Monday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Mountaineer’s $1,592 Super High 5 carryover

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Monday, Sept. 22 at Finger Lakes and Horseshoe Indianapolis, along with tickets for Mountaineer’s $1,592 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.
• Mountaineer 25% Exacta Boost: Receive a 25% boost (up to $25 per day) on your winning exacta wagers at Mountaineer on Mondays in September.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $40 Horseshoe Indianapolis Challenge
• $200 Horseshoe Indianapolis Feeder to 9/27 Churchill Downs KDBC/BCBC Qualifier
• $150 Mountaineer Feeder to 10/4 Keeneland Fall Challenge Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Finger Lakes: Race 7: Lady Finger S. (5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 3:54 p.m. ET)

A trio of fillies who have run well at Saratoga loom as the primary win threats in this stakes sprint for New York-breds.

#2 Oriole Way (5-2) exits a runner-up finish against New York-breds in the Seeking the Ante S.

#4 Margarita Molly (4-1) debuted with a third-place finish in a non-state-restricted maiden special weight.

#5 Oh (3-1) conquered New York-breds in a maiden special weight.

Let’s box these three in a trifecta.

Selections

• #5 Oh (3-1)
• #2 Oriole Way (5-2)
• #4 Margarita Molly (4-1)

Wagers

• $5 Trifecta: box 2,4,5 ($30)

Finger Lakes: Race 8: Aspirant S. (5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 4:23 p.m. ET)

#10 Arctic Beast (2-1) debuted in a six-furlong maiden special weight for New York-breds at Saratoga. After vying for the lead, he fought on to win by a nose while the runner-up pulled 7 3/4 lengths clear of the third-place finisher.

That victory earned Arctic Beast a 90 Brisnet Speed rating, which towers over the Aspirant field. We’re confident he’ll win right back over #4 Party in the Army (3-1), who ran second in a maiden special weight for New York-breds at Saratoga, so let’s bet an exacta accordingly.

Selections

• #10 Arctic Beast (2-1)
• #4 Party in the Army (3-1)
• #9 Diamond Child (4-1)

Wagers

• $25 Exacta: 10 with 4

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 6: Maiden Special Weight (one mile on dirt, 4:45 p.m. ET)

#7 My Lunar Charm (2-1) finished second over this track, distance, and class level on Sept. 2, earning a 63 Brisnet Speed rating that ranks as easily the highest number belonging to any horse in Monday’s field.

My Lunar Charm is bred to handle racing one mile and has every chance to strike in his second start over this distance. #1 Winthorn (9-5) and #5 God and Luck (7-2) can battle to complete the exacta.

Selections

• #7 My Lunar Charm (2-1)
• #1 Winthorn (9-5)
• #5 God and Luck (7-2)

Wagers

• $10 Exacta: 7 with 1,5 ($20)

Carryover Watch

Mountaineer: Race 8: $1,592 Super High 5 carryover (9:55 p.m. ET)

It won’t be easy to select the top five finishers, in order, in Monday’s eighth race at Mountaineer. But if you can achieve the feat, you can win a share of a $1,592 Super High 5 carryover.

Race 8 is a maiden special weight for fillies and mares sprinting six furlongs on dirt. There are 10 horses in the main body of the field plus one on the also-eligible list. Many bring uninspiring form to the table, and a few are first-time starters, so there’s not much to go on while sorting through the contenders.

We’re intrigued by California raider #10 Co Heart (7-2). She’s recorded top-five finishes in a bevy of starts at Santa Anita, Del Mar, and Los Alamitos this year, including a couple of maiden special weights for California-breds. Along the way, she’s posted Brisnet Speed ratings that fit well against Monday’s field.

Now Co Heart has been transferred to the care of trainer Jose Silva, a 21% winner at Mountaineer this meet and a 27% winner with horses running for the first time under his care. Co Heart may find the competition a bit easier at Mountaineer than in California, setting the stage for victory.

#1 Bien Fresa (2-1) is another logical contender. She exits a runner-up finish in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Mountaineer, for which she earned a 67 Brisnet Speed rating that ranks among the highest numbers in Monday’s field. Bien Fresa’s early speed should be an asset in this largely paceless field, and take note, horses breaking from the rail have won 19% of six-furlong dirt sprints at Mountaineer this meet.

If we box Co Heart and Bien Fresa in the top two slots of our Super High 5 tickets, we can spread deeper underneath.

Horses we’ll use for the minor awards include #3 Dancing Shadows (10-1), a second-time starter adding Lasix and trying dirt for the first time; #4 Don’t Compress (5-1), runner-up in a Mountaineer maiden special weight two starts back; #5 Mia’s Myrige (6-1), #8 Go Beth Dutton (8-1), and #11 Dremscomtrubcseofu (6-1),a trio of first-time starters; and #9 Barbie B (10-1), who cracked the trifecta in a Mountaineer maiden special weight two starts back.

Initially, our tickets are expensive. But since Dremscomtrubcseofu is an also-eligible entrant, there’s a good chance our ticket costs will shrink with a scratch.

• $1 Super High 5: 1,10 with 1,10 with 5 with 3,4,8,9,11 with 3,4,8,9,11 ($40)
• $1 Super High 5: 1,10 with 1,10 with 3,4,8,9,11 with 5 with 3,4,8,9,11 ($40)
• $1 Super High 5: 1,10 with 1,10 with 3,4,8,9,11 with 3,4,8,9,11 with 5 ($40)
  Total: $120

Good luck!