Monday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: 10-1 at Thistledown

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Monday, May 13 at Thistledown and Horseshoe Indianapolis, including a stakes winner offering 10-1 morning line odds.

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Thistledown: Race 2: Maiden Special Weight (six furlongs, 1:20 p.m. ET)

#4 Hidden Ransom (8-5) debuted in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint over this track and class level last month and ran well in defeat, rallying to finish second with a 70 Brisnet Speed rating. That’s three points higher than the par winning number (67) for Monday’s conditions.

High-percentage trainer David Wolochuk wins at a 43% rate with second-time starters and at a 42% rate in maiden special weights, so Hidden Ransom should produce another strong showing in his second try. None of his Monday rivals have posted a Brisnet Speed rating higher than 63, so let’s single Hidden Ransom to start a double wager.

Selections

• #4 Hidden Ransom (8-5)
• #2 Rambler (5-2)
• #1 Double Agent (4-1)

Wagers

• $25 Double: 4 with 3

Thistledown: Race 3: Allowance (six furlongs, 1:50 p.m. ET)

#3 Here’s the Spider (10-1) appears overpriced while making her 2024 debut in an allowance for Ohio-bred fillies and mares. As a juvenile last season, she went 2-for-2 against Ohio-breds, winning a six-furlong maiden special weight before rallying to defeat a proven stakes winner in the 1 1/16-mile Best of Ohio John W. Galbreath S. And she ended the year by competing in the Golden Rod (G2) on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, finishing seventh against a field that included 2024 Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Thorpedo Anna.

Here’s the Spider owns the highest Brisnet Speed rating in Monday’s field and is a win threat while dropping in class for her return. We’ll single Here’s the Spider to conclude our double wager, then bet her to win and throw in an exacta with the undefeated #4 Nublada (9-5) for good measure.

Selections

• #3 Here’s the Spider (10-1)
• #4 Nublada (9-5)
• #1 Ima Mom (7-2)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #3 Here’s the Spider
• $5 Exacta: 3 with 4
  Total: $25

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (4 1/2 furlongs, 3:43 p.m. ET)

#4 Mitole’s Secret (5-1) is an unraced daughter of champion sprinter Mitole. The two-year-old filly has shown speed in the mornings at Horseshoe Indianapolis, most notably clocking half a mile in :47 3/5. And she’s trained by Michelle Elliott, who has compiled an excellent 7-for-29 (24%) record saddling first-time starters in dirt sprints at Horseshoe Indianapolis since 2021.

Suffice to say, there’s a lot to like about Mitole’s Secret, including her 5-1 morning line odds. We’ll bet her to win and call it a day.

Selections

• #4 Mitole’s Secret (5-1)
• #9 Fortuna Mia (6-1)
• #1 Pounds in Town (4-1)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #4 Mitole’s Secret

Good luck!