Thursday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Cold Gulfstream double

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Thursday, April 4 at Gulfstream Park and Turf Paradise, including a cold $20 double wager.

Today’s special offers from TwinSpires include:

• Hoosier Park $1,000 Hit It & Split It: Hit the Late Pick 4 at Hoosier Park on Thursdays in April to win your share of a $1,000 daily jackpot.
• Keeneland Double Down: Hit two double wagers in a single day at Keeneland to receive a 25% bonus (up to 50% per day) on all winning double wagers for the day, every Wednesday through Friday in April.

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Gulfstream Park: Race 6: $35,000 Starter Optional Claiming (seven furlongs, 3:50 p.m. ET)

#7 Marshmallow Queen (9-5) is 2-for-2 this year, using her early speed to win a $16,000 maiden claimer by two lengths and a $16,000 starter optional claimer by 5 1/2 lengths. Both of those triumphs came sprinting at Gulfstream Park, and they yielded strong Brisnet Speed ratings of 88 and 90.

Considering none of Marshmallow Queen’s Thursday rivals have ever earned a Brisnet Speed rating higher than 86, she appears well spotted to secure a third straight victory. We’ll bet Marshmallow Queen to win and single her to start a double wager.

Selections

• #7 Marshmallow Queen (9-5)
• #4 Llamarada (9-2)
• #1 Classic Ballad (4-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #7 Marshmallow Queen
• $20 Double: 7 with 7
  Total: $40

Gulfstream Park: Race 7: Allowance (five furlongs on Tapeta, 4:20 p.m. ET)

There’s a lot of speed entered in this five-furlong Tapeta sprint, so we’ll favor #7 Heals the Soul (9-5). The six-year-old gelding isn’t lacking in speed himself, but he’s versatile in terms of running style and perfectly capable of rating off the pace, as he did when rallying to finish third by a neck in a $20,000 allowance optional claimer over this track and distance last time out.

We’ll single Heals the Soul to conclude our double wager, then bet him to win.

Selections

• #7 Heals the Soul (9-5)
• #3 Commandant (5-2)
• #4 Jet Wings (7-2)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #7 Heals the Soul

Turf Paradise: Race 5: Trial (4 1/2 furlongs, 6:05 p.m. ET)

#10 Just Call Me Lucky (3-1) breezed a fast five furlongs in :59 4/5 at Turf Paradise last week, suggesting the two-year-old daughter of Gormley is ready to win on debut. Gormley was a Grade 1 winner at age two, and trainer Kevin Eikleberry has gone 3-for-9 (33%) debuting juveniles at Turf Paradise since 2019, so there’s a lot to like about Just Call Me Lucky’s chances.

Throw in the fact hot jockey Glenn Corbett has won at a 42% rate teaming up with Eikleberry over the last two months, and Just Call Me Lucky is well worth betting to win.

Selections

• #10 Just Call Me Lucky (3-1)
• #9 Dancing Porky (8-1)
• #4 Cascabel (7-2)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #10 Just Call Me Lucky

Good luck!