Keeler Johnson's picks and plays May 25

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares $75 worth of picks and plays for Wednesday, May 25 at Presque Isle Downs, Will Rogers Downs, and Canterbury Park, including exactas and a trifecta.

Today’s special offers from TwinSpires include:

• Midweek Bet Back: Receive refunds on win bets (up to $10) if your horse finishes second in select races at Canterbury Park.
• Rest of the World Bet Back: Receive refunds on win bets (up to $10) if your horse finishes second in any race at Happy Valley (Hong Kong).
• Exacta Insurance: Receive refunds on exacta bets (up to $10) if your two selected horses finish in the first three home (but not in the winning order) at Will Rogers Downs. Offer applies to straight exacta bets only.

Picks and Plays

Presque Isle Downs: Race 5: $10,000 Starter Optional Claiming (1 1/16 miles on Tapeta, 3:18 p.m. ET)

#2 Zero Gravity (7-2) went 2-for-2 at Presque Isle last season, winning $5,000 and $8,500 claimers over one mile and 70 yards before stepping up in class and distance to finish third in a $16,000 claimer racing 1 1/4 miles.

Zero Gravity hasn’t run since October, but high-percentage trainer S. Matthew Kintz wins at a lofty 27% rate with horses returning from layoffs of 90 days or more, suggesting Zero Gravity will fire a strong shot in his return to action.

We’ll bet on Zero Gravity to upset the frontrunning favorite #5 P H Factor (8-5), playing a cold $10 exacta.

• $20 to win on #2 Zero Gravity
• $10 Exacta: 2 with 5
  Total: $30

Will Rogers Downs: Race 9: More Than Even S. (1 1/16 miles, 5:54 p.m. ET)

#4 Gotta See Red (1-1) looms as a formidable favorite in this stakes for Oklahoma-bred fillies and mares. She’s posted Brisnet Speed ratings in the 80-85 range in four of her last five starts, a noteworthy achievement considering none of her Wednesday rivals have ever earned a figure higher than 79.

Gotta See Red is 2-for-3 at Will Rogers Downs and kicked off the 2022 meet with a third-place finish in a six-furlong sprint stakes on May 2. Gotta See Red won the one-mile Cinema S. at Will Rogers Downs last year, so stretching back out in distance should be a recipe for victory under ultra-hot jockey Leandro Goncalves, who has gone 4-for-9 (44%) at Will Rogers this meet.

#2 Canada Candy (7-2), runner-up behind Gotta See Red in last year’s Cinema, can battle with #5 The One for Fun (8-1) to complete the exacta and trifecta.

• $10 Exacta: 4 with 2,5 ($20)
• $5 Trifecta: 4 with 2,5 with 2,5 ($10)
  Total: $30

Canterbury Park: Race 6: Brooks Fields S. (one mile on turf, 8:40 p.m. ET)

#7 Bizzee Channel (2-1) proved his worth against tougher company in the Arlington S. (G3) last summer, winning by a neck over next-out Mr. D. S. (G1) winner Two Emmys. Just as importantly, Bizzee Channel kicked off 2022 on a winning note, employing pace-tracking tactics to win a 1 1/16-mile grass allowance at Keeneland.

Bizzee Channel failed to factor against Grade 1 competition in the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs earlier this month, fading to finish seventh, but dropping down in class can trigger a rebound for high-percentage trainer Larry Rivelli.

Taking advantage of the Midweek Bet Back promotion, we’ll place a $10 win bet on Bizzee Channel. Then we’ll key him over the consistent speedster #5 My Indy (6-1) in a small exacta.

• $10 to win on #7 Bizzee Channel
• $5 Exacta: 7 with 5
  Total: $15

Good luck!