Wednesday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Grand High 5 carryovers

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Wednesday, May 29 at Finger Lakes, Presque Isle Downs, and Horseshoe Indianapolis, including horses to play in a pair of Super High 5 carryovers at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Today’s special offers from TwinSpires include:

• Horseshoe Indianapolis 15% Win Bonus: Receive a 15% bonus (up to $25 per day) on winning single-horse win wagers at Horseshoe Indianapolis each Wednesday in May, starting May 8.

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Finger Lakes: Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (one mile and 70 yards on dirt, 2:42 p.m. ET)

Since 2019, trainer Christophe Clement has gone 8-for-15 (53%) saddling horses at Finger Lakes. This bodes well #1 Settling Storm (7-5), who has earned Brisnet Speed ratings in the 71-78 range while competing in a quartet of maiden special weights on turf at Gulfstream Park and Belmont Park.

Switching to dirt is a question mark, though as a daughter of Belmont (G1) winner Tonalist, Settling Storm has the pedigree to handle the transition. And the par winning Brisnet Speed rating for Wednesday’s conditions is 71, a number none of Settling Storm’s rivals at Finger Lakes have ever reached, so even if Settling Storm runs a little slower while switching to dirt she should still be talented enough to win.

Throw in the fact she’ll be ridden by jockey Keiber Coa (a lofty 39% winner at Finger Lakes this meet), and Settling Storm is a compelling favorite. Let’s place a $50 win bet on Settling Storm and hope her morning line odds hold up.

Selections

• #1 Settling Storm (7-5)
• #6 Ritualistic (5-1)
• #4 Jayla (3-1)

Wagers

• $50 to win on #1 Settling Storm

Presque Isle Downs: Race 1: Maiden Special Weight (4 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta, 3:00 p.m. ET)

First-time starter #5 Lithica (5-1) burned up the track at Presque Isle during a May 23 workout, breezing a half-mile in a bullet :45 4/5. This exercise suggests she has the talent to factor on debut for trainer S. Matthew Kintz, who has compiled a solid 4-1-1-1 (25%) record debuting juveniles at Presque Isle since 2022.

Adding to the appeal is the fact Lithica is a daughter of Neolithic, who sires a lofty 19% winners from first-time starters. At 5-1, Lithica is well worth betting to win and keying over #3 Hazard Pay (9-2) in a small exacta. The latter runner is bred to win early and is trained by Timothy Hamm, a 20% winner debuting juveniles at Presque Isle since 2019.

Selections

• #5 Lithica (5-1)
• #3 Hazard Pay (9-2)
• #1 Don’t Cross Alexis (5-2)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #5 Lithica
• $5 Exacta: 5 with 3
  Total: $30

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (5 1/2 furlongs, 3:43 p.m. ET)

#2 Jammin Justice (9-5) failed to factor in his April 24 debut over this track, distance, and class level, but on May 8 he ran much better in a similar six-furlong contest. After settling a couple lengths behind a good pace, he advanced to finish third by 1 1/2 lengths.

That effort yielded a 77 Brisnet Speed rating, five pounds higher than the par winning number for Wednesday’s conditions. Unless one of the first-time starters in this field runs a big race on debut (which seems unlikely based on trainer stats), Jammin Justice shouldn’t have much trouble delivering victory over #4 Ricky Wannabe (4-1).

In addition to an exacta, we’ll place a $20 win bet on Jammin Justice. Bettors who opt-in to the Horseshoe Indianapolis 15% Win Bonus offer can receive a 15% bonus if he wins.

Selections

• #2 Jammin Justice (9-5)
• #4 Ricky Wannabe (4-1)
• #8 Tizawhitefacecat (8-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #2 Jammin Justice
• $10 Exacta: 2 with 4
  Total: $30

Carryover Watch

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 6: $3,703 Super High 5 carryover (4:45 p.m. ET)
Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 9: $3,156 Super High 5 carryover (6:15 p.m. ET)

Whether you’re a fan of Thoroughbred racing or Quarter Horse racing, there’s a carryover for you to chase on Wednesday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

The 10-cent “Grand High 5” Super High 5 wager at Horseshoe Indianapolis is offered on both Thoroughbred races and Quarter Horse races. But carryovers are kept separate, with the pool from a Thoroughbred race carrying over to the next suitable Thoroughbred race and the pool from a Quarter Horse race carrying over to the next suitable Quarter Horse race.

That’s how we’ve wound up with a pair of Super High 5 carryovers on the table for Wednesday’s card. The Thoroughbred carryover amounts to $3,703, while the Quarter Horse pool stands at $3,156.

The Thoroughbred carryover is up for grabs in Race 6, a 5 1/2-furlong dirt allowance with a nine-horse field. #2 Honeyquist (3-1) is the favorite, but the four-year-old gelding has spent most of his career competing against West Virginia-breds over the bullring oval at Charles Town. That’s a cause for pause, though on the bright side Honeyquist’s lone start away from Charles Town produced a runner-up finish in the James F. Lewis III S. at Laurel Park, and a long series of fast workouts at Churchill Downs this spring indicates Honeyquist is live to factor in his 2024 debut.

Another logical contender is #9 Metallic Man (5-1), who has won three of his last five starts at Horseshoe Indianapolis. He kicked off 2024 with a 4 1/4-length romp in a $25,000 claimer for Indiana-breds over this track and distance, which yielded a sharp 86 Brisnet Speed rating. A similar performance on Wednesday can place Metallic Man in the hunt for victory.

Meanwhile, the Quarter Horse carryover is available to pursue in Race 9, a 300-yard maiden special weight for Indiana-breds. We like #10 Shez Jess Classy (7-2) as a horse to build tickets around. The three-year-old filly stumbled at the start of her most recent race and finished fifth, but two starts back she finished second by a neck in a 250-yard dash over this track and class level. A clean break on Wednesday should put Shez Jess Classy right in the hunt for Diego Villamil Bocanegra and Natash Perez, respectively the leading jockey and trainer of Quarter Horses at the current Horseshoe Indianapolis meet.

Good luck!