Tuesday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Parx’s $252,931 Pick 5 mandatory payout

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Tuesday, June 4 at Horseshoe Indianapolis, along with horses to play in the mandatory-payout $252,931 Pick 5 carryover at Parx Racing.

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 at Assiniboia Downs every Monday through Wednesday in June.

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 1: Maiden Special Weight (five furlongs on dirt, 2:10 p.m. ET)

This maiden special weight for juveniles hasn’t come up overly tough on paper, so we’ll take a shot backing the first-time starter #4 Flash Cadillac (5-1). Trainer Steve Manley wins a solid 15% rate with horses debuting in maiden special weights, and a bullet half-mile workout from the starting gate in :47 3/5 on May 24 suggests Flash Cadillac has talent.

Throw in the fact Flash Cadillac will be ridden by jockey Orlando Mojica, who has gone 1-for-2 (50%) teaming up with Manley over the last two months, and a win bet is in order.

Selections

• #4 Flash Cadillac (5-1)
• #6 Special Creed (9-5)
• #5 Permit to Carry (7-2)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #4 Flash Cadillac

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 3: Maiden Special Weight (five furlongs on dirt, 3:12 p.m. ET)

Since 2019, trainer John Ortiz has compiled a stellar 7-for-15 (47%) record debuting juveniles in dirt sprints at Horseshoe Indianapolis. He’ll saddle a pair of first-time starters in this maiden sprint for juvenile fillies: #3 Crimson Thunder (9-5) and #6 Charlie Mike (4-1).

Of the pair, we prefer Charlie Mike. The daughter of champion sprinter Mitole has put together a sharp work tab capped off by a half-mile in :48 1/5 at Keeneland. Her 4-1 morning line odds are enticing, so we’ll place a win bet on Charlie Mike and play her over Crimson Thunder in a small exacta.

Selections

• #6 Charlie Mike (4-1)
• #3 Crimson Thunder (9-5)
• #8 Sturgeon Moon (3-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #6 Charlie Mike
• $5 Exacta: 6 with 3
  Total: $25

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 3:43 p.m. ET)

#1 Cinco de Oros (4-5) is the heavy morning line favorite after finishing second in both of his starts over this track, distance, and class level in 2024. But his 0-for-8 lifetime record is a cause for pause, and it’s worth noting the lightly raced #5 Lighting Fighter (3-1) has run faster on the Brisnet Speed rating scale.

Lighting Fighter didn’t show much in his debut, but on May 13 he finished second in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Horseshoe Indianapolis, beaten only a head while earning a 75 Brisnet Speed rating six points higher than the career-best number of Cinco de Oros.

Lighting Fighter is adding Lasix for his third start and has every chance to spring a mild upset, so we’ll bet him to win and key him over Cinco de Oros in the exacta.

Selections

• #5 Lighting Fighter (3-1)
• #1 Cinco de Oros (4-5)
• #6 Digger Dale (6-1)

Wagers

• $15 to win on #5 Lighting Fighter
• $15 Exacta: 5 with 1
  Total: $30

Carryover Watch

Parx Racing: Race 6: $252,931 Pick 5 mandatory payout (2:59 p.m. ET)

Fans of mandatory-payout carryovers, get ready. On Tuesday at Parx Racing, a lucrative $252,931 jackpot carryover in the 50-cent “Philly Big 5” Pick 5 will be paid out in mandatory fashion. Every bettor who assembles a winning ticket will claim a share, no unique winning ticket necessary.

If you’re looking for a single to build tickets around, we recommend #1 Miss Pretender (9-5) in Race 8, a 7 1/2-furlong turf maiden special weight for fillies and mares. The three-year-old daughter of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) winner Mendelssohn is conditioned by Chad Brown, an acclaimed turf trainer widely known for his success saddling fillies and mares on grass.

Miss Pretender debuted in a one-mile maiden special weight over the Tampa Bay Downs turf course on April 28. On that occasion, she carved out a decent pace before weakening in the final furlong to finish second by half a length. The 76 Brisnet Speed rating she earned is three points higher than the par winning number (73) for Tuesday’s conditions at Parx.

Brown wins at a 24% rate with second-time starters, and jockey Paco Lopez (a 22% winner at Parx this meet) is named to ride. Brown and Lopez have gone 1-for-1 teaming up together over the last two months, so there are positive jockey and trainer stats in Miss Pretender’s corner. While there’s an outside chance one of Miss Pretender’s many rivals without turf experience could step up in a big way, there’s no guarantee that they’ll move forward enough to beat Miss Pretender, who looks like a great fit for this race. It helps that Brown has gone 2-1-1-0 in Parx turf races since 2019.

Another formidable horse to include on your tickets is #1 My Brother Charlie (3-1) in Race 7, a $10,000 maiden claimer taking place over 6 1/2 furlongs on dirt. My Brother Charlie is facing easier company after recording top-five finishes in a trio of $25,000 maiden claimers for trainer Michael Pino, a high-percentage conditioner who strikes at a 41% rate with horses dropping multiple levels down the class ladder. Hot jockey Mychel Sanchez (a 26% winner at Parx) is named to ride, and the rail post is producing 23% winners in 6 1/2-furlong dirt sprints at Parx this year, so My Brother Charlie should be tough to beat at the $10,000 level.

Good luck!