Friday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Gulfstream’s $217,084 Pick 5 carryover

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Friday, Dec. 27 at Santa Anita and Turfway Park, along with singles for Pick 5 and Pick 6 carryovers at Fair Grounds and Gulfstream Park.

Today’s special offers from TwinSpires include:

• New Players $200 Sign-Up Bonus: Open your TwinSpires.com account using the offer code BET200 to start earning a $200 bonus.
• Oaklawn Park 25% Double Down: Hit two double wagers at Oaklawn Park to receive a 25% boost (up to $25 per day) on all your winning daily double wagers for the day at Oaklawn.
• Woodbine Mohawk 15% Trifecta Boost: Receive a 15% boost (up to $25 per day) on your winning trifecta wagers at Woodbine Mohawk each Monday, Thursday, and Friday through January, excluding Dec. 26.
• Triple Rewards Points at CDI Track: Receive triple reward points on all wagers (excluding show bets) at CDI tracks every Friday through Sunday in December.

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Santa Anita: Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (six furlongs on dirt, 4:32 p.m. ET)

#4 Pursuit of Freedom (5-1) has been cranking out blazing workouts in preparation for his debut. During the month of November, he recorded half-mile workouts at Del Mar in times of :47 1/5, :46 3/5, :47 4/5, and :45 4/5.

Pursuit of Freedom capped off his work tab with five furlongs from the Santa Anita starting gate in a swift :59 2/5. This $725,000 yearling acquisition looks like a talented prospect for the hot jockey/trainer duo of Hector Berrios and John Shirreffs, so let’s take a shot betting him to win and keying him over #3 March of Time (3-5) in the exacta.

Selections

• #4 Pursuit of Freedom (5-1)
• #3 March of Time (3-5)
• #6 Collmus (4-1)

Wagers

• $15 to win on #4 Pursuit of Freedom
• $15 Exacta: 4 with 3
  Total: $30

Turfway Park: Race 2: $50,000 Maiden Claiming (one mile on Tapeta, 6:25 p.m. ET)

#10 Golden Symphony (5-2) has run well in his last two starts. On Nov. 17, he finished second in a $100,000 maiden claimer racing 1 1/16 miles over the Churchill Downs dirt. On Dec. 4, he finished fifth in a 1 1/4-mile maiden special weight over the Turfway Tapeta after challenging for the lead in midstretch.

Cutting back to one mile while sticking to Tapeta might be all Golden Symphony needs to vie for victory. Let’s bet him to win and play him over #8 Special Justice (10-1) in a small exacta.

Selections

• #10 Golden Symphony (5-2)
• #8 Special Justice (10-1)
• #6 Neon Bordeaux (9-2)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #10 Golden Symphony
• $5 Exacta: 10 with 8
  Total: $25

Turfway Park: Race 7: $30,000 Maiden Claiming (six furlongs on Tapeta, 8:55 p.m. ET)

#3 Don’t Look Back (3-1) has finished second and third in her last two starts against maiden special weight competition on dirt at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Trainer Rodolphe Brisset wins at a 26% rate with horses descending from maiden special weight to maiden claiming competition, so dropping in class for a $30,000 maiden claimer should make Don’t Look Back formidable.

We’ll keep things simple with a win bet on Don’t Look Back.

Selections

• #3 Don’t Look Back (3-1)
• #4 Lock It Up (6-1)
• #1 Starcourt (7-2)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #3 Don’t Look Back

Carryover Watch

Fair Grounds: Race 3: $8,075 Pick 6 carryover (2:45 p.m. ET)

The $1 Pick 6 at Fair Grounds is a challenging wager to hit. No one solved the Pick 6 on Thursday, so an $8,075 carryover is up for grabs on Friday.

A challenging sequence of races is on the agenda, but a possible single can be found in Race 4, a maiden special weight for Louisiana-breds sprinting six furlongs on dirt. Only six horses have entered, and #1 Kenmore West (8-5) is a deserving favorite.

Kenmore West was beaten only a neck when finishing second over this track, distance, and class level on Nov. 28. On that occasion, Kenmore West broke slowly and dropped a dozen lengths behind a blazing early pace before launching a big rally to fall just short of victory.

There isn’t much speed in Friday’s field, and that might be good news for Kenmore West. He’s not a pure deep closer by any means. Two starts back, he set the pace in a non-state-restricted seven-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill Downs before weakening slightly to finish third. And in his debut, he pressed a hot pace in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill on his way to fifth place.

Assuming Kenmore West breaks alertly on Friday, he can set or press a modest pace before kicking away to defeat his five rivals. Bettors can feel confident singling Kenmore West in the Pick 6.

Gulfstream Park: Race 6: $217,084 Pick 5 carryover (3:03 p.m. ET)

The Friday card at Gulfstream Park brings a massive $217,084 carryover in the 50-cent Late Pick 5.

Looking for a single to build tickets around? Check out #7 Silver Moonlight (8-5) in Race 9, a $50,000 starter allowance for fillies and mares racing 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Silver Moonlight is 2-for-3 on turf. After finishing fourth over the tricky European-style turf course at Kentucky Downs, Silver Moonlight switched to Gulfstream Park, where she wired a maiden special weight and a $50,000 claimer with sharp Brisnet Speed ratings of 88 and 85.

None of Silver Moonlight’s rivals have earned a Brisnet Speed rating higher than 84 on turf, so a typical performance from Silver Moonlight should bring her record over the Gulfstream grass to 3-for-3.

Good luck!