HorseCenter: Top picks for Clark and Kentucky Jockey Club

By Brian Zipse and Matt Shifman
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This week on HorseCenter, Brian Zipse and Matt Shifman handicap and offer top picks for a pair of big Grade 2 holiday races from Churchill Downs. First Mission headlines the Clark on Friday, and Risk It tops the Kentucky Jockey Club on Saturday.

A field of 10 goes in the Clark, and a pair of 3-year-olds in First Mission and Il Miracolo just might have an edge over the older horses heading into the 1 1/8-mile contest in which none of the runners have won a race better than a Grade 3. First Mission won the Lexington (G3) on the Kentucky Derby trail and Il Miracolo took the Smarty Jones (G3) at Parx on the way to the Pennsylvania Derby.

The Kentucky Jockey Club offers Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top five finishers. Risk it for Steve Asmussen and Dale Roman’s Stretch Ride are the top two choices in the Saturday feature under the Twin Spires.

So much for which to be thankful on this holiday weekend. Enjoy friends, family and the racing. As always, thanks for watching the show.

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