Friday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Santa Anita’s $104,929 Super High 5 carryover

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Friday, Oct. 3, at Gulfstream Park, Keeneland, and Aqueduct, along with tickets for Santa Anita’s $104,929 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.
• Bet $3,000 Get 5% Back on BCBC Seat: Place at least $3,000 in eligible wagers on races from Oct. 1 through Oct. 26 to receive 5% back on your Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge seat purchase through TwinSpires.
• $3,000 Keeneland WIN Ladder: Place a $5+ single-horse win wager on selected races at Keeneland each Thursday and Friday in October to move up the Win Ladder and compete for your share of a $3,000 prize pool.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $70 Keeneland Challenge
• $300 Keeneland Bonus Feeder Friday to 10/4 Keeneland Fall Challenge Qualifier
• $200 Charles Town Feeder to 10/12 Keeneland BCBC/CBC Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Gulfstream Park: Race 6: Maiden Special Weight (seven furlongs on dirt, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Since 2022, trainer Jose D’Angelo has compiled an excellent 4-for-11 (36%) record debuting juveniles at Gulfstream Park during the month of October.

This bodes well for D’Angelo’s unraced filly #4 Curly Sue (7-2), a beautifully bred daughter of Curlin out of the War Front mare Secede. Purchased for $350,000 as a yearling, Curly Sue has put together a respectable work tab at Palm Meadows and is slated to be ridden by Leonel Reyes, a 25% winner teaming up with D’Angelo over the last two months.

Let’s bet Curly Sue to win and key her over stablemate #5 Sovereign Gold (4-1) in a small exacta.

Selections

• #4 Curly Sue (7-2)
• #5 Sovereign Gold (4-1)
• #1 Zany (2-1)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #4 Curly Sue
• $5 Exacta: 4 with 5
  Total: $30

Keeneland: Race 8: Jessamine (G2, 1 1/16 miles on turf, 4:44 p.m. ET)

#12 Time to Dream (2-1) showed great promise in two starts during the summer at Saratoga. First, she launched a big late rally to win a one-mile maiden special weight by 2 1/2 lengths. Then she closed powerfully from behind a slow pace to dominate the 1 1/16-mile P. G. Johnson S. by five lengths.

Even while breaking from post 12 in the Jessamine, Time to Dream is the filly to beat. A large win bet is in order.

Selections

• #12 Time to Dream (2-1)
• #2 Mackinac (9-2)
• #9 Infinite Sky (5-1)

Wagers

• $50 to win on #12 Time to Dream

Aqueduct: Race 8: Pilgrim (G2, 1 1/16 miles on turf, 4:50 p.m. ET)

#4 Bottas (2-1) impressed when debuting in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight at Saratoga. He settled last among six runners for much of the journey, then stormed home to score by 2 1/4 lengths with a sharp 84 Brisnet Speed rating.

Bottas raced somewhat greenly in his debut and has upside for improvement while making his second start in the Pilgrim. Let’s key him over #2 Heeere’s Johnny (6-1), #8 Noble Dynasty (9-2), and #11 Let’s Be Frank (10-1) in exacta tickets. 

Selections

• #4 Bottas (2-1)
• #2 Heeere’s Johnny (6-1)
• #11 Let’s Be Frank (10-1)

Wagers

• $11 Exacta: 4 with 2,8 ($22)
• $8 Exacta: 4 with 11
  Total: $30

Carryover Watch

Santa Anita: Race 9: $104,929 Super High 5 carryover (8:01 p.m. ET)

Six-figure, non-jackpot Super High 5 carryovers don’t come along very often. But there’s an exception on Friday. After going unsolved for two racing days in a row, the $1 Super High 5 at Santa Anita boasts a massive $104,929 carryover for Friday’s card.

The prize pool is up for grabs in Race 9, a $20,000 allowance optional claimer for California-bred or California-sired fillies and mares racing one mile on turf. The conditions should be perfect for #8 Runamileinmyshoes (9-5).

Runamileinmyshoes has been facing tougher non-state-restricted competition. Along the way, she’s competed with aplomb. Back in March, she wired a one-mile $50,000 allowance optional claimer at Santa Anita by two lengths, earning a career-best 89 Brisnet Speed rating six points higher than the par winning number for Friday’s conditions.

But Runamileinmyshoes has been even more effective competing against fellow California-breds. Three of her four wins have come in state-restricted races, including a pair of $20,000 allowance optional claimers last year. One of those was a one-mile grass contest at Santa Anita in which Runamileinmyshoes displayed nice homestretch acceleration to beat a next-out winner by 2 1/2 lengths.

With red-hot jockey Juan Hernandez in the saddle, Runamileinmyshoes is worth keying on top in the Super High 5.

Who should we use underneath? Certainly #6 Issa Court (7-2). His last start over this class level yielded a victory racing one mile over the Santa Anita turf in May 2024. She’s competed primarily on dirt since then and should appreciate returning to grass for jockey Hector Berrios and trainer John Sadler, who have teamed up to win at a 37% rate over the last two months.

#5 She’s a Joker (9-2) has earned sharp Brisnet Speed ratings competing on turf in non-state-restricted claiming and starter optional claiming races. Dropping into the California-bred ranks should give her every chance to nab a top-five finish under hot jockey Umberto Rispoli, a 28% winner at Santa Anita this meet.

#3 Breve (5-1) and #4 Summer Lake (6-1) have both run respectably in state-restricted $20,000 allowance optional claimers and must be respected too. And while #2 Lady Monclaire (12-1) has been out of form lately, back in January she won over this course, distance, and class level with an 87 Brisnet Speed rating, so on her best day she’s fast enough to factor.

Here’s how we’ll bet the Super High 5:

• $1 Super High 5: 8 with 5,6 with 5,6 with 2,3,4 with 1,2,3,4,7 ($24)
• $1 Super High 5: 8 with 5,6 with 2,3,4 with 5,6 with 1,2,3,4,7 ($24)
• $1 Super High 5: 8 with 5,6 with 2,3,4 with 2,3,4 with 5,6 ($12)
• $1 Super High 5: 8 with 2,3,4 with 5,6 with 5,6 with 1,2,3,4,7 ($24)
• $1 Super High 5: 8 with 2,3,4 with 5,6 with 2,3,4 with 5,6 ($12)
  Total: $96

Good luck!