Tuesday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Whiskey Tryst can spring 10-1 upset

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Tuesday, May 27 at Horseshoe Indianapolis and Presque Isle Downs, along with a horse to single in the $9,016 Pick 5 carryover at Finger Lakes.

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.
• Assiniboia Downs 25% Double Down: Hit two double wagers at Assiniboia Downs to receive a 25% boost (maximum $25 in total) on all winning double wagers for the day at Assiniboia Downs every Tuesday and Wednesday in May.
• British Racing $10 Money Back: Receive up to $10 back on your first single-horse win wager if your horse runs second in selected British races from May 17 through Aug. 31.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $50 Parx Challenge
• $200 Horseshoe Indianapolis Feeder to 5/31 Churchill Downs KDBC/BCBC Qualifier
• $30 Presque Isle Downs Challenge
• $100 Mountaineer Feeder to 6/14 Churchill Downs SFBC Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 7: Maiden Special Weight (one mile and 70 yards on dirt, 5:16 p.m. ET)

#5 Whiskey Tryst (10-1) is an intriguing longshot. He’s shown early speed sprinting on dirt and running long on turf, but he’s yet to tackle a dirt route, which may prove to be his true calling. After all, his sire is long-winded 1 1/2-mile Belmont (G1) runner-up Commissioner, a son of Belmont winner and legendary stamina influence A.P. Indy.

There isn’t much pace entered in this maiden special weight for Indiana-breds, so Whiskey Tryst has a chance to shake loose up front and spring a double-digit surprise. A win bet is in order, plus an exacta using logical favorite #1 Save My Town (7-5) for second place.

Selections

• #5 Whiskey Tryst (10-1)
• #1 Save My Town (7-5)
• #7 Nineteenfourtyfive (4-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #5 Whiskey Tryst
• $10 Exacta: 5 with 1
  Total: $30

Presque Isle Downs: Race 6: $15,000 Maiden Claiming (one mile on Tapeta, 5:45 p.m. ET)

#6 Frozen Four (4-1) is an interesting contender here. He’s finished third in three straight starts against slightly tougher competition on turf at Tampa Bay Downs, most recently a couple of $16,000 maiden claimers.

Frozen Four has run well over the Presque Isle Downs Tapeta in the past, so returning to this surface shouldn’t be an issue for the four-year-old gelding. Let’s bet him to deliver a mild upset over #2 Mohtafil (5-2).

Selections

• #6 Frozen Four (4-1)
• #2 Mohtafil (5-2)
• #9 I’m No Angel (9-2)

Wagers

• $18 to win on #6 Frozen Four
• $7 Exacta: 6 with 2
  Total: $25

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 8: $10,000 Starter Optional Claiming (one mile on turf, 5:47 p.m. ET)

#9 Boitano (5-2) is a logical win threat on his best day, but he exits a last-place finish in a $10,000 starter allowance at Keeneland. It’s possible his form is starting to slip after a busy campaign.

Perhaps #7 Hydro Frost (10-1) can post an upset. His respectable 10-1-3-3 record on turf includes a 3-0-2-1 tally over the Horseshoe Indianapolis lawn. Last time out, he rallied after a troubled start to finish second by one length in a $12,500 claimer at Horseshoe Indianapolis, and back in September and October he finished second and third in $20,000 and $25,000 starter optional claimers.

At 10-1, Hydro Frost is worth betting to win.

Selections

• #7 Hydro Frost (10-1)
• #9 Boitano (5-2)
• #2 Nip N Tuck (6-1)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #7 Hydro Frost

Carryover Watch

Finger Lakes: Race 4: $9,016 Pick 5 carryover (2:01 p.m. ET)

A bevy of North American racetracks are slated to race on Tuesday. One of the best betting opportunities can be found at Finger Lakes. No one solved the 50-cent Late Pick 5 at the New York oval on Memorial Day, so Tuesday’s card is highlighted by a non-jackpot $9,016 Late Pick 5 carryover.

Winning a share of the carryover shouldn’t be overly challenging. The five races have drawn a total of 36 horses (averaging 7.2 per race), and since two of them are coupled in the betting, there are only 15,876 possible betting outcomes—not bad at all for a Pick 5.

Furthermore, we can reduce that number down to 2,646 just by singling #2 Bustin Away (3-2) in Race 5, the second leg of the Pick 5.

Race 5 is a $10,000 allowance optional claimer for New York-breds sprinting six furlongs on dirt. Half a dozen horses have entered, and while they’re reasonably evenly matched from a Brisnet Speed rating perspective, Bustin Away’s overall record suggests he’s a standout.

Bustin Away is 5-for-6 lifetime, 5-for-5 on dirt, and 4-for-4 at Finger Lakes. As a juvenile in 2023 he ran only once, leading all the way to win a six-furlong maiden special weight for New York-breds at Saratoga by a head. Then in 2024, he won three non-state-restricted allowance sprints at Finger Lakes and also ran third in a six-furlong turf sprint division of the New York Stallion Series S. at Aqueduct.

Now four years old, Bustin Away started 2025 on a winning note, employing pace-tracking tactics to win a 4 1/2-furlong allowance for New York breds at Finger Lakes by one length. With that comeback victory under his belt, Bustin Away should be tough to take down on Tuesday. It helps that he has hot connections in his corner—trainer Anthony Ferraro has gone 13-for-31 (42%) at Finger Lakes this meet, while jockey Keiber Coa boasts a 9-for-43 (21%) tally. Over the last two months they’ve gone 5-for-16 (31%) teaming up together.

For all these reasons, bettors can feel confident singling Bustin Away in the Pick 5.

Good luck!