Keeler Johnson's picks and plays June 26

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares picks and plays for Monday, June 26 at Parx Racing and Finger Lakes, along with a horse to play in a trio of non-jackpot carryovers at Louisiana Downs.

Today’s special offers from TwinSpires include:

• Assiniboia Downs $1,000 Late Pick 4 Hit It & Split It: Hit the Late Pick 4 at Assiniboia Downs to split an additional $1,000 jackpot.
• Presque Isle Downs $2,000 Late Pick 5 Hit It & Split It: Hit the Late Pick 5 at Presque Isle Downs to split an additional $2,000 jackpot.

Picks and Plays

Parx Racing: Race 8: Power by Far S. (five furlongs, off the turf, 3:53 p.m. ET)

#8 Midnight in Alaska (7-2) has wired three straight races over the Parx main track, including a pair of allowance optional claimers by margins of 12 1/2 lengths and three lengths. Along the way, she's earned flashy Brisnet Speed ratings of 81, 93, and 92.

Tackling a stakes for Pennsylvania-breds over her favorite track should make Midnight in Alaska tough to beat. We'll single her to start a double wager and bet her over #2 Roses for Debra (2-1) and #7 Tappin Josie (9-2) in the exacta.

Selections

• #8 Midnight in Alaska (7-2)
• #2 Roses for Debra (2-1)
• #7 Tappin Josie (9-2)

Wagers

• $20 Double: 8 with 10
• $10 Exacta: 8 with 2,7 ($20)
  Total: $40

Parx Racing: Race 9: Crowd Pleaser S. (1 1/16 miles, off the turf, 4:24 p.m. ET)

#10 Ninetyprcentmaddie (3-1) has competed in seven stakes, winning two and hitting the board in six of them. Both of his stakes wins have come at Parx, including a 9 3/4-length demolition of the City of Brotherly Love S. that produced a career-best 98 Brisnet Speed rating.

Ninetyprcentmaddie exits placed efforts in the Federico Tesio S. at Laurel Park and the Long Branch S. at Monmouth Park. Returning to Parx and dropping into a stakes for Pennsylvania-breds can send him back to the winner's circle.

We'll single Ninetyprcentmaddie to conclude our double wager, then key him over #9 Time to Cruise (4-1) in an exacta.

Selections

• #10 Ninetyprcentmaddie (3-1)
• #9 Time to Cruise (4-1)
• #4 Winnin'onweekends (5-1)

Wagers

• $15 Exacta: 10 with 9

Finger Lakes: Race 8: Ontario County S. (six furlongs, 4:38 p.m. ET)

Two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox hasn’t started a horse at Finger Lakes in the last five years, so it’s interesting to see Cox send #1 Looms Boldly (2-1) to contest this six-furlong sprint for New York-bred three-year-olds.

Looms Boldly has been competing against tougher competition at Aqueduct and Belmont Park, winning the Damon Runyon S. and a non-state-restricted $40,000 allowance optional claimer over six furlongs before finishing third in the Mike Lee S. traveling seven furlongs. His Brisnet Speed ratings are strong, and dropping back down to six furlongs can send Looms Boldly to the winner’s circle under four-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.

#7 Acoustic Ave (5-2), a three-time stakes winner with a 2-for-2 record at Finger Lakes, can complete the exacta in his 2023 debut.

Selections

• #1 Looms Boldly (2-1)
• #7 Acoustic Ave (5-2)
• #6 Dee’s Wiseguy (8-1)

Wagers

• $25 Exacta: 1 with 7

Carryover Watch

Louisiana Downs: Race 4: $2,886 Pick 5 carryover (4:29 p.m. ET)
Louisiana Downs: Race 5: $3,864 Pick 4 carryover (4:57 p.m. ET)
Louisiana Downs: Race 8: $852 Super High 5 carryover (6:21 p.m. ET)

Did you know there are three non-jackpot carryovers up for grabs on Monday at Louisiana Downs? The 50-cent Pick 5 boasts a $2,886 prize pool, while the carryovers for the 50-cent Pick 4 and 50-cent Super High 5 respectively stand at $3,864 and $852.

Without question, the most important race for carryover chasers to decipher is Race 8, a maiden special weight for fillies and mares racing 7 1/2 furlongs on turf. It’s the closing leg of the Pick 4 and the Pick 5, as well as the race in which Super High 5 wagering is offered, so if you fail to select the winner of Race 8 you won’t be cashing any winning tickets.

Fortunately, there’s a standout favorite in the field. #5 Barrett (3-1) failed to crack the trifecta in four starts as a juvenile in 2021, but her lone effort as a three-year-old last season was strong. Tackling a one-mile maiden special weight over the Kentucky Downs turf course, Barrett rallied steadily from midfield to finish second by three-quarters of a length.

In terms of Brisnet Speed ratings, Barrett is easily the fastest filly in Monday’s field. Whereas none of her rivals have posted a number higher than 73, Barrett threw down a 76 at Kentucky Downs and a 79 when finishing seventh in a Saratoga maiden special weight as a juvenile.

The layoff is a question mark for Barrett, but Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen (a 24% winner at Louisiana Downs this meet) wins at a respectable 18% rate with horses returning from layoffs of 90 days or more. Another encouraging sign is the presence of jockey Joel Dominguez, who has won at a 27% rate teaming up with Asmussen over the last two months.

Barrett enters off sharp workouts at Louisiana Downs, including a couple of bullets, and all signs suggest she’s ready to roll off the layoff. We recommend singling Barrett in the Pick 4 and Pick 5 and keying her on top in the Super High 5.

Good luck!