Horse racing: Indiana Grand spot plays for Nov. 18

Picks and plays on a $60 budget for the Wednesday card at Indiana Grand.

Race 1: $7,500 maiden claiming (6 furlongs, 2:05 p.m. ET)

#1 No Treble (7-5) is the morning-line favorite, after he hit the board in four starts against much tougher competition on the Southern California circuit. But the son of Maclean’s Music hasn’t run in more than two years, and his recent work tab isn’t all that impressive. He seems tough to trust at a short price.

Instead, I’ll favor #7 Whiskey Chaser (8-5). The 3-year-old gelding has been freshened since he finished second for a $10,000 tag at Churchill Downs during the spring.

The drop down the class ladder should make Whiskey Chaser a dangerous threat for trainer William Denzik, who wins at an 18% rate with horses returning from a layoff of 90 days or more.

Whiskey Chaser ranks among the field’s fastest horses in terms of Brisnet Speed ratings and has the tactical speed to sit a perfect trip from his outside draw. Let’s bet him to win and key him on top of No Treble and #4 No Mas (3-1) in the exacta.

$20 to win on #7 Whiskey Chaser
$6 exacta: 7 with 1
$4 exacta: 7 with 4
Total: $30

Race 8: Frances Slocum S. (1 1/16 miles, 5:35 p.m. ET)

In this full field of Indiana-bred fillies and mares, the distance could tip the scales in favor of Merriville S. runner-up #10 Piedi Bianchi (5-2), who dominated the 2018 Frances Slocum by 2 1/2 lengths.

A 5-year-old veteran, with 19 starts under her belt, Piedi Bianchi has cracked the trifecta in a trio of Grade 1 events and generally does her best work running long. During the summer, she finished third in the 1-mile Ruffian (G2), behind next-out Grade 1 winners Monomoy Girl and Vexatious.

The stretch back out in distance should make Piedi Bianchi formidable, so let’s bet her to win and key her on top of a trifecta.

$18 to win on #10 Piedi Bianchi
50-cent trifecta: 10 with 3,4,7,11 with 2,3,4,6,7,11,12 ($12)
Total: $30

Good luck!