It’s Kentucky Derby Day, and I’ve got free Kentucky Derby selections and spot plays for Saturday’s card at Churchill Downs.

Yes, the Derby is its own beast, but with 13 other races on tap, there are plenty of opportunities to take stands and cash tickets. That’s what we’ll attempt to do here, and with so much to go through, I won’t waste any more of your time. Let’s get to it!

Race #2: #8 Taptastic (3-1 ML)

He won’t be much of a price, but I like this Steve Asmussen trainee quite a bit. After breaking his maiden in the mud at Oaklawn, he got thrown into the deep end in the Arkansas Derby and didn’t disgrace himself. He was third that day (behind Renegade and Silent Tactic), and it wouldn’t have been too shocking to see him show up in a race like the Pat Day Mile (more on that one later).

Instead, he shows up in a first-level allowance, where he’ll be able to run with Lasix again. He also gets the riding services of Irad Ortiz, Jr., which is a significant move up, and his local works have been just fine. I think he’s very much the one to beat, and while I think we’re more likely to get 3/2 than his 3-1 morning line, he hits me as a single in any of your early multi-race exotics wagers.

Race #6 (Knicks Go): #9 Scotland (20-1 ML)

This was a price I profiled in my recent piece for ABR, and this race revolves around #2 Dragoon Guard. On one hand, it feels like he’s the main speed, and he’s run speed figures in the past that would put him on top fairly easily. On the other, he’s won just one of his last seven starts, lost to several of these runners in those races, and hits me as difficult to trust.

For that reason, I’ll take a shot with Scotland, who likely needed his 2026 debut after a four-month layoff. He ran several sharp races a season ago, when he earned some big checks (including a fairly-close second to Book ‘em Danno in the Forego at Saratoga). He’s shown he’s got the ability to win a race like this; the question is, can he get back to that mid-2025 form?

It’s not a small question to answer, for sure. If he’s just not that kind of horse anymore, that’ll be apparent. However, I’d much rather take that kind of flyer than back a short pice that’s difficult to trust. Here’s hoping this Bill Mott trainee is ready to go second off the bench.

Race #8 (G2 Pat Day Mile): #1 Englishman (3-1 ML)

If you watched this week’s “Drank’n Champagne,” this is no secret (and if you haven’t watched it yet, it’s right there below the introduction!). I think the Pat Day Mile may have the best 3-year-old male on the grounds, and that includes the runners set to go postward in Saturday’s main event.

Englishman was a runaway winner of his debut in September over this Churchill surface. Something clearly went wrong, because we didn’t see him in the afternoon for six months. He came back at Fair Grounds and couldn’t have been much more impressive, coasting home to win by a New Orleans city block and affirming his potential.

His connections had every right to try to rush him to a Kentucky Derby prep. They didn’t do that. This race has been the goal all along, and he’s been working lights-out ahead of this event. I know Bob Baffert trainee #6 Crude Velocity has potential, but I think Englishman is a freak in the making. If he’s anywhere close to the 3-1 morning line price, I’ll be thrilled.

Race #9 (G1 American Turf): #4 Stark Contrast (4-1 ML)

I give the connections of Stark Contrast credit. A few years ago, this owner/trainer tandem had Endlessly, a promising turf/synthetic runner who had never run on dirt. They ran him in the Kentucky Derby, and he hasn’t won since. This year, Stark Contrast had enough points to make the field, but was re-routed here, and while the odds board says it’s a wide-open event, he’s a “lone A” for me.

Simply put, Stark Contrast just hasn’t done much wrong. He’s 3-for-4 on turf, with his lone loss being a second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf behind much-the-best winner Gstaad. Last time out, he was second to a nice horse again in the Jeff Ruby, where he made a middle move and got outkicked by Fulleffort.

This is absolutely what he wants to do, and the slight cutback in distance should be welcome news. Furthermore, the two others that hit me as interesting, #12 Remember Mamba and #14 Final Score, drew terrible, far-outside posts. Stark Contrast has a lot to like here, and I think the morning line price would represent a significant overlay.

Race #12 (G1 Kentucky Derby): #9 The Puma (10-1 ML) and #14 Potente (20-1 ML)

We may not get the 10-1 morning line price on The Puma, but even if he’s in the neighborhood of 7-1, I don’t think that’s a bad bet. He’s gotten significantly better with distance and experience, and he may still present some value compared to #6 Commandment (who nosed him in the Florida Derby) and #18 Further Ado (who he beat in the Tampa Bay Derby). His pedigree says 10 furlongs is well within his scope, and I think he’s ready to fire a big shot.

Potente, meanwhile, hasn’t run huge figures in California, but this Bob Baffert trainee hits me as live. It feels like Baffert was trying to figure something out in the Santa Anita Derby, where Potente dueled for the lead through solid fractions before fading to second. I think his preferred trip is of the “stalk and pounce” variety, and he should get several targets to run at early. His recent five-furlong drill at Churchill was fantastic, and when a Baffert horse works like that, it’s often a clue the Hall of Famer has one ready to go.