Friday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Turfway’s $5,144 Super High 5 carryover

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Friday, Jan. 24 at Santa Anita, along with horses to play in the $5,144 Super High 5 carryover at Turfway 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.
• 5x Points at Your Most Wagered Track: Receive 5x reward points on all wagers (excluding show bets) at Gulfstream Park from Friday through Sunday.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $200 Oaklawn Feeder to 1/26 Fair Grounds/Oaklawn KDBC/NHC Qualifier
• $200 Turfway Bonus Feeder Friday to 2/1 Oaklawn KDBC Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Santa Anita: Race 3: Maiden Special Weight (1 1/8 miles on turf, 4:34 p.m. ET)

In this small and largely paceless field, #3 Current Affair (6-1) has a chance to shake loose on an uncontested lead. She exits a pacesetting sixth-place finish in a five-furlong maiden special weight over the Del Mar lawn and has since posted two bullet workouts.

If Current Affair escapes with modest pace fractions up front, she can spring an upset over heavy favorite #1 Sophisticate (3-5), a pure deep closer who has shown a tendency to settle for minor award.

Selections

• #3 Current Affair (6-1)
• #1 Sophisticate (3-5)
• #4 Justivar (7-2)

Wagers

• $15 to win on #3 Current Affair
• $5 Exacta: 3 with 1
  Total: $20

Santa Anita: Race 7: $100,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (one mile on turf, 6:36 p.m. ET)

#1 Resolve (6-1) set too fast of a pace when dashing to a daylight early lead in the one-mile Blue Norther S. at Santa Anita last month, so it’s not surprising that she tired down the homestretch to finish fifth by 4 1/4 lengths.

Resolve had previously closed from behind to finish a solid third in the one-mile Jimmy Durante (G3) at Del Mar. If she reverts to more relaxed tactics while dropping in class, Resolve can bounce back and surprise at 6-1 odds.

Selections

• #1 Resolve (6-1)
• #5 Schilflied (5-2)
• #4 Supa Speed (8-5)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #1 Resolve

Santa Anita: Race 8: Maiden Special Weight (6 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 7:07 p.m. ET)

#1 Maysam (9-5) has put together a strong series of workouts for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who wins at a 30% rate with horses debuting in maiden special weights. The last two works have been especially sharp: five furlongs from the Santa Anita starting gate in :59 3/5 and half a mile over the same track in :47 4/5.

Under jockey Kazushi Kimura (a 29% winner teaming up with Baffert over the last two months), Maysam looms as a serious win threat. Stablemate and fellow first-time starter #2 Brilliantly (7-5) can complete the exacta.

Selections

• #1 Maysam (9-5)
• #2 Brilliantly (7-5)
• #4 Scusi (10-1)

Wagers

• $20 Exacta: 1 with 2

Carryover Watch

Turfway Park: Race 10: $5,144 Super High 5 carryover (10:25 p.m. ET)

The ever-elusive Super High 5 at Turfway Park has gone unsolved for two racing days in a row. The carryover for the $1 wager stands at $5,144 heading into Friday’s card.

As usual, the Super High 5 is available to play on the final race of the day. That would be Race 10, a $7,500 maiden claimer for three-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs on Tapeta. A total of 14 horses (including two also-eligibles) have entered, so assembling a winning ticket won’t be easy.

That said, the two morning-line favorites look strong, which should simplify the complexity and cost of pursuing the carryover.

#6 Match Five (3-1) is the top choice after cracking the trifecta in a pair of maiden special weights sprinting five furlongs over the Horseshoe Indianapolis turf course. She’s been freshened since September and is dropping in class for hot trainer John Ennis, a respectable 18% winner with horses descending from maiden special weight to maiden claiming company. Horseshoe Indianapolis form often holds up well at Turfway, so Match Five has a strong chance to factor.

Second choice #1 Standbyfortakeoff (7-2) boasts solid credentials too. She showed pace-tracking speed before tiring to finish sixth in a $50,000 maiden claimer sprinting six furlongs over the Turfway Tapeta last month. Trainer Eddie Kenneally strikes at a 25% rate with horses dropping multiple levels down the class ladder, so descending sharply into a $7,500 maiden claimer might be all Standbyfortakeoff needs to vie for victory.

We recommend building Super High 5 tickets around Match Five and Standbyfortakeoff, counting on one to win and the other to finish in the top three.

For the remaining slots, give #9 Unalakleet (4-1) a long look. The unraced daughter of Iqbaal (who sires 36% winners from first-time starters) hails from the barn of Welsey Ward, who wins at a 29% rate with horses debuting in maiden claimers. Unalakleet has turned in some sharp workouts at Turfway, and a top-five finish is likely within reach.

Good luck!