance

I focused on the # 2 Kadri trained by Larry Jones. This horse broke his maiden impressively in September of 2020 at Churchill and then flattened out for the next 3 or 4 races. Since coming to Oaklawn he has turned out a 3rd and an impressive 2nd in his two outings over the local track. I really like his steady improvement and I hope he is sitting on a big one.

The Bet: $20 to Win on #2

Race 10: Maiden Special Weight

Brad Cox sends out the #6 Marion Francis in this Maiden Special Weight to wrap up the Sunday card. She’s been knocking on the door in all 3 of her races and just hasn’t quite got the job done. It’s her turn today.

The Bet: $10 to Win on #6

Papa Dude’s Sports Play of the Day

Since March Madness is continuing with 4 more games today in the Sweet Sixteen and coaching basketball is what I made a living at for many years, let’s pick a couple of games for today.

I’m writing this on Saturday and the odds in the Oregon-USC game are -2 for USC. This is an easy one for me because I would have taken Oregon to win anyhow and the spread is only 2 so it is a no-brainer. I love Dana Altman, the coach of the Ducks, and I think their tournament experience will be the difference

The Play: Oregon +2

And, while we are at it, let’s focus on one more. Michigan is a 2.5 point favorite over Florida State. The Seminoles are a football school and Michigan can be considered both. I like Michigan to win by more than the point spread.

The Play: Michigan -2.5

Hope we hit some winners today and have some fun along with it!