Expert picks

Welcome to horse racing today. We hope everyone is ready for opening day Churchill Downs and the stakes races happening at Woodbine.

An excellent collection of 12 two-year-old prospects will go postward in Saturday’s $300,000 Iroquois S. (G3) at Churchill Downs.

A strong field of 12 will travel 1 1/8 miles over the Colonial Downs turf in Saturday’s lucrative $500,000 Virginia Derby (G3).

A strong and accomplished field of seven will go postward in Sunday’s $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup S. (G1) at Saratoga.

A big field of 14 three-year-old fillies, with a trio of those entered for the main track only, will vie in Saturday’s $200,000 Lake Placid S. (G2) at Saratoga

Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Thorpedo Anna is the nation's leading three-year-old filly, but she's skipping Saturday's $500,000 Alabama (G1) at Saratoga in favor of a run against colts in the $1.25 million Travers (G1) one week later.

A compact field of six will traveled 1 1/4 miles over the Colonial Downs turf in Sunday’s $1 million Arlington Million S. (G1).

A full field of 12 will go nine furlongs on the famed Saratoga in Saturday’s historic $1 million Whitney S. (G1).

A late-blooming cast of nine sophomores will go postward in Sunday’s lucrative $500,000 West Virginia Derby (G3) at Mountaineer Park.

A trio of Grade 1 winners are part of a six-horse contingent for Saturday’s $500,000 Jim Dandy S. (G2) at Saratoga.