Monday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: La Canonica for an upset

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Monday, June 22 at Finger Lakes, Horseshoe Indianapolis, and Assiniboia Downs, including tickets for the $2,825 Super High 5 carryover at Assiniboia.

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• $96 Horseshoe Indianapolis Feeder to 6/25 Churchill Downs SFBC Bonus Feeder
• $40 Presque Isle Downs Challenge
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• $40 Mountaineer Challenge

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Finger Lakes: Race 3: Maiden Special Weight (one mile on dirt, 1:53 p.m. ET)

#1 Enterprisingly (3-1) showed some tactical speed in a recent seven-furlong maiden special weight for New York-breds at Saratoga. She stayed within 2 1/2 lengths of :22.31 and :45.15 pace fractions before tiring to finish 10th.

Enterprisingly should find the competition a bit easier at Finger Lakes, setting the stage for a breakthrough victory. Let’s bet her to win and key her over Florida shipper #4 Sliceaway (2-1) in an exacta.

Selections

• #1 Enterprisingly (3-1)
• #4 Sliceaway (2-1)
• #5 Saratoga Sunset (7-2)

Wagers

• $24 to win on #1 Enterprisingly
• $6 Exacta: 1 with 4
  Total: $30

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 7: Maiden Special Weight (one mile on turf, 5:16 p.m. ET)

Whether this race stays on grass or gets rained off the turf, #7 Bozzetto (6-1) figures to factor. The unraced Juddmonte homebred is a son of Not This Time, who has sired major winners on dirt and turf alike.

Bozzetto has put together a lengthy work tab for high-percentage trainer Brad Cox, including five furlongs from the Horseshoe Indianapolis starting gate in 1:00. Bozzetto should be fit for a sharp debut under jockey Fernando De La Cruz (a 23% winner teaming up with Cox over the last two months), so let’s place a win bet on Bozzetto.

Selections

• #7 Bozzetto (6-1)
• #9 Wan Dale (6-1)
• #11 All the Time (15-1)

Wagers

• $30 to win on #7 Bozzetto

Assiniboia Downs: Race 1: Maiden Special Weight (six furlongs on dirt, 8:30 p.m. ET)

#2 Ez Tree Ates (4-5) is the heavy morning-line favorite, but she’s an 0-for-11 maiden with a habit of breaking slowly. Two starts back, she dropped over 20 lengths off the early pace.

Let’s try to beat Ez Tree Ates with #3 La Canonica (6-1), a newcomer to Assiniboia Downs. La Canonica has spent her first three starts competing on turf, most notably finishing fourth (beaten only three lengths) in a 7 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Canterbury Park.

As a daughter of Bernardini out of a mare by Street Sense, La Canonica has the pedigree to handle switching to dirt. Let’s bet her to win and key her over Ez Tree Ates in an exacta.

Selections

• #3 La Canonica (6-1)
• #2 Ez Tree Ates (4-5)
• #5 Off the Payroll (5-2)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #3 La Canonica
• $10 Exacta: 3 with 2
  Total: $30

Carryover Watch

Assiniboia Downs: Race 6: $2,825 Super High 5 carryover (10:40 p.m. ET)

The new week kicks off with a $2,825 USD ($3,954 CAD) carryover up for grabs in the $1 “Classic Hi-5” Super High 5 at Assiniboia Downs.

The prize pool is available to chase in Race 6, a maiden special weight for three-year-olds and older horses dashing six furlongs on dirt. We’ll build tickets around #2 Cash Mule (6-5), a three-year-old gelding facing older rivals.

Wagers

• $1 Super High 5: 2 with 3 with 8,9,10 with 4,7,8,9,10 with 1,4,7,8,9,10 ($48)
• $1 Super High 5: 2 with 8,9,10 with 3 with 4,7,8,9,10 with 1,4,7,8,9,10 ($48)
  Total: $96

Cash Mule debuted against fellow three-year-olds in the 5 1/2-furlong Corporate Shuffle S. on June 2 at Assiniboia. He raced in third place at every call and was never more than three lengths behind, which was his margin of defeat at the finish line. He missed second place by only half a length and earned a promising 74 Brisnet Speed rating.

The par winning Brisnet Speed rating for Monday’s conditions is only 72, so Cash Mule should fit well while facing older rivals in a maiden special weight. It helps that he’ll be guided by apprentice jockey Ciera Pruitt, who rides with a five-pound weight allowance. We’ll key Cash Mule on top of our tickets.

Underneath, we’ll emphasize #3 Judge Oliver (6-1), a four-year-old gelding who hasn’t missed the top four in a trio of maiden special weights at Assiniboia. In two starts this year, he set the pace before tiring to finish second and third. He earned sharp Brisnet Speed ratings of 75 and 70, so we’ll count on Judge Oliver to finish in the top three once again.

#8 Areunotentertained (20-1) finished less than one length behind Judge Oliver when third in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight on June 10 at Assiniboia. He has a good chance to outrun his 20-1 morning-line odds, especially while adding Lasix for the first time.

#9 Swing Time (5-1), runner-up by a head in a recent five-furlong maiden special weight at Assiniboia, can’t be counted out of the mix. Nor should we dismiss #10 Seven Rags (15-1), who exits a quartet of races at Tampa Bay Downs this year.

We’ll round out our tickets with #4 Banker Matt (15-1), #7 American Witt (8-1), and #1 Haggis (25-1).

Good luck!