Keeler Johnson’s picks and plays of the day for Jan. 13

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares his weekday picks and plays for Wednesday, Jan. 13 at Gulfstream Park, Tampa Bay Downs, and Turf Paradise, including a trio of exacta bets.

Gulfstream Park: Race 7: Maiden Special Weight (7 1/2 furlongs on turf, 3:40 p.m. ET)

#2 Spill the Tea (4-1) showed promise in her debut dashing 5 furlongs over the Gulfstream Park turf course last month. After rating off the pace in seventh place, Spill the Tea unleashed a game rally on the far outside to reach contention in the homestretch. Despite have to check and shift wider when a rival ducked outward, Spill the Tea kept coming to finish third, beaten two lengths for victory. She was later upgraded to second place via disqualification of the runner-up.

A daughter of Ironicus out of a More Than Ready mare, Spill the Tea has the pedigree to handle 7 1/2 furlongs just fine. It’s possible she’ll show more speed while stretching out in distance, particularly if she gets off to a clean start. At 4-1, she’s worth betting to win and playing in the exacta with #1 Broken Table (2-1) and #4 Gabby Squared (5-2).

• $20 to win on #2 Spill the Tea
• $5 exacta: 2 with 1,4 ($10)

Total: $30

Tampa Bay Downs: Race 6: $10,000 Maiden Claiming (7 furlongs, 3:20 p.m. ET)

#11 Secret Magician (5-1) has spent much of his career running long on turf, but he took a big step forward in his first dirt sprint at Tampa Bay Downs last month. Disregarded at 13-1 in a 6 1/2-furlong, $10,000 maiden claiming race, Secret Magician tracked the pace and seized a daylight lead in the homestretch before settling for second place by a neck.

This effort produced a 77 Brisnet Speed rating, higher than par for Wednesday’s class level and distance. Outside posts tend to fare well in sprints at Tampa Bay Downs, so drawing post 11 shouldn’t be a big concern. If Secret Magician times his rally a bit better while stretching out over 7 furlongs, he can continue his forward momentum and secure his first career victory.

Let’s take advantage of the Winter Midweek Bet Back promotion from TwinSpires and bet $10 to win on Secret Magician. Then we’ll play him on top of an exacta using #1 Himelstein (4-1) and #9 Imperial Palace (6-1) underneath.

• $10 to win on #11 Secret Magician
• $5 exacta: 11 with 1,9 ($10)

Total: $20

Turf Paradise: Race 6: $3,500 Claiming (6 1/2 furlongs, 5:05 p.m. ET)

#6 Shinny (4-1) used to be a capable low-level sprinter in California, winning a maiden special weight at Golden Gate Fields and finishing second in a $12,500 claiming race at Los Alamitos. But the son of Square Eddie has been even more effective facing $7,500 company at Zia Park, finishing second in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint before stretching out to nab a 1-mile and 70-yard event on Nov. 4.

Wednesday’s 6 1/2-furlong trip should suit Shinny just fine, and dropping down to the $3,500 level will make him dangerous for the ultra-hot jockey/trainer duo of Luis Negron and Justin Evans. They’ve gone 10-for-27 (37%) together over the last two months, and Evans boasts a 50% strike rate with horses dropping down in class off a victory.

In short, Shinny looks like a great play at 4-1. Taking advantage of the Winter Midweek Bet Back offer, we’ll place a $10 win bet on Shinny. We’ll also complete our trio of exacta plays by betting Shinny over #2 Mo Gee (9-5) and #7 Bea’s Boy (6-1).

• $10 to win on #6 Shinny
• $5 exacta: 6 with 2,7 ($10)

Good luck!