Monday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Doubles at Thistledown
Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Monday, May 4 at Thistledown, including a pair of daily doubles.
Best Bets
J. Keeler Johnson
J. Keeler Johnson (also known as “Keelerman”) is a writer, blogger, videographer, handicapper, and all-around horse racing enthusiast who was drawn to the sport by Curlin's quest to become North America's richest racehorse.
Horses to single in the $37,229 Sunset Six carryover
The Sunset Six, a special Pick 6 wager featuring the final three races per day at Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita, boasts a $37,229 carryover for Sunday.
Gulfstream Park
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Golden Tempo
Can Golden Tempo go where no son of Curlin has gone before: to the Kentucky Derby (G1) winner’s circle?
Triple Crown
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Ocelli
A rallying third-place finish in the 1 1/8-mile Wood Memorial (G2) launched Ocelli into the 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) picture.
Triple Crown
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Danon Bourbon
A powerful homestretch drive carried Danon Bourbon to a 3 1/2-length victory in the Fukuryu S. on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Triple Crown
Keep the winnings rolling: Racing to play after the Kentucky Derby
If you’re flush with winnings from the 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) and want to keep the momentum rolling, you’ll be happy to hear that a busy post-Derby evening of horse racing awaits.
Kentucky Derby
2026 Kentucky Derby Purse: How much prize money will the winning owner and trainer earn?
Have you ever wondered how much prize money the owner of a Kentucky Derby (G1) winner receives? Or what the payday for the winning trainer looks like?
Kentucky Derby
How to bet the Kentucky Derby Day mandatory-payout $110,100 Pick 6 carryover
One of the best betting opportunities on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs is the 20-cent “Derby City 6” Pick 6, which features the mandatory payout of a $110,100 carryover.
Kentucky Derby
How Keeler Johnson is betting the 2026 Kentucky Derby
As I outlined when sharing my fair odds for the 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1), I view this year’s Run for the Roses as a wide-open race with many possible win contenders.
Triple Crown
2026 Kentucky Derby purse: How much prize money the winning jockey will earn
The jockey who rides the winner of the 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs is set to receive a six-figure payday.
Kentucky Derby
2026 Kentucky Oaks winner: Always a Runner (5-1) wins the 152nd Kentucky Oaks
Always a Runner launched a determined rally down the Churchill Downs homestretch to post a comfortable victory in Friday’s 152nd running of the $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks (G1).
Kentucky Derby
2026 Kentucky Derby Purse: How much prize money will the winning owner and trainer earn?
Have you ever wondered how much prize money the owner of a Kentucky Derby (G1) winner receives? Or what the payday for the winning trainer looks like?
Kentucky Derby
2026 Kentucky Derby purse: How much prize money the winning jockey will earn
The jockey who rides the winner of the 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs is set to receive a six-figure payday.
Kentucky Derby
Which prep races produce the best Triple Crown contenders?
It’s widely known which prep races serve as the best stepping stones to the Kentucky Derby (G1). But which races produce the best Triple Crown contenders?
Triple Crown
Friday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Santa Anita’s $157,177 Pick 6 carryover
Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Friday, May 1 at Churchill Downs, Aqueduct, and Santa Anita, including horses to bet in Santa Anita’s $157,177 Pick 6 carryover.
Best Bets
Picks and plays for the 2026 Kentucky Derby undercard
Saturday’s Kentucky Derby Day card at Churchill Downs is packed from start to finish with high-quality and competitive races.
Kentucky Derby
Thursday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Carryovers at Churchill, Santa Anita
Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Thursday, April 30 at Churchill Downs, Gulfstream Park, and Oaklawn Park, along with horses to play in Super High 5 and Pick 6 carryovers at Churchill Downs and Santa Anita.
Gulfstream Park
Which running style wins the most Kentucky Derbys: Frontrunners, stalkers, or closers?
When 20 talented racehorses vie for victory in the Kentucky Derby (G1), which running style is most likely to succeed?
Triple Crown
2026 Kentucky Derby Purse: How much prize money will the winning owner and trainer earn?
Have you ever wondered how much prize money the owner of a Kentucky Derby (G1) winner receives? Or what the payday for the winning trainer looks like?
Kentucky Derby
2026 Kentucky Derby purse: How much prize money the winning jockey will earn
The jockey who rides the winner of the 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs is set to receive a six-figure payday.
Kentucky Derby
Pace could aid Japan’s T O Elvis in Churchill Downs Stakes
The Churchill Downs (G1), a seven-furlong sprint held on the Kentucky Derby (G1) undercard at Churchill Downs, has an international flavor this year.
Analysis
2026 Kentucky Derby: Which horses are bred to handle mud?
As of Wednesday, the weather forecast for Kentucky Derby (G1) day at Churchill Downs looks dry. But you never know when a rainstorm might pop up and change the picture.
Triple Crown
Wednesday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Stakes at Churchill Downs
Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Wednesday, April 29 at Churchill Downs, including plays in the Kentucky Juvenile S. and Isaac Murphy Marathon S.
Best Bets
What are payouts? Here’s the math and how you can use them in betting
In horse racing betting, what are payouts? How do payouts work? And how can you use them to place smarter bets?
Analysis
Tuesday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: $58,481 Pick 5 carryover
Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Tuesday, April 28 at Churchill Downs, along with horses to play in the $58,481 Pick 5 carryover at Turf Paradise.
Best Bets
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Robusta
Among the horses entered in the 2026 Kentucky Derby (G1), one of the most fascinating from a pedigree standpoint is Robusta.
Triple Crown
Monday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Finger Lakes opening day
Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Monday, April 27 at Finger Lakes and Turf Paradise, including a trio of exactas.
Best Bets
The Smartest Bet in Horse Racing: 4 Strategies for Success
What is the smartest bet in horse racing? The answer is both incredibly complex and surprisingly simple.
Education
Gulfstream: How to bet the $12,915 Super High 5 carryover
If you want to win a share of Sunday’s $12,915 Super High 5 carryover at Gulfstream Park, you’ll have to decipher Race 10, a maiden special weight for three-year-old fillies racing one mile on turf.
Gulfstream Park
Gulfstream Park: Horses to bet in the mandatory-payout $266,215 Pick 6 carryover
Gulfstream Park is celebrating April’s final weekend in a big way. Saturday’s stakes-packed card includes the mandatory payout of a $266,215 carryover in the 20-cent Rainbow Pick 6.
Gulfstream Park