Thursday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Churchill’s $9,452 Super High 5 carryover

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Thursday, May 28 at Horseshoe Indianapolis and Churchill Downs, including tickets for Churchill’s $9,452 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.
• $2,500 Win Ladder Churchill Downs: Cash $10+ single-horse win wagers in selected races at Churchill Downs each racing Thursday in May to climb the Win Ladder and compete for your share of a $2,500 prize pool.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $60 Horseshoe Indianapolis Bet and Set Feeder to 6/4 Belmont at Saratoga SFBC Qualifier
• $40 Horseshoe Indianapolis Challenge
• $60 Churchill Downs Bet and Set Feeder to 5/31 Churchill Downs SFBC Qualifier
• $40 Churchill Downs Challenge
• $100 Churchill Downs Challenge
• $150 Churchill Downs Feeder to 5/30 Churchill Downs SFBC Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

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

During the 2025 meet at Horseshoe Indianapolis, trainer Joseph Davis compiled a strong 3-for-11 (27%) record debuting juveniles in dirt sprints.

This bodes well for #2 Little Maite (12-1), an unraced juvenile filly slated to be ridden by hot jockey Hannah Leahey, a 26% winner at Horseshoe Indianapolis this meet. Over the last two months, Leahey and Davis have gone 2-for-4 (50%) teaming up together.

Let’s place a win bet on Little Maite.

Selections

• #2 Little Maite (12-1)
• #3 Indigyat (3-1)
• #1 Looks Like Lainey (5-1)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #2 Little Maite

Churchill Downs: Race 3: Maiden Special Weight (5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 5:58 p.m. ET)

Since 2023, trainer Doug O’Neill has gone 2-for-8 (25%) debuting juveniles in dirt sprints at Churchill Downs.

This suggests #8 Pacemaker (10-1) has a shot to factor in her first start. She’s a daughter of Jack Christopher, who won his debut and the Champagne (G1) at age two, so she has the potential to excel from an early age.

At 10-1, Pacemaker is worthy of a win bet.

Selections

• #8 Pacemaker (10-1)
• #4 Ez Miss Sassy (5-2)
• #6 Peak Perspective (9-2)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #8 Pacemaker

Churchill Downs: Race 6: $125,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (six furlongs on dirt, 7:25 p.m. ET)

#1 Feminism (8-5) impressed when debuting in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Oaklawn Park. She pressed the pace, took over the lead, and pulled away to win by 2 3/4 lengths with a promising 93 Brisnet Speed rating. That’s tied for the highest number belonging to any of the fillies entered in Race 6.

On May 10, Feminism breezed a bullet half-mile in :46 1/5 at Churchill Downs, suggesting she’s maintaining good form as she prepares for her second career start. With hot jockey Jose Ortiz in the saddle, Feminism is worth betting to win and playing over #5 Where Luck Lives (3-1) and #3 Our Two Girls (10-1) in an exacta.

Selections

• #1 Feminism (8-5)
• #5 Where Luck Lives (3-1)
• #3 Our Two Girls (10-1)

Wagers

• $16 to win on #1 Feminism
• $7 Exacta: 1 with 3,5 ($14)
  Total: $30

Carryover Watch

Churchill Downs: Race 1: $9,452 Super High 5 carryover (5:00 p.m. ET)

This week’s racing action at Churchill Downs kicks off with a $9,452 Super High 5 carryover up for grabs in Race 1, a maiden special weight for two-year-olds who brought a final bid of $65,000 or less at their most recent auction.

The five-furlong dirt dash has drawn an eight-horse field. We’ll key #4 La Belle Vie (8-5) on top of our tickets.

Wagers

• $1 Super High 5: 4 with 1,2,8 with 1,2,8 with 1,2,8 with ALL ($24)
• $1 Super High 5: 4 with 1,2,8 with 1,2,8 with ALL with 1,2,8 ($24)
  Total: $48

Since 2021, trainer Wesley Ward has compiled a stellar 9-for-23 (39%) record debuting juveniles in dirt sprints at Churchill Downs. La Belle Vie can give Ward another win. The unraced daughter of Tacitus has shown speed in the mornings, even breezing a bullet three furlongs from the Keeneland starting gate in :35 4/5, and she’s slated to be ridden by Gerardo Corrales, a 22% winner teaming up with Ward over the last two months.

Throw in the fact Ward has been on fire at Churchill Downs this meet, going 10-for-23 (43%), and La Belle Vie is certainly the filly to beat.

Underneath, we’ll emphasize three other first-time starters: #1 Vissino (5-2), #2 Big Falls (7-2), and #8 Money Man Mike (15-1).

Vissino, from the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, is a son of Preservationist, who sires a solid 14% winners from first-time starters. Hot jockey Jose Ortiz is named to ride, and Vissino has put together a solid work tab including a trio of half-mile breezes.

Big Falls hails from the red-hot barn of William Walden, who has gone 6-for-13 (46%) at Churchill Downs this meet. Big Falls is a son of Rowayton, who placed in multiple Grade 1 races as a juvenile. Axel Concepcion, who has gone 4-for-6 (67%) teaming up with Walden over the last two months, is slated to ride.

As for Money Man Mike, he’s a son of two-time juvenile Grade 1 winner Bolt d’Oro. Trainer Aaron West wins at a sharp 21% rate with horses debuting in maiden special weights, and hot jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (a 29% winner at Churchill Downs this meet) has the mount. There’s a lot to like about Money Man Mike, including the fact he enters off a pair of promising half-mile workouts.

Good luck!