Selections for Saturday, January 26

More rain for New Orleans is in the forecast for Saturday morning, so it is a safe bet that the turf races, including the featured Krantz Handicap, will be transferred to the main. Autobahn Girl is my selection. She has won three of seven starts over traditional dirt surfaces, including a win in the Suncoast at Tampa Bay and a victory over Canada's Horse of the Year Sealy Hill in a Gulfstream allowance last January. She also ran a close fourth behind Acorn champ Cotton Blossom in the Tampa Bay Oaks. The Malcolm Pierce barn has done little wrong this FG meet.

The Sunshine Millions will be held on Saturday, and it is very possible that only half the "Millions" races will be run as Santa Anita has cancelled several cards this week because of torrential rainstorms and problems with its Cushion Track. My selections for the portion held at Gulfstream Park are: Mach Ride (Sprint), Robbie's Gal (Oaks), and Prop Me Up (Distaff). Prop Me Up has trained at Fair Grounds, where she ran an excellent fourth in the Furl Sail over the grass. She faces the Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Ginger Punch in here, so the race is tough, but she should hold her own against the rest of the field and is 20-1 ML. The Millions Turf looks wide open, but there are two in the race that I really like: French Vintage and Birdbirdistheword.

Road to the Derby Kickoff Day

Fair Grounds has put together an outstanding card for the Road to the Derby Kickoff Day. Turf races were transferred to the main track on Thursday and Friday, but the weather in New Orleans on Friday was dry, so hopefully the Colonel Bradley and Leggio Handicap will remain on the sod. Here are several horses I like in the various stakes events.

Gaudin Handicap: Island Warrior and Demarcation.

Colonel Bradley: Save Big Money and French Beret.

Louisiana Handicap: Prom Shoes.

Leggio Handicap: Cat On A Cloud.

Tiffany Lass: Tizaqueena and Highest Class.

Lecomte: Z Fortune and Macho Again.