Horse Racing picks for Churchill Downs race track on Saturday, November 18: Cigarette Boat coasts to victory

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Caleb Wilfinger

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Deputy Editor for Pickswise with years of experience handicapping and giving out winning picks. Lover of all US sports and Southampton FC. For Caleb Wilfinger media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.
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There is plenty of great horse racing across America on Saturday, including at Churchill Downs race track. We have been in fine form with our picks for a long time now and we are up +147.15 units with our race selections to our recommended stakes dating back to August 5, 2021. Let’s keep it rolling!

Here are our best bets for today’s action at Churchill Downs race track.

3:01 pm ET Churchill Downs (Race 5) – Cigarette Boat 6/1 (1-star play)

Race 5 at Churchill Downs is a hotly contested $127,000 Allowance over an extended five furlong trip on the turf course and I like the colt in stall three, Cigarette Boat.

After nine failed attempts to break his maiden, the penny finally dropped with this son of Kantharos and he was a comfortable winner of a six furlong maiden at The Big A from which he can kick on from with renewed confidence.

5:05 pm ET Churchill Downs (Race 9) – Kingmax 10/1 (1-star play)

Ex-British trained Kingmax has been doing very well since he was transferred to the Jorge Delgado barn with two wins from three starts in the US and he has every chance of adding to that tally here.

His two wins at Monmouth Park were by a combined total distance of five and three quarter lengths and he will appreciate this drop back into Allowance Optional Claiming company.

5:35 pm ET Churchill Downs (Race 10) – Nostalgic 9/2 (1-star play)

The Grade 3 Chilukki Stakes is an open looking affair with the likes of Hidden Connection, Hot And Sultry and Falconet all to be feared but it can pay to side with William Mott’s Nostalgic who will be suited by this mile trip.

Florent Geroux will likely take her back from the rail draw as she likes to come from off the pace and I doubt we have seen the best of her yet.

6:05 pm ET Churchill Downs (Race 11) – Copperdrop 3/1 (2-star play)

A field of two-year-old Fillies are set to go to post for the finale at Churchill Downs and my attention is turned to the Steve Asmussen trained, Copperdrop.

This daughter of Copper Bullet, who was a two-time winner at this course, showed up well when finishing third in a big field maiden at Keeneland last month so, with improvement likely, she can break her maiden at the second attempt.

Exotic

Churchill Downs Late Pick 4

Race 9: 5, 6

Race 10: 4, 5, 8

Race 11: 4, 9

Race 12: 2, 8, 10

$0.50 Late Pick 4, cost $18.

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