Friday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Three lucrative carryovers

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Friday, Jan. 16 at Fair Grounds, Santa Anita, and Turfway Park, along with horses to bet in valuable Pick 5 and Pick 6 carryovers at Santa Anita, Tampa Bay Downs, and Turfway Park.

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.
• Turfway Park $10 Bet Back: Receive a Bonus Bet (up to $10) on your first single-horse win wager if your horses run second or third in selected races at Turfway Park each racing Friday in January.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $120 Aqueduct Feeder to 1/31 Southwest KDBC Qualifier
• $70 Fair Grounds Challenge
• $240 Fair Grounds Bonus Feeder Friday to 1/17 Lecomte KDBC Qualifier
• $70 Turfway Park Challenge
• $200 Turfway Park Feeder to 1/25 Fair Grounds/Aqueduct KDBC/NHC Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Fair Grounds: Race 5: $30,000 Maiden Claiming (one mile on turf, 3:45 p.m. ET)

#9 Ramblin (5-2) has finished second, fourth, third, fourth, and sixth in five starts against maiden special weight competition on turf. Along the way, she’s earned a couple of 76 Brisnet Speed ratings, which exceed the par winning number (75) for Friday’s conditions.

Dropping into a $30,000 maiden claimer should make Ramblin a formidable win threat for the hot jockey/trainer duo of James Graham and Keith Desormeaux. A win bet is in order.

Selections

• #9 Ramblin (5-2)
• #8 Easy Munnings (6-1)
• #4 Lucky N Lawless (9-2)

Wagers

• $30 to win on #9 Ramblin

Santa Anita: Race 6: $80,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (seven furlongs on dirt, 6:09 p.m. ET)

#1 Winterfell (9-5) hasn’t raced since December 2024, when he ran fifth (beaten only 3 1/4 lengths) against a strong field in the seven-furlong Malibu (G1) at Santa Anita. He’d previously won three straight races in decisive fashion, including the seven-furlong City of Laurel S. at Laurel Park.

Winterfell has turned in a long series of fast workouts in preparation for his return and is picking up hot jockey Juan Hernandez, a powerful 40% winner teaming up with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert over the last two months. Let’s count on Winterfell to deliver a mild upset win over stablemate #3 Pilot Commander (4-5).

Selections

• #1 Winterfell (9-5)
• #3 Pilot Commander (4-5)
• #5 Bullard (7-2)

Wagers

• $20 Exacta: 1 with 3

Turfway Park: Race 6: Maiden Special Weight (six furlongs on Tapeta, 8:25 p.m. ET)

#5 Tap Me a Song (15-1) is an intriguing longshot while trying Tapeta for the first time. His best Brisnet Speed ratings stack up well against this field, and some of his sprint efforts have been promising. Three starts back, he finished second by one length in a 6 1/2-furlong $75,000 maiden claimer at Churchill Downs.

If Tap Me a Song moves forward while switching surfaces, he can potentially spring a double-digit upset. Let’s bet him to win.

Selections

• #5 Tap Me a Song (15-1)
• #4 Rose Ruler (5-2)
• #6 Dismiss (7-2)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #5 Tap Me a Song

Carryover Watch

Tampa Bay Downs: Race 5: $83,238 Pick 5 carryover (2:28 p.m. ET)

The highlight of Friday’s card at Tampa Bay Downs is an $83,238 carryover in the 50-cent Late Pick 5.

A competitive sequence with large fields is on the agenda. Some bettors will be inclined to single #10 Tigre (9-5) in Race 7, a $16,000 claimer for horses who have never won two races. Tigre is a logical enough favorite in the one-mile grass test, but he finished a non-threatening third over this precise course, distance, and class level on Dec. 13, so he’s not unbeatable.

We recommend using #8 Acquisitive (15-1) as a live longshot on your Pick 5 tickets. In his lone turf start, he ran fourth (beaten only 2 1/2 lengths) in a $40,000 maiden optional claimer dashing five furlongs at Gulfstream Park. More recently, he ran second in a $16,000 claimer for non-winners of two races sprinting six furlongs over the Tampa dirt.

Acquisitive is eligible to improve while switching back to turf, and if he enjoys stretching out over one mile, he has a path to the winner’s circle.

Santa Anita: Race 3: $20,693 Pick 6 carryover (4:35 p.m. ET)

If you need a single to build tickets around in Friday’s $2 Pick 6 at Santa Anita (which boasts a $20,693 carryover), check out #1 Maniae (9-5) in Race 3, a $10,000 claimer for fillies and mares who have never won three races.

The 5 1/2-furlong dirt dash has drawn only seven entries, and Maniae looks like a standout. In November, she comfortably won a 6 1/2-furlong $10,000 claimer for non-winners of two races at Del Mar. Then she ran second in $16,000 and $20,000 claimers dashing 5 1/2 furlongs at Los Alamitos.

Maniae has recently defeated the majority of the rivals she’ll face in Race 3, so dropping back down to the $10,000 level should result in victory.

Turfway Park: Race 5: $104,573 Pick 5 carryover (7:55 p.m. ET)

The 50-cent Late Pick 5 at Turfway Park features a massive $104,573 carryover for Friday’s card.

Single-seeking bettors should check out Race 7, a $40,000 allowance optional claimer for fillies and mares sprinting six furlongs on Tapeta. #7 These Apples (5-2) loves the Turfway Tapeta. Last winter, she son a 5 1/2-furlong allowance and a 6 1/2-furlong $40,000 allowance optional claimer with sharp Brisnet Speed ratings of 89 and 88.

These Apples recently returned to Turfway for a six-furlong $40,000 claimer. Despite lacking racing room around the turn, she rallied late to finish second by a half-length, earning an 86 Brisnet Speed rating. Her traffic trouble was significant enough that the Equibase result chart noted she was “probably best.”

These Apples broke from the rail in that race. Now she’s starting from the outside post in a seven-horse field, setting the stage for a clear trip and a return to the winner’s circle.

Good luck!