Wednesday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Kim Possible can win on class drop

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Wednesday, Jan. 1 at Fair Grounds, Gulfstream Park, and Turfway Park, including exactas in the Dania Beach S.

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Best Bets and Quick Picks

Fair Grounds: Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (about one mile on turf, 3:15 p.m. ET)

#3 Vanna G (15-1) showed little in her debut sprinting six furlongs over the Fair Grounds dirt, fading to finish ninth by a wide margin. But now she’s witching to turf and stretching out over one mile for trainer Patricia West, a 22% winner with horses trying grass for the first time and a 22% winner with second-time starters.

Throw in the fact Vanna G has the pedigree to handle racing one mile on grass, and there are good reasons to believe she can outrun her 15-1 morning-line odds. Let’s try a win bet on Vanna G. 

Selections

• #3 Vanna G (15-1)
• #1 Classic Embrace (8-1)
• #3 Swamp Queen (3-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #3 Vanna G

Gulfstream Park: Race 9: Dania Beach S. (one mile on turf, 4:21 p.m. ET)

#2 Dream On (6-5) has performed well in a couple of top-tier turf miles, finishing third in the Summer (G1) and fifth (beaten only 2 1/4 lengths) in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). In both races, he led passing the eighth pole.

Dropping down in class for the Dania Beach should make Dream On mighty tough to beat under five-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. Let’s bet him over Pulpit S. winner #4 Mi Bago (3-1) and recent Churchill Downs maiden winner #6 Maui Strong (8-1) in the exacta.

Selections

• #2 Dream On (6-5)
• #4 Mi Bago (3-1)
• #6 Maui Strong (8-1)

Wagers

• $18 Exacta: 2 with 4
• $12 Exacta: 2 with 6
  Total: $30

Turfway Park: Race 9: $7,500 Maiden Claiming (6 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta, 5:00 p.m. ET)

#9 Kim Possible (4-1) has recorded fifth-place finishes in a pair of $50,000 maiden claimers racing 1 1/16 miles on dirt at Churchill Downs and Keeneland. Switching to Tapeta, cutting back to a sprint, plunging in class, adding blinkers and Lasix, and picking up apprentice jockey Irving Moncada (who rides with a five-pound weight allowance) can help Kim Possible challenge for victory on New Year’s Day.

A win bet on Kim Possible is in order. We’ll also bet her over #1 Real Mischievous (5-1) and #2 Florina (6-1) in a small exacta.

Selections

• #9 Kim Possible (4-1)
• #1 Real Mischievous (3-1)
• #2 Florina (6-1)

Wagers

• $24 to win on #9 Kim Possible
• $3 Exacta: 9 with 1,2 ($6)
  Total: $30

Good luck!