Monday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Go Get It can win at 5-1

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Monday, Aug. 25 at Finger Lakes, Horseshoe Indianapolis, and Assiniboia Downs, along with a horse to single in the $1,091 Pick 5 carryover at Presque Isle Downs.

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• $40 Horseshoe Indianapolis Challenge
• $200 Horseshoe Indianapolis Feeder to 8/30 Saratoga/Kentucky Downs MMBC Qualifier
• $120 Mountaineer Feeder to 9/4 Kentucky Downs MMBC Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Finger Lakes: Race 2: Maiden Special Weight (5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 1:29 p.m. ET)

#2 Go Get It (5-1) is an unraced daughter of Bustin Stones, who sires 17% winners from first-time starters. Her work tab isn’t overly flashy, but trainer Katlynn Gutterson wins at a 25% rate with first-time starters, suggesting Go Get It will be primed for a competitive debut.

Assuming her 5-1 morning-line odds hold up, Go Get It is worthy of a win bet.

Selections

• #2 Go Get It (5-1)
• #5 Mobelladream (5-2)
• #1 Diamondinthedark (4-1)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #2 Go Get It

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 7: Maiden Special Weight (5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 5:16 p.m. ET)

#2 Practical Justice (7-2) is a first-time starter from the barn of Aaron West, a 22% winner at Horseshoe Indianapolis this meet who has gone 7-for-33 (21%) debuting juveniles in dirt sprints at this track since 2021.

A pair of bullet workouts at Horseshoe Indianapolis in the last month suggest Practical Justice has the talent to factor on debut. A win bet is in order, and we’ll also try betting her over #3 Unattainable Love (5-1) in the exacta.

Selections

• #2 Practical Justice (7-2)
• #3 Unattainable Love (5-1)
• #10 Tokajii (12-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #2 Practical Justice
• $5 Exacta: 2 with 3
  Total: $25

Assiniboia Downs: Race 3: Allowance (7 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 9:25 p.m. ET)

#4 Mechanic Susie (1-5) wins left and right when facing region-restricted competition at Assiniboia Downs. Two starts back, she won a seven-furlong allowance for horses bred in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, North Dakota, or South Dakota.

Mechanic Susie is tackling a similar class level on Friday and is hands-down the horse to beat for the hot jockey/trainer duo of Antonio Whitehall and Elton Dickey. Let’s try betting her over multiple stakes winner #3 Commandoslastdance (25-1) in a cold exacta.

Selections

• #4 Mechanic Susie (1-5)
• #3 Commandoslastdance (25-1)
• #5 Nikkitysplit (4-1)

Wagers

• $15 Exacta: 4 with 3

Carryover Watch

Presque Isle Downs: Race 1: $1,091 Pick 5 carryover (3:30 p.m. ET)

Mathematically speaking, winning a share of Monday’s $1,091 Early Pick 5 carryover at Presque Isle Downs shouldn’t be difficult.

The first four legs of the 50-cent wager drew only six entries apiece, and the final leg attracted only eight horses. It adds up to 32 entries in total (averaging 6.4 per race) and only 10,368 possible outcomes, quite manageable for a Pick 5.

We can simplify the sequence even further by singling #3 La Scatta (8-5) in Race 3, a $35,000 claimer for fillies and mares who have never won two races. The one-mile Tapeta contest looks like a perfect fit for the morning-line favorite.

La Scatta has spent two of her five career starts running long over the Presque Isle Tapeta. Her first try over this configuration came in a one-mile maiden special weight on May 28, in which she rallied from midfield to win by three-quarters of a length with an 82 Brisnet Speed rating. Then on July 15, the daughter of Caravaggio finished second in a one-mile and 70-yard allowance. She was beaten only 1 1/4 lengths after leading in midstretch and earned a 74 Brisnet Speed rating.

We highlight La Scatta’s Brisnet Speed ratings because they give her an edge over Monday’s field. Only one of her Race 3 rivals has earned a number higher than 74 this year, that being #1 Keepthedreamalive (5-2), who has posted numbers of 80 and 79. But those were earned on turf; her lone try on Tapeta yielded a 74.

In other words, a typical performance from La Scatta should be sufficient to deliver victory at a short price. It helps that she has hot trainer Riley Mott (a 25% winner at Presque Isle this meet) and similarly hot jockey Pablo Morales (a 25% winner during this Presque Isle meet) in her corner.

For all these reasons, we feel confident recommending La Scatta as a Pick 5 single. We should load up with a win bet too:

• Race 3: $30 to win on #3 La Scatta

Good luck!