This weekend, Picks and Ponderings is taking a figurative road trip to Iowa for the Iowa Festival of Racing.  We will preview all six stakes scheduled this weekend, with two on each of the three days of the Festival.  My piece, the first in the series, tackles the pair of stakes on Thursday: the Saylorville and the Iowa Oaks (GIII).

Fillies and mares have the spotlight on Thursday.  The Saylorville features older sprinters; the Oaks (naturally) features three-year-old routers.  Opportunities for value abound in both!

Head over to Picks and Ponderings, read my preview of Thursday’s stakes races for the Iowa Festival of Racing, and let me know what you think in the comments!