Oaklawn Horse Racing Picks for Friday 2/24/23

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

The Oaklawn meet continues and Friday's card starts at 1:30 p.m. ET and includes 9 races ahead of Saturday's big day of racing that includes the Rebel Stakes - a Championship Series Kentucky Derby prep race.

As always, check the program for scratches and changes. Monitor the weather with rain in the forecast in Hotsprings, AR, and keep an eye on the track conditions.

(I will reference Equibase's Speed Figure in selected races, which tells you how fast a horse has been running in each of its races after adjusting for track, distances, and conditions).

Oaklawn Betting Picks

According to numberFire horse racing projections, these are the best bets to make at FanDuel Racing today.

1. Dixie Fury and Marks Promise, Race 3

FanDuel Racing Odds: 3/1 and 9/5
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Race 3 is a Starter Optional Claimer for 3-year-olds sprinting 6 furlongs. The numberFire data projects Dixie Fury (3/1) to beat the heavy favorite Marks Promise (9/5). The meets top jockey Cristian Torrez rides contender Backside Buzz (5/2).

2. Mahaamel and Efficiency, Race 8

FanDuel Racing Odds: 5/2 and 9/2
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Race 8 is an Allowance race for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles. Mahaamel (5/2) is the favorite on the rail and top pick by numberFire's data. Ten Gage (5/1) is considered and he's conditioned by HOF trainer Steve Asmussen, who recently earned his record 10,000th win. Efficiency (9/2) is a contender and projected in-the-money finisher with leading jockey Rafael Bejarano riding.

Mahaamel has four-straight runner-up finishes including a 101-speed figure last time out as the 4/5 favorite over this track at the same distance. He's a son of tremendous sire Into Mischief.

3. No Guilt and Just an Angel, Race 9

FanDuel Racing Odds: 7/2 and 6/1
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Race 9 is a Maiden Special Weight for 3-year-old fillies at 1-mile. No Guilt (7/2) on the rail and Just an Angel (6/1) on the outside No. 11 post are the top two picks by numberFire's data.

Just an Angel is trained by Steve Asmussen, and sired by Triple Crown winner Justify. She finished second in her debut last summer before missing here last month. Asmussen's top go-to-jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. rides.