Thursday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Oaklawn’s $53,697 Pick 6 carryover

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Thursday, March 5 at Fair Grounds and Turfway Park, along with horses to single in Oaklawn’s $53,697 Pick 6 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.
• 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
• $40 Fair Grounds Challenge
• $200 Oaklawn Feeder to 3/7 Tampa Bay Derby/Oaklawn KDBC Qualifier
• $200 Fair Grounds Feeder to 3/21 Louisiana Derby/Jeff Ruby KDBC Qualifier
• $50 Turfway Park Challenge
• $160 Turfway Park Feeder to 3/14 Virginia Derby/Oaklawn KDBC Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Fair Grounds: Race 5: $50,000 Starter Optional Claiming (one mile and 70 yards on dirt, 3:45 p.m. ET)

#2 Colt Forty Seven (8-1) is dropping in class after finishing last of eight in the Risen Star (G2) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Two starts back, he ran second in a $125,000 allowance optional claimer at Fair Grounds.

Facing easier competition can send Colt Forty Seven to the winner’s circle. Let’s bet him to win and play him over #7 Fake Smart (7-2) in an exacta.

Selections

• #2 Colt Forty Seven (8-1)
• #7 Fake Smart (7-2)
• #8 Arabia Wild (3-1)

Wagers

• $22 to win on #2 Colt Forty Seven
• $8 Exacta: 2 with 7
  Total: $30

Turfway Park: Race 1: Maiden Auction (6 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta, 5:55 p.m. ET)

#4 Cowboy Roy (2-1) has knocked heads against tough rivals in maiden special weights at Fair Grounds. The competition should be easier in this maiden auction race at Turfway Park, and switching from dirt to Tapeta can potentially unlock improvement from Cowboy Roy.

Let’s place a win bet on Cowboy Roy, then single him to start a double wager.

Selections

• #4 Cowboy Roy (2-1)
• #3 Section (3-1)
• #8 Kokomo Joe (8-1)

Wagers

• $22 to win on #4 Cowboy Roy
• $8 Double: 4 with 1
  Total: $30

Turfway Park: Race 2: $75,000 Starter Allowance (one mile on Tapeta, 6:25 p.m. ET)

#1 Wonder Mist (8-5) earned a strong 92 Brisnet Speed rating when triumphing by a half-length in a six-furlong $75,000 maiden optional claimer at Aqueduct last month. His margin of victory may have been small, but take note, the runner-up pulled 19 3/4 lengths clear of the third-place finisher.

Wonder Mist’s pedigree suggests switching to Tapeta and stretching out over one mile won’t be an issue, and it’s encouraging to note trainer Wesley Ward has been on fire at Turfway Park, going 11-for-31 (35%) since December.

We’ll single Wonder Mist to conclude our double wager, then play him over #4 Spirit of a Walkon (4-1) in an exacta.

Selections

• #1 Wonder Mist (8-5)
• #4 Spirit of a Walkon (4-1)
• #6 Survivin’onaprayer (6-1)

Wagers

• $12 Exacta: 1 with 4

Carryover Watch

Oaklawn Park: Race 4: $53,697 Pick 6 carryover (3:03 p.m. ET)

Racing resumes at Oaklawn Park on Thursday with an enticing $53,697 carryover up for grabs in the $1 Classix Pick 6.

After analyzing the entries for the six-race sequence, we’ve identified a pair of formidable favorites worth singling:

Race 5: #6 Stradale (6-5)

The second leg of the Pick 6 is a $125,000 allowance optional claimer for three-year-olds sprinting six furlongs. It looks ripe for conquest by Stradale.

Stradale competed with aplomb against tough competition in New York and Kentucky last year. In a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Saratoga, he finished second by a neck against next-out Champagne (G1) runner-up Talkin while pulling six lengths ahead of future Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) winner Further Ado. That effort earned a 92 Brisnet Speed rating.

Then, after finishing fifth in the Champagne (G1) as a maiden, Stradale crushed a six-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill Downs by 5 1/2 lengths, earning a 97 Brisnet Speed rating. He wrapped up his juvenile campaign in Keeneland’s 6 1/2-furlong Ed Brown S., finishing third with a 92 Brisnet Speed rating.

At Oaklawn, Stradale is facing eight rivals. None have earned a Brisnet Speed rating higher than 85. A typical performance in his 2026 debut for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen should secure Stradale an easy victory.

Race 8: #1 Stiglets (4-5)

Race 8 is a $62,500 allowance optional claimer for older horses sprinting six furlongs, and Stiglets is hands-down the horse to beat.

Stiglets has long shown flashes of talent competing against allowance company. But he elevated his game to a new level when making his four-year-old debut in a six-furlong allowance at Oaklawn two months ago. He dashed to the lead, set a quick pace, and finished fast down the homestretch to beat a next-out winner by 6 1/2 lengths.

Stiglets reached the finish line in the blazing time of 1:08.85, earning a career-best 105 Brisnet Speed rating. Anything close to a repeat on Thursday should send Stiglets right back to the Oaklawn winner’s circle.

Good luck!