Keeler Johnson's picks and plays for Jan. 17

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares picks and plays for Monday, Jan. 17 at Fair Grounds and Santa Anita, including exacta and double wagers.

Picks and Plays

Fair Grounds: Race 3: Maiden Special Weight (5 1/2 furlongs on turf, 3:05 p.m. ET)

#6 Bet He’s Ready (2-1) has never run on turf, but there’s no reason to think he can’t handle this surface. Sire More Than Ready has sired a bevy of major winners on grass (including a large handful of Breeders’ Cup winners), while dam Separate Forest was a Grade 3 turf winner whose best foal to date—Hendy Woods—won multiple turf stakes.

Bet He’s Ready arrives at Fair Grounds off a game third-place finish on dirt at Oaklawn Park, where he ran third by just 1 1/2 lengths while earning a sharp 84 Brisnet Speed rating. If he improves at all while transitioning to grass, he can beat #1 Prayforpeace (5-1) and #2 Lunar Rocket (9-2) to the winner’s circle. And if this race is transferred to the main track, Bet He’s Ready remains a key contender.

Let’s play Bet He’s Ready to win, then key him on top in the exacta.

• $20 to win on #6 Bet He’s Ready
• $5 Exacta: 6 with 1,2 ($10)
  Total: $30

Santa Anita: Race 7: Astra S. (G3, 1 1/2 miles on turf, 6:45 p.m. ET)

#1 Neige Blanche (2-5) was a force to reckon with in 2021, winning a trio of long-distance turf stakes on the California circuit. She displayed tenacity to nab Santa Anita’s 1 1/2-mile Santa Barbara S. (G3) by a nose, and she wrapped up the year with a head triumph in the 1 3/8-mile Red Carpet H. (G3) at Del Mar.

Neige Blanche has tactical speed and will face a small, paceless field in the Astra, setting the stage for an easy gate-to-wire victory. #2 Disappearing Act (4-1), a maiden winner racing 1 1/4 miles over the Santa Anita lawn, can complete the exacta under ultra-hot jockey Flavien Prat.

In addition to our exacta, we’ll single Neige Blanche to kick off a cold double bet.

• $15 Exacta: 1 with 2
• $15 Double: 1 with 2
  Total: $30

Santa Anita: Race 8: $20,000 Claiming (1 1/16 miles, 7:15 p.m. ET)

#2 Tembo (7-2) displayed promising form in his dirt debut at Los Alamitos last month. Racing one mile for a $20,000 claiming tag, Tembo settled right behind a slow pace, then rallied gamely to win by a head.

This effort produced a solid 80 Brisnet Speed rating and an excellent 103 Brisnet Late Pace rating, suggesting Tembo has room for improvement if he gets a faster pace to work with on Monday. We’ll bet Tembo to win and play him over #1 Unbroken Star (9-5) and #6 Sly (5-1) in the exacta.

• $20 to win on #2 Tembo
• $5 Exacta: 2 with 1,6 ($10)
  Total: $30

Good luck!