Friday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Piquant can win Turfway return

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Friday, March 7 at Fair Grounds and Turfway Park, along with horses to play in carryovers at Fair Grounds and Santa Anita.

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.
• 8x Points at The Meadowlands: Receive 8x reward points on all wagers (excluding show bets) at The Meadowlands each racing day from Feb. 21 through March 29.
• Oaklawn Park 15% Across the Board Boost: Receive a 15% bonus (up to $25 per day) on winning individual win, place, and show wagers—or combination of win, place, and show wagers—at Oaklawn Park each Friday in March.
• 10x Points at Fraser Downs: Receive 10x reward points on all wagers (excluding show bets) at Fraser Downs each Friday.
• 8x Points at Fair Grounds: Receive 8x reward points on all bets at Fair Grounds (excluding show bets) each racing day from March 1 through March 9.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $200 Oaklawn Bonus Feeder Friday to 3/8 Tampa Bay Derby KDBC Qualifier
• $200 Turfway Feeder to 3/15 Virginia Derby/Oaklawn KDBC Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Fair Grounds: Race 1: $5,000 Claiming (six furlongs on dirt, 1:45 p.m. ET)

#5 Runtolive (7-2) is dropping down in class after finishing second, sixth, and seventh in a series of $20,000 and $12,500 claimers sprinting six furlongs at Fair Grounds.

Facing easier competition might be all Runtolive needs to shine for trainer Juan Larrosa, an 18% winner with horses dropping multiple levels down the class ladder. A win bet is in order, along with an exacta using #1 Aspen Link (3-1) for second place.

Selections

• #5 Runtolive (7-2)
• #1 Aspen Link (3-1)
• #6 Golden City (7-2)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #5 Runtolive (7-2)
• $5 Exacta: 5 with 1
  Total: $25

Turfway Park: Race 8: $62,500 Allowance Optional Claiming (six furlongs on Tapeta, 9:25 p.m. ET)

#7 Piquant (5-1) has only run once at Turfway, dominating a $50,000 maiden claimer by seven lengths with a career-best 87 Brisnet Speed rating. He’s subsequently run well on dirt at Oaklawn Park, most notably finishing third by a half-length in the Renaissance S.

Returning to Turfway for a $62,500 allowance optional claimer can place Piquant in contention for victory. None of his Friday rivals have earned a Brisnet Speed rating higher than 86, so let’s bet Piquant to win and single him to start a small double wager.

Selections

• #7 Piquant (5-1)
• #6 Altobelli (7-2)
• #4 Blue Coast (5-2)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #7 Piquant
• $5 Double: 7 with 1
  Total: $25

Turfway Park: Race 9: $30,000 Maiden Claiming (one mile on Tapeta, 9:55 p.m. ET)

#1 Tethered Soul (7-2) finished midfield when debuting in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill Downs last September. The quality of competition was solid; runner-up I Got Game has since won the Ozark S. at Oaklawn, while the victorious Big Much and third-place finisher Admiral Dennis have run well at the allowance level.

Tethered Soul hasn’t raced since his debut, but he’s been gelded and is adding Lasix for his return at an easier class level, changes which could trigger meaningful improvement. Throw in the fact trainer Fausto Gutierrez wins at a 20% rate with horses returning from layoffs of 90 days or more, and Tethered Soul is a logical win contender.

We’ll bet Tethered Soul to win and single him to conclude our double wager.

Selections

• #1 Tethered Soul (7-2)
• #5 Flexible Terms (3-1)
• #8 Devil Anse (10-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #1 Tethered Soul

Carryover Watch

Fair Grounds: Race 3: $3,706 Pick 6 carryover (2:45 p.m. ET)

A series of upsets ensured no one assembled a winning ticket in Thursday’s $1 Pick 6 at Fair Grounds. In fact, no bettor managed to select more than four of the six winners. As a result, there’s a $3,706 Pick 6 carryover on the table for Friday’s card.

Planning to chase the carryover, but not sure where to begin? We’ve got you covered with a suggested single in Race 6, a one-mile and 70-yard maiden special weight for Louisiana-breds. Morning-line favorite #7 Wicked as Haggart (2-1) is a compelling choice.

Wicked as Haggart has started twice sprinting six furlongs over this track and class level. In his debut, he closed from fifth place in an 11-horse field to finish second with an 81 Brisnet Speed rating. In his second start, he tracked the pace before tiring slightly to run second with a 76 Brisnet Speed rating.

None of Wicked as Haggart’s Friday rivals have earned a Brisnet Speed rating higher than 75. Stretching out around two turns should allow Wicked as Haggart to secure a perfect trip setting or pressing a modest pace, so we’re confident he’ll deliver victory at a short price.

Santa Anita: Race 9: $55,690 Super High 5 carryover (7:38 p.m. ET)

The Friday card at Santa Anita is highlighted by a $55,690 Super High 5 carryover.

The $1 wager is available to play in Race 9, a $50,000 starter optional claimer for three-year-olds dashing six furlongs on turf.

An eight-horse field has entered, so there are only 6,720 possible Super High 5 outcomes to analyze.

One horse you definitely don’t want to leave off your tickets is #5 Maximus (4-1), a Triple Crown nominee. While he hasn’t finished better than fourth in his last three starts, those were stakes contested over a variety of distances and surfaces.

Last time out, Maximus earned a respectable 75 Brisnet Speed rating when finishing seventh in the Baffle S. sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs over Santa Anita’s downhill turf course. Dropping in class and racing on Lasix for the first time can help Maximus challenge for victory in his second turf try. Don’t leave him off the top of your tickets.

Good luck!