Monday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Mountaineer’s $1,654 Super High 5 carryover

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Monday, Sept. 8 at Horseshoe Indianapolis and Finger Lakes, along with a ticket for the $1,654 Super High 5 carryover at Mountaineer.

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
• $100 Horseshoe Indianapolis Feeder to 9/13 Woodbine Mile/Churchill Downs KDBC Qualifier
• $200 Mountaineer Feeder to 9/20 Pennsylvania Derby/Churchill Downs BCBC Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 1: Maiden Special Weight (4 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 2:10 p.m. ET)

#4 Dot Your Eyes (6-1) debuted in a $50,000 maiden optional claimer sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs over the Ellis Park turf course. After dueling for the lead, she tired in the final furlong to finish ninth.

Switching to dirt and cutting back to 4 1/2 furlongs at Horseshoe Indianapolis may allow Dot Your Eyes to vie for victory. Let’s bet her to win and key her over logical favorite #1 Little Sam’s (9-5) in an exacta.

Selections

• #4 Dot Your Eyes (6-1)
• #1 Little Sam’s (9-5)
• #8 Allison Avenue (5-2)

Wagers

• $22 to win on #4 Dot Your Eyes
• $8 Exacta: 4 with 1
  Total: $30

Finger Lakes: Race 5: Maiden Special Weight (5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 2:56 p.m. ET)

#1 Gigi Cake’s (3-1) has run twice against maiden special weight competition at Saratoga. After finishing fifth in her debut on dirt, Gigi Cake’s opened up a daylight early lead in a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint before tiring to finish ninth.

The competition should be easier at Finger Lakes, and take note, pacesetters have won 54% of 5 1/2-furlong sprints at Finger Lakes this meet. The stage is set for Gigi Cake’s to deliver a victory for red-hot trainer Melanie Giddings, who has gone 5-for-9 (56%) at Finger Lakes this meet.

A win bet is in order, along with an exacta using #3 Just a Click (5-2) for second place.

Selections

• #1 Gigi Cake’s (3-1)
• #3 Just a Click (5-2)
• #4 Queen Isla (4-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #1 Gigi Cake’s
• $5 Exacta: 1 with 3
  Total: $25

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 3:43 p.m. ET)

Since 2020, trainer John Ortiz has compiled a stellar 8-for-17 (47%) record debuting juveniles in dirt sprints at Horseshoe Indianapolis. This stat suggests #7 Wrong Shoes (10-1) is overpriced at her morning-line odds.

Wrong Shoes has been training in Kentucky, most notably clocking half a mile from the Ellis Park starting gate in :48 4/5. Let’s try a win bet on this chestnut filly.

Selections

• #7 Wrong Shoes (10-1)
• #1 Nobleness (6-1)
• #8 Ranting and Raving (5-1)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #7 Wrong Shoes

Carryover Watch

Mountaineer: Race 8: $1,654 Super High 5 carryover (9:55 p.m. ET)

There’s a non-jackpot carryover up for grabs on Monday at Mountaineer. After no one hit the Super High 5 on Sunday, the prize pool for the challenging exotic wager stands at $1,654.

The carryover is available to chase in Race 8, a one-mile $4,000 claimer for horses who haven’t won a race within the last year, excluding races for West Virginia-breds. The conditions should be perfect for morning-line favorite #5 Mr Mac Quhae (2-1).

Mr Mac Quhae has spent 27 of his 28 career starts competing at tracks other than Mountaineer. At Delaware Park and Timonium last summer, he rattled off three consecutive wins, including a blowout 9 1/2-length triumph in a $6,250 claimer for which he earned a strong 90 Brisnet Speed rating.

Mr Mac Quhae has been on a losing streak as of late, falling to defeat in six consecutive starts. But he improved when dropping in class for a $4,000 claimer racing one mile at Mountaineer last month. After rating in midfield, he advanced steadily to finish second by half a length, earning an 81 Brisnet Speed rating.

None of Mr Mac Quhae’s Monday rivals have posted a Brisnet Speed rating higher than 75 this year, so if the favorite repeats or improves upon his 81, he’ll be mighty tough to beat. Throw in the fact he’s picking up apprentice jockey Michael Pagan (who rides with a seven-pound weight allowance), and Mr Mac Quhae is worth keying on top in the Super High 5.

Who should we use underneath? Certainly #4 City Plan (4-1), who is switching to dirt after finishing fourth (with a 75 Brisnet Speed rating) in a $4,000 starter allowance over the Mountaineer turf course. And don’t overlook #6 Distorted Limits (12-1), #7 Happy Champ (5-1), and #8 Luvtheoneurwith (6-1), three horses who have hit the board in multiple $4,000 claimers this year. Brisnet Speed ratings suggest Happy Champ is a particularly compelling contender.

Here's how we’ll bet the Super High 5:

• $1 Super High 5: 5 with 4,6,7 with 4,6,7 with 4,6,7,8 with 3,4,6,7,8,9,10 ($48)

Good luck!