Monday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Presque Isle opening day

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Monday, May 20 at Horseshoe Indianapolis and Presque Isle Downs, including an 8-1 longshot on Presque Isle’s opening-day card.

Today’s special offers from TwinSpires include:

• Assiniboia Downs 15% Win Bonus: Receive a 15% bonus (up to 25% per day) on winning single-horse win bets every Monday and Tuesday at Assiniboia Downs from May 20-28.

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 1: Maiden Special Weight (4 1/2 furlongs, 2:10 p.m. ET)

First-time starter #3 Tank Walk (5-1) has shown speed in the mornings for trainer Michelle Elliott, who has gone 7-for-30 (23%) debuting horses in dirt sprints at Horseshoe Indianapolis since 2021. On May 1, Tank Walk clocked half a mile from the starting gate in :47 3/5. On May 8, he traveled the same distance in a bullet :47 2/5.

Tank Walk’s 5-1 morning line odds are enticing, so a win bet is in order.

Selections

• #3 Tank Walk (5-1)
• #7 Catch a Nite Train (3-1)
• #1 Bitofjustice (8-1)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #3 Tank Walk

Presque Isle Downs: Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (5 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta, 4:21 p.m. ET)

#10 Reigert Girls (3-1) ran reasonably well in a pair of starts over the Presque Isle Downs Tapeta last year. After closing ground to finish fourth by 1 3/4 lengths in a six-furlong maiden special weight, she finished fourth against a 10-horse field in the six-furlong Finest City S.

Both of those races were restricted to horses bred in Pennsylvania. Reigert Girls wrapped up 2023 with a couple of tries on dirt against non-state-restricted competition, most notably finishing second by a neck in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Penn National.

Reigert Girls is returning to the Pennsylvania-bred ranks for her 2024 debut. Trainer Brandon Kulp wins at a 24% rate with horses returning from layoffs of 90 days or more, and Reigert Girls is adding Lasix, so there’s a lot to like about the chances of this three-year-old filly, even while taking on male rivals.

Let’s bet Reigert Girls to win and key her over #4 Change the Hour (7-2) in the exacta.

Selections

• #10 Reigert Girls (3-1)
• #4 Change the Hour (7-2)
• #5 Mac’s Cat (5-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #10 Reigert Girls
• $10 Exacta: 10 with 4
  Total: $30

Presque Isle Downs: Race 7: Allowance (six furlongs on Tapeta, 5:42 p.m. ET)

#6 Shy Da Runner (8-1) fits reasonably well against this allowance field from a Brisnet Speed rating perspective. He’s cracked the trifecta in four of his six starts over the Presque Isle Tapeta, including when wiring a $25,000 claimer sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs last summer.

Trainer Tim Girten wins at a 24% rate in allowances and went 4-for-12 (33%) during the first two weeks of the 2023 Presque Isle meet, so Shy Da Runner is eligible to fire a strong shot while returning to Presque Isle off a four-month layoff.

At 8-1, we’ll bet Shy Da Runner to win and call it a day.

Selections

• #6 Shy Da Runner (8-1)
• #7 Grande Tortugon (5-2)
• #1 Luv to Win (7-2)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #6 Shy Da Runner

Good luck!