Dan’s Double of the Week, featuring handicapping analysis from America’s Best Racing’s New York correspondent Dan Tordjman, is brought to you by Horseplayers.com, the official online qualifying site of the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) and National Horseplayers Championship (NHC). Horseplayers.com offers low-cost feeders every day and BCBC and NHC qualifiers every weekend, and it’s the only site where you can qualify for the $1 million BCBC. It’s free to sign up – click here to get information about registering and how to enter contests.

When it comes to making money when handicapping races and betting on horse racing, it’s all about picking winners. Tordjman – DanonymousMan to those who follow him on Twitter – is one of the sharpest horseplayers around.

Each Week, Tordjman will provide readers with his two best bets of the weekend and strategies for how to bet them. Good luck!

Saturday, May 18

Pimlico, Race 11, $200,000 Chick Lang Stakes, 4:42 p.m. ET

#7 Pyron (7-2): Here’s hoping the morning line holds on this lightly-raced horse who comes in off an easy win at Oaklawn Park last out in allowance company. In that race, he sat three-wide off a front-end pace duel, and that could be exactly the way things play out on Saturday. Drawn to Pyron’s immediate inside is #6 Gladiator King, who only has one style of running (fast early) and then to that horse’s inside are #5 Cabot (who Pyron passed and held off last out) and speedster #3 Malpais. Pace projecting can be tough work, but this would seem to be a race where you could logically assume that either some of that speed will go early and fade late, or the speedsters will be completely taken out of their game if they can’t get to the lead. Either way, if the track is playing fair, things should set up nicely for Pyron and you might even catch a big price underneath in the exotics.

$10 Budget 

$10 to win on #7 Pyron ($10)

$25 Budget 

$10 to win on #7 Pyron ($10)

$2 exacta key box 7 with 5,8,9 ($12)

$3 exacta 7 with 8 ($3)

$50 Budget 

$20 to win on #7 Pyron ($20)

$4 exacta key box 7 with 5,8,9 ($24)

$1 trifecta key 7 over 5,8,9 ($6)

Saturday, May 18

Pimlico, Race 12, $250,000 Dixie Stakes, 5:39 p.m. ET

#11 Inspector Lynley (7-2): We usually go for bigger prices in this post every week, but Inspector Lynley just makes too much sense not to play on Saturday. For starters, he’s done some of his best work at this mile and a sixteenth distance, having a win in Grade 3 company in February and a pair of near misses in Grade 2 races. His closest competition on class is #5 Have At It and #6 Flameaway (if he goes in this race, as opposed to Friday’s Pimlico Special Stakes in which he’s also entered). With a return to his stalking running style, Have At It will be formidable, but I’m willing to pass on Flameaway in his first turf try, knowing he’ll have to keep up with speedster #7 Real Story.

$10 Budget 

$6 to win on #11 Inspector Lynley ($6)

$2 exacta box 5,11 ($4)

$25 Budget  

$15 to win on #11 Inspector Lynley ($15)

$5 exacta box 5,11 ($10)

$50 Budget 

$20 to win on #11 Inspector Lynley ($20)

$5 exacta box 5,11 ($10)

$1 trifecta 5,11 with 5,11 with all ($18)

Last Week’s Earnings: $107.70

Year-to-Date Earnings: $2,596.81