Thursday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Englishman returns at Fair Grounds

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Thursday, March 19 at Fair Grounds and Turfway Park, including a cold daily double.

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.
• 3 for $3,000 Exacta Hit It & Split It at Turfway Park: Hit three exacta wagers in separate races at Turfway Park to a split a $3,000 prize pool each racing Thursday in March.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $50 Oaklawn Challenge
• $250 Oaklawn Feeder to 3/21 Louisiana Derby/Jeff Ruby KDBC Qualifier
• $40 Fair Grounds Challenge
• $200 Fair Grounds Feeder to 4/4 Blue Grass KDBC Qualifier
• $50 Turfway Park Challenge
• $200 Turfway Park Feeder to 3/28 Arkansas Derby KDBC Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Fair Grounds: Race 9: $50,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (1 1/16 miles on dirt, 5:45 p.m. ET)

#3 Money Game (7-2) went 2-for-2 as a three-year-old last year, rallying to win a maiden special weight and a $150,000 allowance optional claimer racing 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn Park. Those wins earned promising Brisnet Speed ratings of 90 and 87.

Money Game has turned in a lengthy series of workouts in preparation for his first start since last May. If he’s improved at all at age four, he’ll be tough to beat for hot trainer Brad Cox, a 27% winner with horses returning from layoffs of 90 days or more.

Let’s single Money Game to start a double wager.

Selections

• #3 Money Game (7-2)
• #4 Orizzonte (3-1)
• #1 Tarantino (4-1)

Wagers

• $20 Double: 3 with 9

Fair Grounds: Race 10: $125,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (six furlongs on dirt, 6:15 p.m. ET)

#9 Englishman (4-5) impressed when debuting in a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill Downs last fall. He led all the way through quick pace fractions to trounce a next-out winner by 7 1/4 lengths, earning a flashy 97 Brisnet Speed rating.

Englishman hasn’t run since, but he enters off sharp workouts, and trainer Cherie DeVaux wins at a solid 18% rate with horses returning from layoffs of 90 days or more. We’ll single Englishman to conclude our double wager, then bet him over #5 Silver Talisman (5-1) in an exacta.

Selections

• #9 Englishman (4-5)
• #5 Silver Talisman (5-1)
• #3 Falcon Cove (8-1)

Wagers

• $20 Exacta: 9 with 5

Turfway Park: Race 9: $30,000 Claiming (one mile on Tapeta, 9:55 p.m. ET)

#7 Lil’s Coffee (2-1) ran second over this track, distance, and class level 13 months ago. Since then, she’s been competing in various types of allowance races. On Dec. 26, she finished a solid third in a one-mile allowance at Turfway, earning a career-best 86 Brisnet Speed rating.

Returning to the $30,000 claiming ranks should put Lil’s Coffee in the hunt for victory, especially since none of her Thursday rivals have earned a Brisnet Speed rating higher than 81. Let’s keep our strategy simple with a win bet on Lil’s Coffee.

Selections

• #7 Lil’s Coffee (2-1)
• #4 Firebird Suite (3-1)
• #9 Tutta Bella (8-1)

Wagers

• $30 to win on #7 Lil’s Coffee

Good luck!