Friday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Emerald Downs $78,841 Pick 5 carryover

August 22nd, 2025

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Friday, Aug. 22 at Saratoga and Charles Town, along with horses to single in carryovers at Colonial Downs and Emerald Downs.

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.
  • Saratoga $3,000 3 Pick 3: Hit three Pick 3s at Saratoga for a chance to split a $3,000 prize pool each Friday in August.
  • Del Mar $5 Late Double 25% Profit Boost: Hit the $5 Late Double at Del Mar to receive a 25% profit boost (up to $25 per day) each Friday in August.
  • 10x Points on The Grand Circuit: Receive 10x rewards points on all wagers (excluding show wagers) at select harness tracks in August. Friday’s track is Woodbine Mohawk.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

  • $70 Saratoga Challenge
  • $400 Saratoga Bonus Feeder Friday to 8/23 Travers MMBC/BCBC Qualifier
  • $50 Colonial Downs Challenge
  • $200 Charles Town Classic Feeder to 8/30 Saratoga/Kentucky Downs MMBC Qualifier
  • $150 Charles Town Classic Challenge

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Saratoga: Race 3: Seeking the Ante S. (six furlongs on dirt, 2:16 p.m. ET)

#5 Shakti (7-2) impressed when debuting in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight on July 19. She led all the way to romp by five lengths over Victory Hall, who returned to win her next start over the same track and class level.

The 82 Brisnet Speed rating Shakti earned is tied for the highest number in the Seeking the Ante field. Let’s try betting her to win and keying her over impressive debut winner #3 Iron Orchard (4-5) in a cold exacta.

Selections

  • #5 Shakti (7-2)
  • #3 Iron Orchard (4-5)
  • #6 Grazie (4-1)

Wagers

  • $20 to win on #5 Shakti
  • $10 Exacta: 5 with 3
    Total: $30

Charles Town: Race 8: Pink Ribbon S. (seven furlongs on dirt, 8:32 p.m. ET)

#2 Vahva (3-5) and #4 Mystic Lake (8-5), respectively victorious in the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Charles Town Oaks (G2), are the favorites in this four-horse field. But don’t underestimate #3 Free Like a Girl (5-1).

Free Like a Girl is cutting back in distance after competing in six straight graded stakes over 1 1/16 miles, most notably running second to 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna in the Apple Blossom H. (G1).

In the past, Free Like a Girl has proven effective sprinting at Charles Town. She won the 2024 Pink Ribbon, and in 2022 she finished second in the Charles Town Oaks to future Grade 1 winner Society.

If Free Like a Girl’s 5-1 morning-line odds hold up, she’s worthy of a win bet. We’ll also single her to start a double wager.

Selections

  • #3 Free Like a Girl (5-1)
  • #2 Vahva (3-5)
  • #4 Mystic Lake (8-5)

Wagers

  • $20 to win on #3 Free Like a Girl
  • $10 Double: 3 with 7
    Total: $30

Charles Town: Race 9: Robert Hilton Memorial S. (seven furlongs on dirt, 9:05 p.m. ET)

#7 Owen Almighty (5-2) has performed well running long, winning the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and finishing fifth in the Kentucky Derby (G1). But he’s also crossed the wire first in all three of his starts sprinting seven furlongs or less.

Racing seven furlongs around two turns in the Robert Hilton Memorial should suit Owen Almighty just fine. We’ll single him in our double, then add in an exacta using Kentucky Derby alumnus #3 Neoequos (7-2) and the up-and-coming #2 Tres Coronas (5-1) for second place.

Selections

  • #7 Owen Almighty (5-2)
  • #3 Neoequos (7-2)
  • #2 Tres Coronas (5-1)

Wagers

  • $10 Exacta: 7 with 2,3 ($20)

Carryover Watch

Colonial Downs: Race 3: $4,844 Pick 6 carryover (5:00 p.m. ET)

The elusive 50-cent “Old Dominion 6” Pick 6 at Colonial Downs has tossed up a $4,844 carryover for Friday’s card.

A competitive sequence with mostly large fields is on the agenda. However, Race 6—the fourth leg of the Pick 6—drew only seven horses, making it an ideal place to seek a single.

Race 6 is a $50,000 allowance optional claimer for fillies and mares racing one mile over the inner turf course. #3 Distant Winter (2-1), who has placed at the Group 1 level in South Africa, looms as a formidable contender while making her second stateside start for trainer Graham Motion.

Distant Winter made her U.S. debut in a June 19 allowance racing about one mile and 70 yards over the Delaware Park turf course. Even though she was returning from a 16-month layoff, Distant Winter launched a strong late rally from midfield to get up and win by a neck.

With this sharpener under her belt, Distant Winter is eligible to improve at Colonial Downs and snatch a second straight win.

Emerald Downs: Race 5: $78,841 Pick 5 carryover (11:44 p.m. ET)

After going unsolved for two racing days in a row, the 50-cent Pick 5 at Emerald Downs features a giant $78,841 carryover.

Looking for a single to build tickets around? We recommend #8 Grease Missle (5-2) in Race 6, an $8,000 claimer for fillies and mares sprinting six furlongs on dirt.

Grease Missle has performed well in recent starts sprinting against tougher competition at Emerald Downs. Three starts back, she led by daylight at every call of a $15,000 claimer to win by 4 1/4 lengths, earning an 87 Brisnet Speed rating. Then, after tiring off blazing pace fractions to finish sixth in a $20,000 claimer, she bounced back to run fourth (beaten only 3 1/4 lengths) in a $15,000 claimer, earning an 80 Brisnet Speed rating.

Dropping down to the $8,000 level should make Grease Missle a formidable win threat. The par winning Brisnet Speed rating for Race 6’s conditions is only 78, so Grease Missle is plenty fast enough to win against this caliber of competition. Take note, none of her Race 6 rivals have ever earned a Brisnet Speed rating higher than 83, so if Grease Missle rebounds to her 87, she’ll likely take home top honors.

Good luck!

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