US racing tips: Shane Ketteridge with two Saturday night selections

Hot Rod Charlie
10.26pm Churchill Downs
2pts win

C Z Rocket
11.08pm Santa Anita
1pt win

A field of six are set to go to post for the ninth running of the Grade 2 Lukas Classic Stakes over 1m1f at Churchill Downs, which includes this year's Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike and the high-class pair of Art Collector and Happy Saver. But it's the Dubai World Cup second and tough Doug O'Neill-trained performer Hot Rod Charlie who is taken to come out on top.

This is a lovely colt, and since his first Grade 1 win in the Pennsylvania Derby at Parx this time last year he has been doing very well. He finished fourth behind Knicks Go in the Breeders' Cup Classic, albeit having to come up the dead rail, so that run can be upgraded, and afterwards O'Neill earmarked Meydan for his next big-race target.

After a comfortable victory in Round 2 of the Al Maktoum Challenge, he then lined up in the Dubai World Cup, but got caught behind horses and had to do it the hard way, weaving through and just coming up short to finish second behind Country Grammer.

He went down on his sword that day, and comes into this race off the back of a very good third behind Life Is Good at Saratoga, so if he runs up to his best form under Tyler Gaffalione, he can take this which can set up a trip to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup in November.

The evergreen eight-year-old C Z Rocket has form figures of 13 in the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship in the last two years, and I see no reason why Peter Miller's admirable gelding cannot put up another bold show in this 6f dirt contest.

For a horse who has good early gate speed and who likes to stalk the leaders, he is ideally drawn down in stall one to make a challenge at a course that has brought about some of his best form over the years, so it would not surprise should he defeat the youngsters here.

Sign up here. New customers only. First single & e/w bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 4 x £5 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets exclude virtuals. Free bets are non withdrawable. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions. Further T&Cs apply. 18+. begambleaware.org.