Thursday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Jirah can strike at 10-1

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Thursday, Sept. 4 at Colonial Downs, Kentucky Downs, and Thistledown, including horses to play in Pick 6 carryovers at Colonial and Kentucky Downs.

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Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $40 Kentucky Downs Challenge
• $600 Kentucky Downs MMBC Qualifier
• $100 Charles Town Feeder to 9/13 Woodbine Mile/Churchill Downs KDBC Qualifier
• $40 Charles Town Challenge

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Colonial Downs: Race 2: $25,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (six furlongs on dirt, 12:57 p.m. ET)

#1 Village Person (8-5) has opened his career with back-to-back wins sprinting six furlongs at Colonial Downs. First, he employed pace-pressing tactics to win a maiden special weight by 1 1/4 lengths over a next-out winner. Then he charged from four lengths behind a runaway leader to win an allowance by 3 1/4 lengths, again defeating a next-out winner.

Two bullet half-mile workouts since his last race suggest Village Person can record a third straight win for the hot jockey/trainer duo of Paco Lopez and Steve Klesaris. #5 Kirin (4-1) and #4 Uncaptured Warrior (2-1) can battle to complete the trifecta.

Selections

• #1 Village Person (8-5)
• #5 Kirin (4-1)
• #4 Uncaptured Warrior (2-1)

Wagers

• $10 Trifecta: 1 with 4,5 with 4,5 ($20)

Kentucky Downs: Race 1: Maiden Special Weight (seven furlongs on turf, 1:25 p.m. ET)

Since 2022, trainer Kelsey Danner has gone 3-for-13 (23%) saddling experienced juveniles at Kentucky Downs.

This stat suggests #1 Jirah (10-1) is worth betting at double-digit odds. The beautifully bred son of Caravaggio endured a troubled start in his debut dashing 5 1/2 furlongs at Ellis Park, but passed a bevy of rivals late to finish fourth.

A clean break while stretching out to seven furlongs for his second start can send Jirah to the winner’s circle. We’ll place a win bet on the gray gelding.

Selections

• #1 Jirah (10-1)
• #4 Carson Street (4-1)
• #12 Zucchero (8-1)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #1 Jirah

Thistledown: Race 3: Maiden Special Weight (5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 1:50 p.m. ET)

#4 Nava’s Gold (8-5) finished second in her debut sprinting five furlongs against males, after which she stretched out to finish second in the six-furlong Miss Ohio S. against fellow fillies.

Sticking to the filly ranks for a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight should be a perfect fit for Nava’s Gold. Let’s bet her over #5 Electric Eden (5-2) in a cold exacta.

Selections

• #4 Nava’s Gold (8-5)
• #5 Electric Eden (5-2)
• #2 All Pepped Up (12-1)

Wagers

• $15 Exacta: 4 with 5

Carryover Watch

Colonial Downs: Race 3: $3,744 Pick 6 carryover (1:24 p.m. ET)

If you’re looking for a single to simplify the ticket assembly process for Thursday’s $3,744 carryover in the 50-cent “Old Dominion 6” Pick 6 at Colonial Downs, let us point you toward #1 Dandy Vandy (9-5) in Race 5.

The fifth race is a $50,000 maiden claimer for fillies and mares racing one mile over the inner turf course. Dandy Vandy has already run well over this class level. Two starts back, she closed from midfield to finish second by a neck in a $50,000 maiden claimer racing 1 1/16 miles over the Aqueduct turf course.

Dandy Vandy followed up with a seventh-place finish (beaten only four lengths) in a Saratoga maiden special weight. Dropping back down the class ladder while shipping from New York to Virginia should make Dandy Vandy tough to beat for the hot jockey/trainer duo of Mychel Sanchez and Jamie Ness, who have teamed up to win at a 35% rate together over the last two months.

Kentucky Downs: Race 6: $27,552 Pick 6 carryover (4:13 p.m. ET)

The Thursday card at Kentucky Downs is highlighted by a $27,552 carryover in the $1 Pick 6.

The feature event in the sequence is Race 9, the $500,000 One Dreamer S. for fillies and mares who haven’t won a stakes in 2025. The one-mile and 70-yard grass contest has drawn a nine-horse field led by #5 Vive Veuve (5-2), who is a logical win threat after winning back-to-back $80,000 and $100,000 allowance optional claimers at Churchill Downs and Saratoga.

However, three starts back, Vive Veuve lost an $80,000 allowance optional claimer at Churchill by 2 1/4 lengths to #8 Pharoah’s Wine (8-1), a promising longshot with sharp form lines.

Pharoah’s Wine has been strong in two starts since conquering Vive Veuve. First, she won a one-mile $100,000 allowance optional claimer at Churchill Downs in the quick time of 1:33.50. Then she rallied to finish second by a head in the KD Preview Ladies Turf Mile, a race in which the victorious Simply in Front (a two-time Grade 2 winner who has placed at the Grade 1 level) clocked one mile in 1:32.63.

Throw in the fact Pharoah’s Wine has won over the European-style turf course at Kentucky Downs in the past, and she’s a must-use filly in the Pick 6. There’s a good chance she’ll visit the winner’s circle at enticing odds.

Good luck!