How to bet Friday's Iowa Derby Pick 3 on a budget

This Friday night, Prairie Meadows will offer an all-stakes Pick 3 featuring the Grade 3, $300,000 Cornhusker Handicap, the $250,000 Iowa Derby and $100,000 Iowa Sprint Handicap.

The sequence begins with the Iowa Sprint, carded as Race 6 and with a scheduled post time of 9:24 p.m. ET. Minimum bet for the wager is 50 cents, with the total cost of my five suggested tickets a budget friendly $40.

Check out my Prairie Meadows Pick 3 contenders and suggested tickets below.

Race 6 (Iowa Sprint, 6f)

Key - #8 WESTFEST

Backups - #2 Apprehender, #5 Wilbo, #3 Done Deal, #9 Cool Arrow

Analysis - #8 Westfest is razor sharp and figures in the hunt throughout at a speed friendly distance. Caster is 3-for-10 with new additions to his barn. #2 Apprehender exits back-to-back course/distance wins and will try to get involved late. #5 Wilbo is a consistent stalker with competitive numbers. #3 Done Deal won his last three starts and returned from an extended hiatus to dead-heat in a Churchill turf sprint May 18. #9 Cool Arrow is a fresh colt cutting back in distance. He won the Kip Deville in his lone start at this trip in 2016 and fired a bullet for this June 21. He projects an outside tactical trip. 

Race 7 (Iowa Derby, 8.5f)

Key - #5 MR FREEZE

Backups - #1 High North, #4 The Tabulator, #6 Lionite, #7 Cool Bobby, #8 Fort Peck

Analysis - #5 Mr Freeze is a 2-for-2 late developer for Romans, and Albarado has options with the versatile sort. #1 High North added blinkers and looked good winning the Northern Spur April 14, and got caught in a pace duel and came up empty in the G3 Peter Pan last time. The fresh colt figures to revert to stalking tactics from the inside post under Geroux. #4 The Tabulator is 2-for-2 at Prairie Meadows and figures to stalk the pace. #6 Lionite easily won the local prep for this June 8. #7 Cool Bobby makes his first start in more than seven months for Eurton. He flashed ability in both dirt sprints last fall, and the #575k purchase sports a solid Santa Anita work tab for this. #8 Fort Peck followed up a seven panel place finish behind Mr Freeze with a Churchill maiden win at this distance May 12. Mr Freeze beat him again June 2, and he might bounce back today with better race spacing.    

Race 8 (G3 Cornhusker, 9f)

Key - #6 DALMORE

Backups - #5 Thirstforlife, #1 Irish Freedom

Analysis - #6 Dalmore is best when able to make the early lead, and with Dr. Dorr expected to scratch, he could easily dictate terms under Kent Desormeaux. #5 Thirstforlife fired exacta shots in his last eight starts and projects a decent tactical trip. Albarado rides him well and he might make the grade for Hawley. He fired a Churchill bullet for this June 29. #1 Irish Freedom exits a nice nine furlong optional claiming score at Churchill. A ground saving stalking trip under Geroux is expected. 

Tickets

50 cent Pick 3 (Races 6-8): 8-5-6 ($0.50)

50 cent Pick 3 (Races 6-8): 8/1-4-5-6-7-8/1-5-6 ($9)

50 cent Pick 3 (Races 6-8): 2-3-5-8-9/5/1-5-6 ($7.50)

50 cent Pick 3 (Races 6-8): 2-3-5-8-9/1-4-5-6-7-8/6 ($15)

50 cent Pick 3 (Races 6-8): 2-3-5-8/1-5/5-6 ($8)