Best Bets and Quick Picks: Churchill’s $16,590 Super High 5

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Thursday, June 19 at Horseshoe Indianapolis and Churchill Downs, including tickets for Churchill’s $16,590 Super High 5 carryover.

Today’s special offers from TwinSpires include:

• New Players $200 Sign-Up Bonus: Open your TwinSpires.com account using the offer code BET200 to start earning a $200 bonus.
• 5x Points on Harness Racing: Receive 5x points on all wagers at harness tracks (excluding show bets) each Wednesday and Thursday from May 7 through June 26.
• Churchill Downs Triple Rewards Points: Receive triple rewards point on all wagers (excluding show bets) at Churchill Downs from Wednesday through Friday.
• British Racing $10 Money Back: Receive up to $10 back on your first single-horse win wager if your horse runs second in selected British races from May 17 through Aug. 31.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $100 Royal Ascot Cash Feeder to 6/21 Royal Ascot Challenge
• $120 Horseshoe Indianapolis Feeder to 6/27 Churchill Downs SFBC Qualifier
• $200 Churchill Downs Feeder to 6/21 Churchill Downs SFBC Qualifier
• $50 Churchill Downs Challenge

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (five furlongs on dirt, 3:43 p.m. ET)

#3 Mischief Mania (5-2) looks ready to win on debut for hot trainer Brad Cox, a 30% winner at Horseshoe Indianapolis this meet. A daughter of perennial leading sire Into Mischief (who sires a lofty 15% winners from first-time starters), Mischief Mania has shown speed during morning training, most notably clocking half a mile from the Churchill Downs starting gate in :47 2/5.

Fellow first-time starters #8 Wedge (5-1) and #5 King Arturo (6-1) can battle to complete the exacta.

Selections

• #3 Mischief Mania (5-2)
• #8 Wedge (5-1)
• #5 King Arturo (6-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #3 Mischief Mania
• $5 Exacta: 3 with 5,8 ($10)
  Total: $30

Churchill Downs: Race 2: $40,000 Maiden Claiming (5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 5:29 p.m. ET)

#6 Barstool (5-2) has finished third and fourth in his first two starts against maiden special weight competition. His third-place finish came in his lone dirt start, a 4 1/2-furlong Keeneland sprint won by next-out Kentucky Juvenile S. winner Pinky Finger.

Getting back on dirt and dropping in class for a $40,000 maiden claimer can send Barstool to the winner’s circle over second-time starter #7 Compressed (2-1).

Selections

• #6 Barstool (5-2)
• #7 Compressed (2-1)
• #4 Kid Twist (8-1)

Wagers

• $22 to win on #6 Barstool
• $8 Exacta: 6 with 7
  Total: $30

Churchill Downs: Race 5: Maiden Special Weight (five furlongs on turf, 6:56 p.m. ET)

#9 Undercover Agent (5-1) is an unraced daughter of Omaha Beach, who sires a solid 13% winners from first-time turf starters. The bay filly has put together a sharp work tab at Churchill Downs highlighted by half a mile in :47, suggesting she’s a threat to win on debut for the hot jockey/trainer duo of Jose Ortiz and Mark Casse.

If Undercover Agent’s 5-1 morning-line odds hole up, she’ll be worthy of a win bet. We’ll also key her over #5 Clowning Around (3-1) in an exacta.

Selections

• #9 Undercover Agent (5-1)
• #5 Clowning Around (3-1)
• #10 Red Drapes (6-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #9 Undercover Agent
• $5 Exacta: 9 with 5
  Total: $25

Carryover Watch

Churchill Downs: Race 1: $16,590 Super High 5 carryover (5:00 p.m. ET)

The $1 Super High 5 went unsolved in the final race at Churchill Downs on Wednesday, which means the first race on Thursday’s evening card features a $16,590 Super High 5 carryover.

Race 1 is a maiden special weight for two-year-old fillies sprinting five furlongs on turf. It’s a tricky race to handicap because six of the nine entrants are first-time starters, and the experienced runners don’t bring especially compelling form to the table. Predicting which fillies will finish in the top five—and in which order—won’t be easy.

To keep tickets affordable, we’ll key #9 Vibora (5-2) on top. A daughter of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) winner Hootenanny (who sires a sharp 16% winners from first-time turf starters), Vibora flashed speed in her debut dashing 4 1/2 furlongs over the Keeneland main track before tiring to finish seventh.

Hot trainer Wesley Ward wins at a 22% rate with second-time starters, and Vibora’s pedigree hints she’ll enjoy switching from dirt to turf, so we’ll count on Vibora’s early speed to win the day.

Underneath Vibora, we’ll spread deeper. The first-time starter #4 Delightful Darling (7-2) is a logical contender. She’s a daughter of Flameaway, a stakes winner on turf who sires 14% winners from first-time grass starters.

Delightful Darling has put together a decent series of half-mile workouts for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, who has gone 6-1-2-1 (17% wins, 67% in-the-money) debuting two-year-olds in turf sprints at Churchill Downs since 2021. There are enough positives in Delightful Darling’s corner to suggest a top-five finish is well within reach.

Other fillies we’ll emphasize include #5 Second City Saint (10-1), who clocked half a mile from the Turfway Park starting gate in :47 2/5 earlier this month; #7 High Dollar Dolly (6-1), a daughter of champion sprinter Runhappy; and #8 Engagement (10-1), a daughter of Omaha Beach switching to turf and removing blinkers after a tiring debut on dirt at Churchill Downs.

• $1 Super High 5: 9 with 4 with 5,7,8 with 1,2,5,7,8 with 1,2,5,7,8 ($36)
• $1 Super High 5: 9 with 5,7,8 with 4 with 1,2,5,7,8 with 1,2,5,7,8 ($36)
• $1 Super High 5: 9 with 5,7,8 with 1,2,5,7,8 with 4 with 1,2,5,7,8 ($36)
  Total: $108

Good luck!