Daily Racing Form handicappers David Aragona and Mike Beer disagree on the top pick in Saturday’s $500,000 Kentucky Derby qualifier.

Fifty Kentucky Derby qualifying points go to the winner of Saturday’s Virginia Derby – enough to guarantee a spot in the starting gate at Churchill Downs. Daily Racing Form’s David Aragona and Mike Beer have both taken a hard look at the 10-horse field, and they are not in agreement on who comes out on top.

The expected favorite is No. 1 Buetane, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat. But neither handicapper is fully sold.

KENTUCKY DERBY 2026: Top contenders, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more

Why the favorite is beatable?

Buetane draws the rail and will attract money based on his connections alone, as Aragona noted. But his last race – a third-place finish in the Southwest Stakes – left both handicappers wanting more. Beer said the figures “fairly stand out against this field” but stopped well short of a strong endorsement. Aragona raised questions about how far the horse ultimately wants to go.

Both handicappers include Buetane in their picks. Neither puts him on top.

The horse Aragona wants most

Aragona’s top selection is No. 6 Lockstocknpharoah, trained by Thomas Drury Jr. and ridden by Eddie Morales. He has won both prior starts at Turfway Park over the synthetic surface – Saturday is his first start on dirt. Aragona called his second start – where he made the lead and pulled away in the stretch – genuinely impressive. Beer said he “absolutely smashed that field” last time. Both handicappers pointed to his pedigree – by American Pharoah – as a reason to expect he handles the surface, and Aragona added that workouts at Churchill Downs suggested the horse was comfortable on dirt in the mornings.

The horse Beer wants most

Beer’s top selection is No. 5 High Camp, trained by Will Walden and ridden by John Velazquez. He has two career starts, both at Gulfstream Park on dirt. Beer highlighted his maiden win going seven furlongs – he waited while others made premature moves on the far turn, then tipped out at the top of the stretch and finished strongly. Beer called that finish “probably the best part of the race” and said the pedigree supports the added distance. Aragona agreed, noting High Camp handled rail pressure in his debut and responded once he got clear. He is the one horse who appears on both sets of picks.

The Handicappers’ Verdict

David Aragona’s picks:

Lockstocknpharoah

Incredibolt

High Camp

Buetane

Mike Beer’s picks:

High Camp

Lockstocknpharoah

Buetane

Ocelli

A Kentucky mother and daughter turned down a combined $26 million offer for their farmland from a developer representing a mysterious Fortune 100 company that sought to build a massive data center on the land.

Ida Huddleston said she has rejected the staggering offer for her 71-acre property in Mason County — valued at $60,000 per acre for a total of $4.26 million — multiple times and is fed up with the developer’s persistence, LEX 18 reported.

The 82-year-old’s daughter, Delsia Bare, said the developer also offered $48,000 per acre for her 463-acre property — totaling more than $22 million — but she refused to sell.

“I said I don’t want your money, I don’t need your money, but I do feel sorry for everybody around us,” Huddleston told the outlet.

The pair turned down the deal because they believe the data center would affect everyone in the community, adding that the developer’s continued pressure to sell has only hardened their determination not to give up even a single acre.

They said the secrecy surrounding the project — particularly the company’s refusal to reveal its identity — has only fueled their determination to keep their land.

“When they will not reveal who they are that’s a major player in what you’re going to do with the rest of your life if you are stuck here or even if you are leaving here,” Bare said.

The proposed data center would be built near Big Pond Pike Road in rural Kentucky, around an hour and a half from Lexington.

Several landowners have already been approached about selling farmland for the project — a development local officials say could transform the region economically, according to LEX 18.

“As far as jobs would go, they would become, if not our largest employer, definitely top three,” Tyler McHugh, economic development director for the Maysville-Mason County Industrial Development Authority, told the outlet.

McHugh said the data center could create around 400 full-time jobs and more than 1,500 construction jobs in the county and surrounding area.

However, the mother and daughter remain skeptical that those jobs will remain once the project is built.

“My guess is you won’t have over 50 and they won’t even be here at this building when it’s said and done,” Bare said.

As for her 82-year-old mother, she said nothing will make her budge.

“I’m staying put,” Huddleston told the outlet.

Despite the women’s unwillingness to sell their land, the Mason County Fiscal Court still needs to approve the project, LEX 18 reported.

Tech giants are swarming around rural cities to build their data centers.

Last week, George Washington University sold its Virginia Science and Technology Campus to Amazon Data Services to turn the site into a data center.

The company purchased the land for $427 million, according to The Hatchet.

Meanwhile, Microsoft is planning to build 15 data centers in Mount Pleasant, Michigan after purchasing the land in 2024, the Biz Times reported in January.

NASHVILLE — Jaland Lowe’s mind is existing in two places right now.

The present: Kentucky basketball’s 2025-26 season, which continues Friday in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

But it’s also on the future.

As it stands, he anticipates being back with the Wildcats next season.

“That’s the plan,” he told The Courier Journal following UK’s 78-72 win over Missouri in Thursday’s second round at Bridgestone Arena. “I don’t think about leaving the team or leaving the coaching staff. I’m really here right now, present with these guys. But the plan has always been to come back. And if that happens, that happens.

“And I’d be happy with that.”

Lowe, a junior, was Kentucky’s starting point guard before he underwent season-ending surgery on his shoulder in January. A Texas native, Lowe said he’s doing everything he can to be helpful from the sideline as UK gears up for what it hopes is a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

Yet he can’t help but think about the 2026-27 campaign.

“My mind’s always thinking about that,” he said. “Being out, I always think about just playing next season, just getting as healthy as I can to allow myself to have that chance.”

UK and Florida are slated to tip off at 1 p.m. ET Friday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

• TV channel: ESPN
• Livestream: Fubo (free trial)

The game between the Wildcats and Gators will air nationally on ESPN.

Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com or the ESPN app.

Those without cable can access ESPN via streaming services, with Fubo offering a free trial.

Stream Kentucky vs. Florida

Kentucky is an 11½-point underdog (-110) on DraftKings, which set the over/under at 159½ points (-110). The moneyline is Kentucky +575, Florida -850.

Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington.

You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.

All times Eastern

Wednesday, March 11

First round

Game 1: No. 9 Kentucky 87, No. 16 LSU 82 (Click here to read the story from the game.)

Game 2: No. 12 Auburn 79, No. 13 Mississippi State 61

Game 3: No. 15 Ole Miss 76, No. 10 Texas 66

Game 4: No. 11 Oklahoma 86, No. 14 South Carolina 74

Thursday, March 12

Second round

Game 5: No. 9 Kentucky 78, No. 8 Missouri 72 (Click here to read the story from the game.)

Game 6: No. 5 Tennessee vs. No. 12 Auburn, 3 p.m., SEC Network

Game 7: No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 15 Ole Miss, 7 p.m., SEC Network

Game 8: No. 6 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Oklahoma, 9:30 p.m., SEC Network

Friday, March 13

Quarterfinals

Game 9: No. 1 Florida vs. No. 9 Kentucky, 1 p.m., ESPN

Game 10: No. 4 Vanderbilt vs. Game 6 winner, 3:30 p.m., ESPN

Game 11: No. 2 Alabama vs. Game 7 winner, 7 p.m., SEC Network

Game 12: No. 3 Arkansas vs. Game 8 winner, 9:30 p.m., SEC Network

Saturday, March 14

Semifinals

Game 13: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 1 p.m., ESPN

Game 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 3:30 p.m., ESPN

Sunday, March 15

Final

Championship game: Game 13 winner vs. Game 14 winner, 1 p.m., ESPN

SEC Tournament games will air on ESPN and SEC Network.

You can stream ESPN, and SEC Network on Fubo, which offers a free trial.

Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN, ESPN2 and SEC Network via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.