Friday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Mo the Merrier at 5-1

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Friday, June 19 at Aqueduct and Churchill Downs, along with tickets for the $501 Super High 5 carryover at Emerald Downs.

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• New Players $200 Sign-Up Bonus: Open your TwinSpires.com account using the offer code BET200 to start earning a $200 bonus.
• 4x Rewards Points at Churchill Downs: Receive 4x rewards points on all wagers at Churchill Downs each racing Friday in June.
• Woodbine Mohawk 15% Odds Boost: Receive a 15% odds boost (up to $25 per day) on your winning single-horse win wagers at Woodbine Mohawk each racing Friday in May and June.
• $250,000 Minimum Guarantee Jackpot 8: Play the Jackpot 8 at Churchill Downs on TwinSpires for a chance to win a guaranteed payout of $250,000 for any single winner of the entire Jackpot 8.
• 15% Win Bonus at Los Alamitos Thoroughbred: Receive a 15% bonus (up to $25 per day) on your winning single-horse win wagers at Los Alamitos Thoroughbred each racing day in June and July.
• Royal Ascot $10 Bet Back: Receive a Bonus Bet up to $10 back on your first single-horse win wager if your horse finishes second or third in selected races at Royal Ascot from Tuesday through Saturday.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $50 Royal Ascot Challenge
• $65 Churchill Downs Bet and Set Feeder to 6/21 Churchill Downs SFBC Qualifier
• $120 Belmont at the Big A Feeder to 7/4 Saratoga SSBC Qualifier
• $50 Belmont at the Big A Challenge
• $400 Churchill Downs Bonus Feeder Friday to 6/20 Churchill Downs KDBC/BCBC Qualifier
• $100 Churchill Downs Challenge
• $40 Churchill Downs Challenge
• $55 Charles Town Bet and Set Feeder to 6/28 Churchill Downs Haskell Challenge Qualifier
• $40 Charles Town Challenge

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Aqueduct: Race 1: Maiden Special Weight (5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 1:10 p.m. ET)

#1 Al Mowashaah (2-1) has the potential to win on debut for hot trainer Brad Cox, a 22% winner with horses debuting in maiden special weights. The bay colt has been breezing over the Saratoga training track, and as a son of juvenile Grade 1 winner Tiz the Law (who sires a sharp 15% winners from first-time starters), he’s bred to win from an early age.

Throw in the presence of jockey Manny Franco (a 24% winner teaming up with Cox over the last two months), and Al Mowashaah is worthy of a win bet.

Selections

• #1 Al Mowashaah (2-1)
• #5 Banker Bull (5-2)
• #2 Freedom Charge (3-1)

Wagers

• $30 to win on #1 Al Mowashaah

Aqueduct: Race 5: Maiden Special Weight (one mile on dirt, 3:07 p.m. ET)

#6 Mo the Merrier (5-1) showed some ability when debuting in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Fair Grounds. He dropped about half a dozen lengths off the pace, then rallied through quick closing fractions to finish second, beaten only 1 3/4 lengths.

That effort yielded a promising 83 Brisnet Speed rating. Trainer Kenny McPeek isn’t known for winning with first-time starters, and his strike rate with horses running long for the first time is a respectable 16%, so there’s a chance Mo the Merrier will move forward while stretching out over one mile for his second start. It’s encouraging to note Mo the Merrier enters off back-to-back bullet five-furlong workouts over the Belmont Park training track.

A win bet is in order, and we’ll also key Mo the Merrier over first-time starter #1 Collado Hueco (5-2) in an exacta.

Selections

• #6 Mo the Merrier (5-1)
• #1 Collado Hueco (5-2)
• #5 Alghero (7-2)

Wagers

• $22 to win on #6 Mo the Merrier
• $8 Exacta: 6 with 1
  Total: $30

Churchill Downs: Race 6: $175,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (1 1/16 miles on turf, 3:18 p.m. ET)

#8 West Hollywood (2-1) has long shown flashes of meaningful talent. Back in 2024, he dominated the 1 1/16-mile Saranac (G3) at Saratoga by 5 1/2 lengths.

West Hollywood failed to factor in two starts during an abbreviated 2025 campaign, but he kicked off 2026 with a triumph in an $80,000 allowance optional claimer at Fair Grounds, and he recently finished a solid third in the 1 1/16-mile Arlington (G3) at Churchill Downs. Dropping back down into the allowance ranks should put West Hollywood in win contention for the red-hot jockey/trainer duo of Irad Ortiz Jr. and Brad Cox.

Let’s place a win bet on West Hollywood.

Selections

• #8 West Hollywood (2-1)
• #1 Lambeth (9-2)
• #4 Irish Aces (7-2)

Wagers

• $30 to win on #8 West Hollywood

Carryover Watch

Emerald Downs: Race 7: $501 Super High 5 carryover (12:36 a.m. ET, Saturday morning)

The Friday card at Emerald Downs wraps up late—past midnight on the East Coast, so technically on Saturday. But if you’re willing to stay up for Race 7, you can chase a $501 carryover in the 50-cent Super High 5.

Race 7 is a $3,500 claimer taking place over one mile on dirt. We’ll build inexpensive tickets around two horses: #3 Nation of Faith (4-1) and #9 Enos Slaughter (2-1).

Wager

• 50-cent Super High 5: 3 with 9 with 8 with 1,2,5,6 with 1,2,5,6 ($6)
• 50-cent Super High 5: 3 with 9 with 1,2,5,6 with 8 with 1,2,5,6 ($6)
• 50-cent Super High 5: 3 with 9 with 1,2,5,6 with 1,2,5,6 with 8 ($6)
  Total: $18

Nation of Faith doesn’t race one mile all that often, but his last try over this trip was solid. In a $3,500 claimer at Emerald Downs last August, he rallied from off the pace to finish second with an 80 Brisnet Speed rating higher than the par winning number (79) for Race 7’s conditions.

Nation of Faith recently ended an eight-month layoff with a solid third-place finish in a six-furlong $3,500 claimer at Emerald Downs. He gained two lengths through the final furlong to finish only 1 1/2 lengths behind the winner. Stretching back out over one mile can unlock a winning performance from Nation of Faith, so we’ll key him on top of our tickets.

For second place, we’ll use Enos Slaughter. The nine-year-old gelding hasn’t missed the top four in his last seven starts, primarily against $4,000 claiming competition racing one mile at Turf Paradise. But he also boasts a competitive recent run at Emerald Downs on his record. In a one-mile $3,500 claimer on May 31, he finished third by 1 3/4 lengths, earning a 77 Brisnet Speed rating.

For the minor awards, we’ll emphasize #8 Dekudylan (9-2). While he disappointed in a recent $4,500 starter allowance at Emerald Downs, finishing a distant sixth, his form is solid if you draw a line through that misfire. Three starts back, he trounced a one-mile -$10,000-$8,500 claimer at Turf Paradise by 3 3/4 lengths.

We’ll round out our tickets with #1 There Goes My Hero (10-1), #2 Tex Hanley (6-1), #5 Five Twenty Sunset (10-1), and #6 Time Ticker (8-1).

Good luck!