It’s Breeders’ Cup Saturday with nine stakes on tap. Today features the weekend’s biggest races: the Classic and Turf, the Distaff, and for Marylanders, the Dirt Mile, featuring Maryland-bred and -based Post Time.

The actions starts at 3:00 EDT with the Filly and Mare Sprint and ends with the Dirt Mile at 8:25 p.m. Who do ya like? Let’s see what they came up with:

FILLY AND MARE SPRINT

NOTES Last year’s Charles Town Oaks winner #4 Vahva could put the capstone on a breakthrough year for trainer Cherie DeVaux… #2 One Magic Philly offers intriguing value at 10-1, entering this contest with three wins in four career outings, including a good-looking score in her first try in stakes company… #7 Zeitlos will be running late, and if the pace heats up, she could be the main beneficiary…

TURF SPRINT

NOTES #6 Star of Mystery dominated the boys two back in the Quick Call but had no answer last out for fleet filly Future Is Now; best contends at a price… #9 Cogburn will be one of the day’s shortest prices, is three-for-three this season, and 6-for-7 since switching to the turf… British invader #12 Bradsell had a three-race win streak — including two Group 1 wins — snapped in latest at Longchamp…

DISTAFF

NOTES As short as Cogburn will be one race earlier, he probably won’t match strides with #2 Thorpedo Anna, who is 4-5 on the morning line and is a head away from a spotless 2024 ledger, her lone defeat coming versus the boys in the Travers… #6 Raging Sea is 4-for-5 this season and has won three straight… Awesome Result, a Japan-based daughter of Justify, is 7-for-7 in her career…

TURF

NOTES #5 Jayarebe won a French Group 2 last out for his top career win… #6 Far Bridge has won two straight and loves this 12-furlong trip (2-for-2)… You’ll get paid if #10 Wingspan wins the Turf; the three-year-old filly is 15-1 on the morning line and winless in three Group tries… #11 Rebel’s Romance is, at six, as good as he’s ever been, having won four of five. He was a dominant winner of this event two years ago…

CLASSIC

NOTES Lots of love for Japanese-bred and -based #1 Forever Young, who is a troubled head from having an unblemished record in seven career starts, his lone defeat having come in the Kentucky Derby… #9 Fierceness arrives having done something he’d never previously done: run two consecutive good ones. The sophomore won the Jim Dandy and then held off Thorpedo Anna to win the Travers, and if he can make it three straight, he’ll be a player here…

FILLY AND MARE TURF

NOTES #4 War Like Goddess has never been worse than third in seven tries at this 11-furlong trip and was third in this event at Del Mar three years ago. Her only win this season came in the G3 Robert Dick Memorial at Delaware Park… #5 Didia won a couple of races at Colonial Downs two years ago and won the G1 New York earlier this year but will need her very best here… #7 Content earned her top win in the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks at York earlier this season… #10 Moira was third in this event a year ago. Her only win this season came in the Beverly D. at Colonial Downs…

SPRINT

NOTES #4 Nakatmi was third in this event last year and two back was a sharp winner of the G1 Vanderbilt… The ultra-speedy #8 Straight No Chaser will be seeking the lead in a race full of speed… The two best wins for #10 Mullikin have both come at seven furlongs, while this contest is at six…

MILE

NOTES #6 Notable Speech, a three-year-old, made his first try against older a winning one in the G1 Sussex at Glorious Goodwood… The filly #7 Porta Fortuna has never been worse than second in five tries at the one-mile distance but has never faced males… #8 More Than Looks is another who’ll blow up the toteboard with a win; he’s 20-1 on the morning line… #9 Johannes is 4-for-4 at the trip and has won four straight overall…

DIRT MILE

NOTES Maryland-bred #8 Post Time figures to get a favorable pace to close into, if good enough… #12 Mufasa was 4-for-4 at the distance while racing in his native Chile and has won twice in the US, including a dominant score in the G3 Vosburgh last out…

OUR HANDICAPPERS ARE:

• Nick Hahn, author of the eponymous Nick’s Picks for Colonial Downs.
• Eric Rubin, host of Better Betting podcast
• Gary Quill, co-host of Better Betting and former The Racing Biz Maryland handicapper
• Joseph Aiello handicaps Saratoga for The Racing Biz.
• Ted Black is the Charles Town correspondent for The Racing Biz.
• Mackenzie Pfeiffer, Maryland Jockey Club on-air analyst
  

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