Friday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Tampa’s $6,492 Super High 5 carryover

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Friday, March 21 at Santa Anita, Turfway Park, and Charles Town along with a ticket for the $6,492 Super High 5 carryover at Tampa Bay Downs.

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.
• 8x Points at The Meadowlands: Receive 8x reward points on all wagers (excluding show bets) at The Meadowlands each racing day from Feb. 21 through March 29.
• Oaklawn Park 15% Across the Board Boost: Receive a 15% bonus (up to $25 per day) on winning individual win, place, and show wagers—or combination of win, place, and show wagers—at Oaklawn Park each Friday in March.
• 10x Points at Fraser Downs: Receive 10x reward points on all wagers (excluding show bets) at Fraser Downs each Friday.
• Sydney Racing Carnival Leaderboard: Place $10+ win bets on races at selected Australian tracks to climb the leaderboard and compete for a spot in the 2025 Kentucky Derby Betting Challenge. You can also earn your share of a $1,000 weekly prize pool.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $320 Oaklawn Bonus Feeder Friday to 3/22 Louisiana Derby/Jeff Ruby Steaks KDBC Qualifier
• $200 Turfway Feeder to 3/29 Arkansas Derby KDBC Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Santa Anita: Race 5: $8,000 Maiden Claiming (one mile on dirt, 6:06 p.m. ET)

There isn’t much speed in this field, so let’s favor #4 Begin Again (3-2). He’s hit the board in five straight $8,000 maiden claimers on the Northern California circuit, and he’s set, pressed, or tracked the pace in eight of his last nine starts.

Adding blinkers off a bullet half-mile workout at Pleasanton should set the stage for Begin Again to wire his first start since November. #3 Bruiser (8-5) can complete the exacta.

Selections

• #4 Begin Again (3-2)
• #3 Bruiser (8-5)
• #1 Unusual Memories (5-1)

Wagers

• $20 Exacta: 4 with 3

Turfway Park: Race 4: $12,500 Claiming (6 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta, 7:25 p.m. ET)

#6 Classic Dancer (3-1) has shown speed in his last two starts sprinting six furlongs against $16,000 claiming company at Turfway Park. On both occasions he tired to finish sixth in 10-horse fields.

Dropping in class for a $12,500 claimer shoulder help Classic Dancer carry his speed to the finish line. He looks ready to beat #4 One Lucky Day (7-2) and #9 Major Wager (4-1), so let’s bet an exacta accordingly.

Selections

• #6 Classic Dancer (3-1)
• #4 One Lucky Day (7-2)
• #9 Major Wager (4-1)

Wagers

• $10 Exacta: 6 with 4,9 ($20)

Charles Town: Race 5: $5,000 Claiming (4 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 9:02 p.m. ET)

Pacesetters have won 57% of 4 1/2-furlong sprints at Charles Town this meet, so let’s throw our support behind #7 Pistol Penny (5-1). In a $7,500 maiden claimer over this track and distance two weeks ago, Pistol Penny led by daylight at every call to score by three lengths.

The 61 Brisnet Speed rating Pistol Penny received stacks up well against Friday’s field. She has every chance to lead gate-to-wire for a second straight race, so let’s bet her to win.

Selections

• #7 Pistol Penny (5-1)
• #1 Direct Cause (9-5)
• #2 Cold Cash (12-1)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #7 Pistol Penny

Carryover Watch

Tampa Bay Downs: Race 1: $6,492 Super High 5 carryover (12:40 p.m. ET)

The opening race on Friday at Tampa Bay Downs is a $16,000 claimer for three-year-olds and older horses who have never won three races. The one-mile and 40-yard dirt race is a fairly ordinary contest, but the fact it offers a non-jackpot $6,492 carryover in the $1 Super High 5 makes it enticing for bettors.

Eight horses have entered Race 1, which means there are 6,720 possible Super High 5 outcomes to analyze.

We’ll begin our ticket assembly process by keying #8 Air Invasion (2-1) on top. The four-year-old colt has been facing tougher company in his last two starts over this track and distance. On Jan. 22, he made an early move on his way to victory in a $25,000 claimer for non-winners of two races, beating a next-out winner by 1 1/2 lengths while earning an 80 Brisnet Speed rating. Then on March 5, Air Invasion finished seventh in a $25,000 claimer for non-winners of three races.

Dropping down to the $16,000 level should make Air Invasion tough to beat for the hot jockey/trainer duo of Samuel Marin and Gregory Sacco, who have gone 3-for-4 (75%) teaming up together over the last two months. Only one other horse in Friday’s field has cracked the 80 Brisnet Speed rating plateau, and that horse—#7 Bahamian Native (9-2)—has posted lower numbers of 74, 66, 61, and 78 in his last four starts. For all these reasons, Air Invasion looks like a standout.

Bahamian Native is a logical contender to use underneath, considering he’s cracked the top five in his last two starts over this track and class level. #6 Likebelivingnmagic (5-2) is another must-use contender; while he finished fifth in a seven-furlong sprint over this track and class level last time out, two starts back he wired a seven-furlong $16,000 claimer for non-winners of two races with a 79 Brisnet Speed rating.

We can’t dismiss #2 Road Minister (12-1) either. Two starts back, in a $16,000 claimer for non-winners of three races, he finished ahead of both Bahamian Native and Likebelivingnmagic.

We’ll round out our tickets with #1 Haberdashery (5-1) and #3 All the Rage (6-1):

• $1 Super High 5: 8 with 2,6,7 with 2,6,7 with 1,2,6,7 with 1,2,3,6,7 ($24)

Good luck!