Thursday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Thanksgiving Day stakes

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares Thanksgiving Day best bets and quick picks for Thursday, Nov. 27 at Gulfstream Park and Churchill Downs, including two stakes.

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.
• Churchill Downs 15% Win Bonus: Receive a 15% bonus (up to $25 for the day) on your winning single-horse win wagers at Churchill Downs each Thursday in November.
• 10x Points at Charlottetown Red Shores: Receive 10x rewards points on all wagers (excluding show bets) at Charlottetown Red Shores each racing day from Nov. 15 through Nov. 29.
• $4,000 Turkey Day Double Double: Hit two double wagers at both Churchill Downs and Fair Grounds (four double wagers in total) for a chance to split a $4,000 prize pool.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $500 Churchill Downs CBC Qualifier
• $50 Churchill Downs Challenge
• $200 Fair Grounds Feeder to 12/6 Remsen KDBC Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Gulfstream Park: Race 8: Wait a While S. (7 1/2 furlongs on turf, 2:38 p.m. ET)

#5 Sister Troienne (2-1) is 2-for-2 on turf. She smashed a one-mile maiden special weight at Churchill Downs by 4 1/2 lengths, then nabbed a 1 1/16-mile allowance at Keeneland by 3 1/2 lengths.

Those wins yielded sharp Brisnet Speed ratings of 92 and 84, with the 92 ranking as the highest number belonging to any filly entered in the Wait a While. Sister Troienne should be tough to beat for the hot jockey/trainer duo of Mario Gutierrez and Brian Lynch, so let’s bet her to win and key her over #7 Spirit Doll (5-2) in an exacta.

Selections

• #5 Sister Troienne (2-1)
• #7 Spirit Doll (5-2)
• #4 Slippers (9-2)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #5 Sister Troienne
• $10 Exacta: 5 with 7
  Total: $30

Churchill Downs: Race 9: Maiden Special Weight (one mile on dirt, 5:24 p.m. ET)

#9 Verify (3-1) won three straight races to kick off 2025. Most notably, she crushed the Beaumont (G2) by 5 1/4 lengths, earning a sharp 97 Brisnet Speed rating.

Verify misfired when last seen in the May 2 Eight Belles (G2), failing to show her typical tactical speed while finishing fifth. But she disappeared from the work tab immediately thereafter, so perhaps something went awry. She returned to serious training in October and enters off a quick five-furlong workout for trainer Eoin Harty (a 20% winner with horses returning from layoffs of 90 days or more), so there’s a good chance Verify will rebound in her return.

Let’s bet Verify to win and single her to start a double wager. With the latter bet, we’ll work toward winning a share of the $4,000 prize pool in the $4,000 Turkey Day Double Double offer on TwinSpires.

Selections

• #9 Verify (3-1)
• #1 Grand Job (5-2)
• #4 Ellen Jay (2-1)

Wagers

• $15 to win on #9 Verify
• $5 Double: 9 with 7
  Total: $20

Churchill Downs: Race 10: Falls City (G3, 1 1/8 miles on dirt, 3:45 p.m. ET)

#10 Regaled (5-2) is favored while exiting a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), but in that race she benefited from closing into a fast pace, and she might not receive as favorable a setup in the Falls City.

Let’s try to beat Regaled with #7 Royal Spa (3-1). The five-year-old mare boasts an 8-4-2-0 record at Churchill Downs, highlighted by wins in the Shawnee (G3) and Locust Grove (G2) this year. In the latter race, she defeated Regaled.

A win bet and an exacta are in order.

Selections

• #7 Royal Spa (3-1)
• #10 Regaled (5-2)
• #2 Raging Sea (7-2)

Wagers

• $15 to win on #7 Royal Spa (3-1)
• $5 Exacta: 7 with 10
  Total: $20

Good luck!