Horse Racing Trader’s Tips: US Racing – Friday 1st May

Our expert previews Friday’s meeting from Oaklawn Park

With four jam-packed cards across America on Friday, the feature meeting comes from Oaklawn Park in Hot Spring, Arkansas.

While the highlight comes on Saturday with the two divisions of the Arkansas Derby, there’s still plenty of action taking place the day before.

And our trader Matt Trounce has outlined who to look out for.

The Arkansas Breeder’s Championship at 22:06 is the first of the feature races on the card. A strong field of 11 go head-to-head in the richest race of the season on offer for horses bred in the state.

K J’s Nobility will be the likely favourite as he looks to improve on his second in this race last year. He won his prep race to take the $100,000 Nodouble over six furlongs at Oaklawn Park in March and he looks to be in better form this season. He should be hard to beat, particularly as he seems to be better over the longer trip.

Gingham has outstanding claims to give hall of famer Bob Baffert another winner at a meeting where he has won six in 11. She runs in the second stakes race on the card in the $80,000 Gardenia stakes at 22:38.

Baffert, who has more runners than any other trainer at this meet due to the suspension of racing at Santa Anita, insists she’s getting better with age and is working well.

The $400,000 Fantasy Stakes at 23:09 is the highlight of the card with a strong field. Venetian Harbor is the current favourite as she looks to prove she’s the best of her generation.

But she comes up against British Idiom, who was unbeaten at two and won the division’s Eclipse Award by winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. She came second on her comeback run to lose her unbeaten record but she should strip much fitter this time out.

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All odds and markets correct as of date of publication