Monday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: $23,355 Pick 6 mandatory payout

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Monday, Aug. 24 at Presque Isle Downs and Assiniboia Downs, along with a horse to single in the $23,355 Pick 6 mandatory payout at Gulfstream 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.
• 8x Rewards Points at Woodbine Mohawk: Opt in and receive 8x rewards points on all wagers at Woodbine Mohawk each racing day in August.
• 15% Odds Boost at GBI Racing: Opt in to receive a 15% odds boost (up to $25 per day) on your winning single-horse win wagers at select GBI tracks from Monday, Aug. 10 through Monday, Aug. 31.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $92 Presque Isle Downs Bet and Set Feeder to 9/3 Kentucky Downs King of the Turf Qualifier
• $40 Horseshoe Indianapolis Challenge
• $96 Horseshoe Indianapolis Feeder to 8/27 Saratoga SSBC Bonus Feeder
• $90 Mountaineer Bet and Set Feeder to 8/30 Saratoga NHC Qualifier
• $40 Mountaineer Challenge

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Presque Isle Downs: Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 4:51 p.m. ET)

#5 Chef’s Kiss (4-1) is an unraced two-year-old filly from the hot barn of Juan Arriagada, whose 24-for-79 (30%) record at Presque Isle Downs this meet includes a 2-for-3 (67%) tally with juveniles.

Chef’s Kiss has shown speed in the mornings, most notably clocking a bullet half-mile in :46 4/5 at Presque Isle, and she’s slated to be ridden by hot jockey Isarel Rodriguez, a 41% winner teaming up with Arriagada over the last two months.

Let’s place a win bet on Chef’s Kiss.

Selections

• #5 Chef’s Kiss (4-1)
• #2 A Road to Conquest (10-1)
• #4 Lucky Lucky Gingin (5-2)

Wagers

• $35 to win on #5 Chef’s Kiss

Assiniboia Downs: Race 1: R. C. Anderson S. (one mile on dirt, 8:30 p.m. ET)

#2 Rise Again (2-5) owns the two highest Brisnet Speed ratings in this three-horse field. She earned a 70 when taking the six-furlong Hazel Wright Sire S. and a 72 when finishing third by one length against older rivals in a 7 1/2-furlong allowance.

Returning to the three-year-old ranks for the R. C. Anderson should make Rise Again tough to beat. Let’s single her to start a large daily double. 

Selections

• #2 Rise Again (2-5)
• #1 Clippity Cop (7-5)
• #3 Our Last Penny (50-1)

Wagers

• $50 Double: 2 with 1

Assiniboia Downs: Race 2: $10,000 Claiming (six furlongs on dirt, 9:00 p.m. ET)

#1 Sgt. Filkow (1-2) has early speed, which he put to good use in a six-furlong $15,000 maiden claimer at Assiniboia last month. He led all the way to dominate by five lengths, earning a career-best 71 Brisnet Speed rating.

Sgt. Filkow looks fast enough to secure an uncontested lead in this $10,000 claimer, so let’s single him to conclude our daily double, then bet him over #4 Jaya Rules (10-1) in an exacta.

Selections

• #1 Sgt. Filkow (1-2)
• #4 Jaya Rules (10-1)
• #6 Amma Jaw Dropper (5-1)

Wagers

• $10 Exacta: 1 with 4

Carryover Watch

Gulfstream Park: Race 4: $23,355 Pick 6 mandatory payout (1:51 p.m. ET)

Another Monday, another mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow Pick 6 at Gulfstream Park. This week’s carryover stands at $23,355, and Gulfstream estimates the final pool will reach $400,000.

To solve the six-race sequence, you’ll have to find the winning combination among 54 horses (averaging nine per race) and 471,744 possible outcomes.

You can slice the possibilities to consider down to 52,416 just by singling #4 Exquisite (8-5) in Race 5, a $35,000 maiden claimer for fillies and mares sprinting five furlongs on turf.

Best single: Race 5: #4 Exquisite (8-5)

Exquisite hasn’t finished out of the trifecta in four starts, all against tougher maiden special weight competition at Gulfstream Park. She opened her career with a trio of tries on dirt, finishing third, second, and third. Her runner-up finish came against Sippin Pretty, who later won the Victory Ride (G3) at Saratoga.

Exquisite made her turf debut in a five-furlong maiden special weight on Aug. 8. Working with only 12 feet of run-up distance, she dashed to the lead and set fractions of :22.61 and :45.36, in the process opening up a 3 1/2-length lead. Unfortunately, she grew leg-weary in the final furlong and tired to finish second by three-quarters of a length.

Dropping into a $35,000 maiden claimer should help Exquisite carry her speed all the way to the winner’s circle. It’s encouraging to note she has the hot jockey/trainer duo of Micah Husbands and Saffie Joseph Jr. in her corner. Over the last two months, Husbands and Joseph have won at a 25% rate teaming up together.

Trainer stats cement Exquisite as the filly to beat. Joseph wins at a 26% rate with horses dropping from maiden special weight to maiden claiming company, and at a 24% rate with horses trying grass for the second time.

Throw in the fact Exquisite owns the two highest Brisnet Speed ratings in Monday’s field, and she’s a compelling choice to single in the second leg of the Rainbow Pick 6.

Good luck!