Papa Dudes Free Picks For Oaklawn Park 4/23/21

It’s been a week since my wife and I journeyed to Oaklawn Park for live racing. Because of the pandemic, it had been almost 2 years since our last visit and we were not disappointed. The racing was fantastic with the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) for older males and the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) featuring the champion Monomoy Girl and her main adversary Swiss Skydiver. I am so fortunate to live close enough to a race track that can attract the quality of horses that compete in these tremendous races. And, as so often happens in horse racing, neither one of the big name girls came through and won the race. Another great horse, Letruska, took to the front and held off a hard-closing Monomoy Girl to win in impressive fashion. In the big race for older males, the Steve Asmussen trained Silver State, came running from off the pace in the home stretch to pick up a thrilling victory, once again verifying Asmussen as one of the best trainers when it comes to older horses.

Now, last week is in the past so it’s time to look at Friday’s card and see if we can find some winners.

Race 1: Claiming

My Picks: 2,1,5

Race 2: Claiming

My Picks: 1,7,3

Race 3: Claiming

My Picks: 3,1,9

Race 4: Allowance

My Picks: 4,2,5

Race 5: Claiming

My Picks: 4,11,6

Race 6: Starter Allowance

My Picks: 8,5,7

Race 7: Allowance

My Picks: 4,3,5

Race 8: Claiming

My Picks: 8,4,3

Race 9: Allowance

My Picks: 1,5,2

Race 10: Maiden

My Picks: 7,4,3

Best Bets of the Day

Race 2

My pick is #1 Lindsylu sent out by the Asmussen barn. She is coming off a decent 2nd place at Oaklawn in the only start of her career. I’m a little concerned that they put her in for a $50,000 tag but that isn’t that drastic of a drop.

The Bet: $10 to win on #1

Race 3

I like #3 Presley to get the lead and hang on for a win in this Arkansas bred race. Al Cates trains her and she has a solid 2nd place in an allowance race early in the meet.

The Bet: $5 Win/Place on #3

Race 5

#4 Major Brown is the pick in Race 5. He has solid connections with Steve Asmussen as the trainer and Ricardo Santana, Jr. as the jockey. He is the lone speed and his closing figures are solid enough that he should be able to hold off any challenge he encounters from the other contenders.

The Bet: $20 to win on #4

Race 7,8,9

Using these 3 races, I’m going with a .50-cent pick-3. I really like #4 Henry’s Deal and thought for awhile of singling her. But the #3 looks dangerous so I will go with both of them in Race 7. In Race 8, I will go with two horses, #8 Lord Dragon and #4 Bluebird Traveler. To round out the bet I will go with #1 Southern Grayce, #2 Simply Sovereign, and the #5 Devilish Wit for a $6 wager.

The Bet: .50-cent pick-3: 3,4 / 4,8 / 1,2,5

Papa Dudes Sports Plays of the Day

Since I’ve been doing well with the NHL, there is no reason to change.

Game 1: Boston over Buffalo

This could be a trap game for the Bruins but they need every win they can get and should be focused.

Game 2: New York Rangers over Philadelphia

The Rangers are in a must win situation as they currently are 6 points out of the last playoff spot in the East.

Game 3: Nashville over Chicago

The Predators blew Thursday’s game with the Hawks blowing a 3-goal lead before losing in overtime. This is a huge game for both teams as only 3 points separate them for the last playoff spot in the Central. Should be a classic game and I think Nashville bounces back.

Game 4: Montreal over Calgary

This is another tough one to pick as neither team has been playing great as of late. The Canadiens have an 8 point lead over the Flames for the last playoff spot in the North. Calgary needs to win this one but I think they will come up empty.

Game 5: Minnesota over Los Angeles

The Wild are playing really well and are solidly in the playoffs. They basically are jockeying for a better spot in the West playoffs. This is a dangerous game as they make the long trip to LA.

That’s it for today. Good luck to everyone and I hope we hit some winners.