Papa Dude’s Free Picks for Churchill Downs 5/29/21

It’s Saturday at Churchill on Memorial Day Weekend and there are seven stakes races on the 11-race card. That makes handicapping even more difficult but we are up for the challenge and ready to roll. There will also be some NBA playoff games to take a shot on and one NHL 2nd round matchup. Let’s go get some winners!

Race 1: Maiden **A Papa Dude Best Bet**

My Picks: 1,7,6 I like #1 Vodka N Water sent out by Steve Asmussen. He has 2 races under his belt narrowly missing victory before finishing 2nd in both. This is the 2nd race off the claim and the Asmussen barn will have him read, plus you have to love the catchy name.

The Bet $30 to win on #1

Race 2: Allowance

My Picks: 2,4,5

Race 3: Maiden **A Papa Dude Best Bet**

My Picks: 3,9,6. I like #3 Casual Affair trained by Brendan Walsh, who is having a very good meet. The horse ran a very steady race in his debut at Keeneland losing by 3/4 of a length. He has early speed and will be right there at the end.

The Bet: $20 to Win on #3

Race 4: Allowance

My Picks: 6,8,1

Race 5: Audubon Stakes **A Papa Dude Best Bet**

My Picks: 2,8,4. I’m going with #2 Like the King in the 1st of seven straight Stakes races. He is coming off a mediocre showing in the Kentucky Derby, but he can say he ran in the Derby at least. He has 3 wins this year including a G3 victory. He is trained by Wesley Ward, who has many quality runners.

The Bet: $20 to Win on #2

Race 6: Blame Stakes

My Picks: 7,6,1

Race 7: Shawnee Stakes **A Papa Dude Best Bet**

My Picks: 7,8,4. Kenny McPeek sends out #7 Envoutante, who should be very tough to beat. She should be up close to the front and be stalking the leaders. In her last outing, she narrowly lost to Shedaresthedevil, who is a proven graded takes winning filly.

The Bet: $40 to Win on #7

Race 8: Regret Stakes

My Picks: 9,4,2

Race 9: Matt Winn Stakes

My Picks: 2,5,8

Race 10: Aristides Stakes

My Picks: 5,9,1

Race 11: Douglas Park Overnight Stakes

My Picks: 8,4,7

Sports Plays of the Day

New York Islanders at Boston

This is Game 1 of the 2nd round for these two teams that pulled off upsets in their first round victories. Both surprised me, especially the Islanders, who dispatched the top seed Penguins in 6. The Bruins handled the Capitals, but that wasn’t a huge upset as Boston is always hard to beat in the playoffs. This promises to be a really good series between the underrated Isles and the seasoned Bruins. Don’t bet the house on this one.

My Pick: Boston

Toronto at Montreal

Toronto fell behind 3-0 in Game 5, rallied to tie it at 3-3, then lost in overtime. That sends this series back to Montreal for Game 6. The Leafs are better than the Habs but they haven’t won a playoff series in many years and when does it end? Again, very shaky on this one.

My Pick: Toronto

Meanwhile, the NBA has 4 games on tap for Saturday.

Milwaukee at Miami

Milwaukee is up 3-0 in this series and spanked the Heat on Thursday. They are obviously the better team and Miami can’t hit a shot. The series is virtually over and the only question is can the Heat muster up the energy and avoid the sweep.

My Pick: Milwaukee -4

Denver at Portland

This is another very tight series between two similar teams. They split 2 games in Denver and then the Nuggets won Game 3 in Portland to take a 2-1 lead. This is a must-win situation for the Blazers and they are at home so there are no excuses.

My Pick: Portland -3.5

In the other two games I like Philadelphia over Washington and Utah over Memphis but the point spreads are not to my liking so I’m staying away from betting anything on those games.

That does it for this busy Saturday. I’ll be back Monday with a Memorial Day special handicapping Lonestar Park for their great holiday card. Really looking forward to that one. Good luck everybody and stay safe this weekend if you are out and about on the roads.