Thursday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Play this Fair Grounds double

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Thursday, Jan. 9 at Gulfstream Park and Fair Grounds, along with proposed wagers for two TwinSpires tournaments.

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.
• Fair Grounds 15% Odds Boost: Receive a 15% boost (up to $25 per day) on your winning single-horse win wagers at Fair Grounds each Thursday in January.
• 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.
• 8x Points at Your Most Wagered Track: Receive 8x reward points on all wagers (excluding show bets) at your most wagered track each day this week from Monday through Sunday.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $160 Fair Grounds Feeder to 1/18 Lecomte KDBC Qualifier
• $200 Delta Downs Feeder to 1/26 Fair Grounds/Oaklawn KDBC/NHC Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Gulfstream Park: Race 8: $7,500 Allowance Optional Claiming (five furlongs on Tapeta, 4:03 p.m. ET)

#1 Torch Is Passed (9-2) has won two straight races sprinting five furlongs over Gulfstream’s Tapeta track. First he closed from five lengths behind a runway leader to win a $16,000 maiden claimer by 4 3/4 lengths. Then he employed pace-tracking tactics to win a $35,000 starter optional claimer by 1 1/2 lengths.

Those victories yielded encouraging Brisnet Speed ratings of 85 and 80. Torch Is Passed’s proven affinity for Tapeta may give him an edge over Futurity (G3) runner-up and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) starter #4 Gate to Wire (9-5), who has competed exclusively on turf so far.

Let’s try a win bet on Torch Is Passed.

Selections

• #1 Torch Is Passed (9-2)
• #4 Gate to Wire (9-5)
• #5 Turbulent Force (4-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #1 Torch Is Passed

Fair Grounds: Race 8: $50,000 Starter Optional Claiming (six furlongs on dirt, 5:15 p.m. ET)

#6 Gunner Glacken (9-5) dominated his debut in a six-furlong maiden special weight for horses who brought a final bid of $50,000 or less at their most recent auction. Sent off at just under 5-1 odds, the Eddie Kenneally trainee led all the way to score by 2 3/4 lengths, earning a sharp 86 Brisnet Speed rating.

Kenneally has gone 2-for-7 (29%) at Fair Grounds this meet and wins at a 23% rate with horses racing on Lasix for the first time, which is an angle that applies to Gunner Glacken. A recent half-mile workout in :47 4/5 at Fair Grounds cements Gunner Glacken as the horse to beat in his second start.

Let’s single Gunner Glacken to start a double wager.

Selections

• #6 Gunner Glacken (9-5)
• #2 Shoot the Nickel (3-1)
• #5 Carambaso (4-1)

Wagers

• $20 Double: 6 with 7

Fair Grounds: Race 9: $50,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (about 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, 5:45 p.m. ET)

Southern California shipper #7 Party On Girl (5-2) has run well in her last three starts against $40,000 and $50,000 allowance optional claiming competition, finishing second by a nose, fourth by a neck, and first by a nose. All three of those efforts came in turf sprints, and they yielded Brisnet Speed ratings of 92, 85, and 88.

The par winning Brisnet Speed rating for Thursday’s conditions at Fair Grounds is 86, so Party On Girl is fast enough to win if she brings her A game in her first start for hot trainer Brad Cox, a 31% winner at Fair Grounds this meet. We’ll single Party On Girl to conclude our double wager, then bet her to win for good measure.

Selections

• #7 Party On Girl (5-2)
• #3 Cecile (9-5)
• #8 Notice Me Too (6-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #7 Party On Girl

Tournament Watch

$160 Fair Grounds Feeder to 1/18 Lecomte KDBC Qualifier

To buy your way into the Jan. 18 Lecomte KDBC Qualifier tournament on TwinSpires will cost you $400. But you can win an entry by finishing high enough in Thursday’s $160 Fair Grounds Feeder to 1/18 Lecomte KDBC Qualifier tournament.

One entry into the Jan. 18 tournament is awarded for every five entries in Thursday’s tournament, so if you can finish in the top fifth or so of players on Thursday, you’ll stamp your ticket to the Jan. 18 tournament. To climb the standings, bet your entire $80 bankroll across at least five races at Fair Grounds (minimum $8 per race).

We’ve already suggested a couple of viable plays. Daily doubles are eligible tournament bets, so our $20 double pairing #6 Gunner Glacken (9-5) in Race 8 and #7 Party On Girl (5-2) in Race 9 fits the bill. And doubling down with a win bet on Party On Girl will allow you to knock out a second race from the five-race minimum.

$200 Delta Downs Feeder to 1/26 Fair Grounds/Oaklawn KDBC/NHC Qualifier

Bet your entire $100 bankroll across at least five races (minimum $10 per race) to climb the leaderboard in this $200 Delta Downs Feeder tournament and earn an entry into the Jan. 26 $1,000 Fair Grounds/Oaklawn KDBC/NHC Qualifier tournament.

Need a play to get you started? Check out Race 3, maiden special weight for Louisiana-bred three-year-olds racing 7 1/2 furlongs on dirt. The conditions should be perfect for #8 Same Play (9-5), a son of renowned Louisiana-bred runner Star Guitar.

Same Play debuted over this class level in a one-mile dirt contest on Dec. 13 at Fair Grounds. After rating a few lengths off the pace, he stayed on to finish second behind a runaway winner, earning a 69 Brisnet Speed rating.

That number is tied for the highest belonging to any horse entered in Race 3. The only other entrant who has posted a 69 is #4 My First Deal (7-2), runner-up in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight for Louisiana-breds at Delta Downs last month.

At first glance, splitting Same Play and My First Deal might appear difficult. But the competition at Fair Grounds tends to be tougher than at Delta Downs, so we’re confident Same Deal will prevail on Thursday. Tournament bettors should consider a cold $20 exacta betting Same Play over My First Deal.

Good luck!