Thursday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Belmont’s $63,668 Pick 6 carryover

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Thursday, Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs, along with horses to play in carryovers at Churchill and Belmont Park.

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.
• $2,500 Late Pick 5 Hit It & Split It at Churchill Downs: Opt in and hit the Late Pick 5 at Churchill Downs for a chance to split the $2,500 prize pool each racing Thursday in November, from Nov. 5 through Nov. 19.
• $3,000 3 Pick 3 Hit It & Split It at Belmont Park: Opt in and hit three Pick 3s at Belmont Park for a chance to split the $3,000 prize pool each racing Thursday in November, from Nov. 5 through Nov. 19.
• 8x Rewards Points at Red Shores: Opt in and receive 8x rewards points on all wagers at Red Shores Charlottetown and Red Shores Summerside each racing day from Oct. 29 through Dec. 31.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $90 Churchill Downs Bet and Set Feeder to 11/14 Churchill Downs Claiming Crown NHC Qualifier
• $50 Belmont Park Challenge
• $80 Belmont Park Feeder to 11/6 Churchill Downs CBC Bonus Feeder
• $120 Churchill Downs Challenge
• $200 Churchill Downs Feeder to 11/7 Churchill Downs CBC Qualifier
• $40 Churchill Downs Challenge
• $40 Charles Town Challenge
• $80 Charles Town Feeder to 11/13 Churchill Downs NHC Bonus Feeder

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Churchill Downs: Race 8: Maiden Special Weight (five furlongs on turf, 4:25 p.m. ET)

#4 Cruising Again (12-1) showed an abundance of speed when making her grass debut in a one-mile maiden special weight at Churchill Downs. She opened up a large lead (as many as four lengths) through fractions of :45.45 and 1:10.00 before tiring to finish eighth.

Cutting back sharply in distance to five furlongs may unlock a winning performance from Cruising Again. At 12-1, she’s worthy of a win bet.

Selections

• #4 Cruising Again (12-1)
• #1 Our Patricia Ann (7-2)
• #2 Special Liberty (8-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #4 Cruising Again

Churchill Downs: Race 9: Allowance (one mile on dirt, 4:55 p.m. ET)

#4 Mister Punch (8-1) is an interesting midrange longshot. He crushed his dirt debut in a 1 1/16-mile $100,000 maiden claimer at Churchill Downs one year ago, winning by 4 3/4 lengths with a sharp 90 Brisnet Speed rating. But then he was eased to finish last of six when stepping up in class for the 1 1/16-mile Gun Runner S.

Mister Punch hasn’t raced since December, but he’s put together a lengthy work tab in preparation for his return, highlighted by a bullet half-mile from the Turfway Park starting gate in :47 3/5.  He’s adding Lasix and picking up two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Flavien Prat, so there’s a lot to like about Mister Punch’s chances.

Let’s bet Mister Punch to win and key him over #1 Zimmer (6-5) in an exacta.

Selections

• #4 Mister Punch (8-1)
• #1 Zimmer (6-5)
• #8 Penalty Box (9-2)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #4 Mister Punch
• $5 Exacta: 4 with 1
  Total: $25

Churchill Downs: Race 10: Maiden Special Weight (1 1/16 miles on dirt, 5:24 p.m. ET)

#8 Uppity (7-2) debuted in a restricted maiden special weight sprinting six furlongs at Colonial Downs. She rallied nicely from the back of a six-horse field to finish second behind next-out Keswick S. winner Cyber Spy, with next-out maiden winner Gypsy Lullaby 9 1/4 lengths back in third place.

Trainer Brad Cox wins at a lofty 29% rate with horses running long for the first time, and at a 28% rate with second-time starters, so stats suggest Uppity will be formidable while stretching out for her second try. A win bet is in order.

Selections

• #8 Uppity (7-2)
• #11 Peony Park (10-1)
• #6 Clever Miss (6-1)

Wagers

• $30 to win on #8 Uppity

Carryover Watch

Churchill Downs: Race 1: $8,591 Super High 5 carryover (1:00 p.m. ET)

The opening race at Churchill Downs on Thursday features $8,591 carryover in the $1 Super High 5.

Race 1 is a $20,000 maiden claimer for fillies and mares sprinting six furlongs on dirt. We suggest building tickets around #3 Givemethebeat (2-1), counting on her to finish either first or second.

Givemethebeat has competed exclusively against tougher competition. At Turfway Park last winter, she finished second and third in a pair of 6 1/2-furlong $30,000 maiden claimers on Tapeta, earning Brisnet Speed ratings of 74 and 75 that rank among the highest numbers in Thursday’s field.

Switching to dirt shouldn’t be an issue for Givemethebeat. In June 2025, she ran third in a $50,000 maiden claimer sprinting five furlongs over the Churchill Downs dirt.

Givemethebeat isn’t facing the toughest field on Thursday, and she’s picking up high-percentage jockey Jose Ortiz, so there’s a lot to like about her chances. She appears well-spotted to snag her first career win.

Belmont Park: Race 3: $63,668 Pick 6 carryover (1:40 p.m. ET)

Bettors seeking a horse to single in Thursday’s $1 Pick 6 at Belmont Park—which boasts a lofty $63,668 carryover—are advised to check out #4 General Partner (2-1) in Race 6, an $80,000 allowance optional claimer for three-year-olds and older horses dashing seven furlongs over the main track.

General Partner has shown flashes of serious talent throughout his career. He’s earned several triple-digit Brisnet Speed ratings through the years and ran second in the 2023 Champagne (G1).

Long layoffs have dotted General Partner’s career, and he faltered in his first start of 2026, finishing fourth in a $110,000 allowance optional claimer at Saratoga. But that race took place on turf, and General Partner has done his best work on dirt. There’s a good chance switching back to dirt for his second run of the season will trigger a rebound and allow General Partner to secure the win for hot trainer Chad Brown, so in a competitive Pick 6, General Partner is a reasonably solid single candidate.

Good luck!