Thursday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Turfway’s $11,460 Super High 5 carryover

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Thursday, March 26 at Oaklawn Park, Turf Paradise, and Turfway Park, including horses to use in Turfway’s $11,460 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.
• 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:

• $250 Oaklawn Feeder to 3/28 Arkansas Derby KDBC Qualifier
• $50 Oaklawn Challenge
• $50 Turfway Park Challenge
• $200 Turfway Park Feeder to 4/4 Blue Grass KDBC Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Oaklawn Park: Race 8: Hot Springs S. (one mile on dirt, 5:19 p.m. ET)

#7 Soldier N Diplomat (8-1) has started three times against tougher competition on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, finishing third in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2), second in the Southwest (G3), and fifth in the Rebel (G2). In the latter two races, he endured wide trips.

Dropping in class for the Hot Springs might be all Soldier N Diplomat needs to spring an upset over #1 Desert Gate (6-5), who may not want to run this far. Let’s place a win bet and an exacta accordingly.

Selections

• #7 Soldier N Diplomat (8-1)
• #1 Desert Gate (6-5)
• #2 Lincoln’s Law (7-2)

Wagers

• $24 to win on #7 Soldier N Diplomat
• $6 Exacta: 7 with 1
  Total: $30

Turf Paradise: Race 6: Arizona Stallion S. (six furlongs on dirt, 6:51 p.m. ET)

There’s quite a bit of pace in this field, which should suit #4 Go Sparky (5-2). He rallied to win his first three starts, including the Arizona Breeders’ Futurity, before finishing sixth with a bit of trouble in the Lost in the Fog Juvenile S.

Go Sparky has already defeated many of the rivals he’ll face in the Arizona Stallion S., so let’s keep our strategy simple and bet him to win.

Selections

• #4 Go Sparky (5-2)
• #2 Cactus League (7-2)
• #5 Rock’n Awesome (9-2)

Wagers

• $30 to win on #4 Go Sparky

Turfway Park: Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (one mile on Tapeta, 7:25 p.m. ET)

This field doesn’t look all that tough, so let’s try betting the well-bred first-time starter #1 Pharoah’s Beauty (12-1), from the barn of Graham Motion.

Pharoah’s Beauty is a daughter of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah out of the Congrats mare Beautified, who previously foaled the speedy Desert Stormer (G3) winner and Del Mar Debutante (G1) runner-up Dance to the Music.

A bullet half-mile workout from the Fair Hill starting gate in :48 on March 13 suggests Pharoah’s Beauty has some talent. At 12-1, she’s worthy of a win bet.

Selections

• #1 Pharoah’s Beauty (12-1)
• #3 Quality View (7-2)
• #10 Royally Sassy (4-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #1 Pharoah’s Beauty

Carryover Watch

Turfway Park: Race 10: $11,460 Super High 5 carryover (10:25 p.m. ET)

No one solved the $1 Super High 5 at Turfway Park on Wednesday, triggering an $11,460 carryover into Thursday’s card.

The prize pool is up for grabs in Race 10, a $5,000 claimer for fillies and mares sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta. A 13-horse field has entered, though only 12 will be allowed to start.

Here are four horses you won’t want to leave off your tickets:

#1 Secret Flame (12-1): Secret Flame has been competing over one mile at Turfway, finishing fourth in a $5,000 maiden claimer, then third and fifth in $7,500 maiden claimers. Dropping back down to the $5,000 level and cutting back to 6 1/2 furlongs should suit the daughter of McKinzie, especially since trainer Susan Anderson wins at a solid 19% rate with horses making the route-to-sprint transition.

#2 Starship Refund (12-1): Starship Refund has only run once. In a six-furlong maiden auction race at Churchill Downs in November 2024, she finished 10th. Trainer William Walden wins at a 20% rate with horses returning from layoffs of 90 days or more, and the addition of Lasix and blinkers could unlock improvement from Starship Refund. The huge class drop is a positive too, giving Starship Refund a big chance to outrun her odds. Don’t leave her off the top of your tickets.

#6 Point to That Star (7-2): After finishing third in her last two starts against $5,000 and $7,500 maiden claiming competition at Turfway, Point to That Star is a logical candidate to record a top-five finish on Thursday. It helps that she has hot jockey Walter Rodriguez (the second-leading rider at Turfway this year) named to ride.

#12 High End (5-2): The horse to beat is High End, who has finished second in her last two starts sprinting six furlongs against $15,000 maiden claiming competition at Turfway. Trainer Andrew McKeever strikes at a sharp 20% rate with horses dropping multiple levels down the class ladder, so squaring off against easier foes might be all High End needs to visit the winner’s circle.

Good luck!