Fred Faour's analysis

Free plays for the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby

Free plays for the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby
Game Winner. Getty Images.

Saturday will be the Kentucky Derby, and we are hoping to get back on track with our plays this year. If you want a look at every horse, please read this. For my premium plays, please go to pregame.com. That will give you precise trifecta and exacta plays.

The scratch of favorite Omaha Beach does hurt our plays a little, because it means Game Winner will likely be the favorite. We were hoping to get the 5-1 morning line, but that will not be the case now. Here are three plays I will be making on the Derby and Friday's Kentucky Oaks:

1) Kentucky Oaks

I like three horses here, the 1, 4 and 14. The 4 will be a heavy favorite and looks tough. I will do an exacta box with these three horses, and also play the 14 in weighted win/place/show bets (more to place and show than to win). So depending on your bankroll, a minimum play would be $2 to win, $4 to place and $8. Whatever your base win bet is, double it to place and then double again to show.

2) The Derby

I have it narrowed down to Tacitus and Game Winner to be first or second. So you can key them first and second in the exactas and tris with the logical contenders, but throw in long shots War of Will and Win Win Win. I also believe Tacitus is worth a win/place/show bet. My specific plays are on pregame,

Game Winner has been second in both starts this year after being 2-year-old champ. In his first start, he just missed against Omaha Beach despite a wide trip, coming off a layoff and losing training time because of the issues with the Santa Anita surface. In his second start, his stablemate Roadster needed a win to guarantee a spot in the Derby. Game Winner ran second to Roadster. Conspiracy theories aside, he will be 100 percent cranked up for this and we should see his best effort yet.

Tacitus has not faced the top 3 year olds, but he is bred out the ears to get a mile and a quarter, and his two starts this year were solid. He grinned out a win on the rail in the Tampa Bay Derby, then overcame tons of trouble to win the Wood Memorial. Traffic happens in the Derby, and the fact that he has already overcome it is a good thing.

Other legit contenders include Roadster, Maximum Security, Improbable. Potential long shots include War of Will and Win Win Win.

3) The pick 4

We will be playing a pick four, starting with the ninth race. It will be a .50 cent ticket. The horses to use: 1-9-10-12 with 4-10 with 2-6-9-12 with 5-7-8-16-17.

Good luck with all your wagers. Hopefully we will all be cashing tickets.


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Jalen Green had a big night! Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

Jalen Green scored a season-high 41 points, Alperen Sengun added 22 points and 14 rebounds and the Houston Rockets beat the Philadelphia 76ers 122-115 in overtime on Wednesday night.

Tyrese Maxey scored 39 points, including 28 in the second half, in the loss for Philadelphia, which played without Paul George and Joel Embiid and fell to 3-14. Maxey, who tied the game with three free throws with just over 11 seconds left, was held scoreless in overtime.

Green rode the hot hand during the first quarter, scoring 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting. However, it was Sengun, the 6-foot-11 center from Turkey, who took over late against an undersized Philadelphia lineup that was collapsing on Green.

Amen Thompson had 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Tari Eason added 14 for Houston (14-6). Guerschon Yabusele had 22 in the losing cause for the Sixers.

Takeaways

Rockets: Houston’s ability to hit the boards is one of its biggest advantages. The Rockets entered Wednesday leading the league with 49.9 rebounds a game and outrebounded the Sixers 52-42.

76ers: Philadelphia continues to search for offensive answers other than Maxey with both George and Embiid out. Yabusele provided some of that spark on Wednesday, but Jared McCain was held to 15 on 6-of-19 shooting.

Key moment

After Yabusele opened the overtime with a corner 3 to give the Sixers a three-point lead, the Rockets went on a 9-0 run with Sengun hitting three layups after Green’s three free throws tied the game.

Key stat

Through 17 games, Philadephia has just one win in regulation.

Up next

The Rockets host Oklahoma City on Sunday, and the 76ers are at Detroit on Saturday.

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