Monday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: $351,756 Pick 5 mandatory payout

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Monday, June 8 at Finger Lakes and Presque Isle Downs, along with a horse to single in the mandatory-payout $351,756 Pick 5 carryover at Parx Racing.

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.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $40 Parx Challenge
• $98 Parx Feeder to 6/12 Churchill Downs SFBC Bonus Feeder
• $60 Presque Isle Downs Bet and Set Feeder to 6/14 Churchill Downs NHC Qualifier
• $80 Mountaineer Feeder to 6/19 Churchill Downs KDBC/BCBC Bonus Feeder
• $40 Mountaineer Challenge

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Finger Lakes: Race 2: Maiden Special Weight (5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 1:24 p.m. ET)

#1 Three Nines Fine (5-2) has shown some ability competing against New York-breds at Aqueduct. Late last year, she ran second in a pair of maiden special weight sprints, earning Brisnet Speed ratings of 74 and 76 higher than the par winning number (72) for Monday’s conditions at Finger Lakes.

Taking her game to Finger Lakes might be all Three Nines Fine needs to secure her first win. Let’s key her over #2 Celeslia (3-1) and #3 Banking Silver (8-5) in a trifecta.

Selections

• #1 Three Nines Fine (5-2)
• #2 Celeslia (3-1)
• #3 Banking Silver (8-5)

Wagers

• $15 Trifecta: 1 with 2,3 with 2,3 ($30)

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

#4 Steel of Fortune (7-2) is an unraced two-year-old trained by Ethan West, who wins at a sharp 21% rate with horses debuting in maiden special weights.

Steel of Fortune has posted a couple of bullet workouts over the Tapeta track at Turfway Park, and he’s a half-brother to Casson, a debut winner who won the Victoria S. over Woodbine’s Tapeta as a juvenile.

There’s a lot to like about Steel of Fortune’s chances, so let’s bet him to win and hope his 7-2 morning-line odds hold up.

Selections

• #4 Steel of Fortune (7-2)
• #5 Tipsy Mojo (5-2)
• #7 Final Minute (6-1)

Wagers

• $30 to win on #4 Steel of Fortune

Presque Isle Downs: Race 6: $35,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (six furlongs on Tapeta, 5:45 p.m. ET)

#1 Stylet (2-1) ran strongly when making her Presque Isle debut in a six-furlong allowance last month. She carved out a quick pace before staying on to finish second, beaten only three-quarters of a length while earning a career-best 84 Brisnet Speed rating.

Stylet appears well spotted to snag her second career win for hot trainer Matthew Kintz, a 29% winner at Presque Isle this meet. A win bet is in order.

Selections

• #1 Stylet (2-1)
• #7 Inspire Courage (4-1)
• #3 Oh Sheila (5-2)

Wagers

• $35 to win on #1 Stylet

Carryover Watch

Parx Racing: Race 6: $351,756 Pick 5 mandatory payout (2:55 p.m. ET)

Parx Racing is celebrating the new week with the mandatory payout of a massive $351,756 carryover in the Philly Big 5, a 50-cent Jackpot Pick 5 wager.

A competitive sequence is on the agenda. The five races have attracted 48 horses (averaging 9.6 per race) before scratches. To assemble a winning ticket, bettors must wade through 77,760 possible outcomes.

Finding a trustworthy single to build tickets around will go a long way toward making your Pick 5 ticket(s) affordable and competitive. Fortunately, Race 9—the penultimate leg of the Pick 5—offers a viable single in the form of #3 Majorca (5-1).

Race 9 is a $50,000 allowance optional claimer taking place over 1 1/16 miles on dirt. Some bettors might feel inclined to spread deep and cover a few of the nine horses in the field, but we’ll take the opposite approach and stand alone with Majorca.

Formerly based in Florida and New York with Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, Majorca has shifted to the barn of Daniel Eubanks for his 2026 campaign. Competing against easier competition at Laurel Park in Maryland, Majorca has been unstoppable, winning a $25,000 maiden claimer by two lengths, an allowance by three lengths, and a $40,000 allowance optional claimer by 3 1/4 lengths.

The latter win marked Majorca’s best performance to date. He left no doubt about his superiority and earned a career-best 99 Brisnet Speed rating.

Only one horse entered in Race 9 has run faster than Majorca on the Brisnet Speed rating scale: #9 Margie’s Fun Son (4-1), who earned a 101 when taking a $50,000 allowance optional claimer back in February. But Margie’s Fun Son has lost two subsequent starts while earning much lower Brisnet Speed ratings of 84 and 87, so he doesn’t appear to be in peak form at the moment.

As a result, Majorca is a compelling choice to win Race 9 under jockey Martin Chuan, who has gone 2-for-2 riding at Parx this year. Singling Majorca reduces the number of Pick 5 outcomes to consider from 77,760 to 8,640, a valuable step toward cashing a winning ticket.

Good luck!