Tuesday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: $12,615 Pick 5 carryover at Louisiana Downs

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Tuesday, May 5, at Finger Lakes and Horseshoe Indianapolis, along with horses to single in the $12,615 Pick 5 carryover at Louisiana Downs.

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.
• $250,000 Single Winner Bonus Jackpot 8: Play the Jackpot 8 on TwinSpires each Churchill Downs racing day through May 1 for a chance to win a Single Winner Bonus of $250,000 for any single winner of the Jackpot 8.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $60 Parx Bet and Set Feeder to 5/22 Churchill Downs Bonus Feeder
• $40 Horseshoe Indianapolis Challenge
• $74 Horseshoe Indianapolis Feeder to 5/15 Churchill Downs Bonus Feeder
• $52 Mountaineer Bet and Set Feeder to 5/23 Churchill Downs Bonus Feeder
• $40 Mountaineer Challenge

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Finger Lakes: Race 4: $11,000 Claiming (five furlongs on dirt, 2:22 p.m. ET)

#7 Sir Kartrite (5-2) has been facing tougher competition at Aqueduct. Last time out, she showed speed before tiring to finish fifth in a $30,000 claimer sprinting six furlongs.

Dropping into an $11,000 claimer at Finger Lakes should put Sir Kartrite in win contention for trainer Jeremiah Englehart, a spectacular 48% winner with horses dropping multiple levels down the class ladder.

Let’s place a win bet on Sir Kartrite and key him over #1 Connect the Brocks (10-1) in a small exacta.

Selections

• #7 Sir Kartrite (5-2)
• #1 Connect the Brocks (10-1)
• #2 Sweet Tone (5-1)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #7 Sir Kartrite
• $5 Exacta: 7 with 1
  Total: $30

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 7: Maiden Special Weight (six furlongs on dirt, 5:16 p.m. ET)

#4 Stanka (4-5) ran strongly when kicking off 2026 over this track, distance, and class level on April 15. She set stiff fractions of :21.96 and :45.37 before tiring slightly to finish second, beaten only three-quarters of a length while pulling 5 1/4 lengths clear of the rest.

Stanka earned a 73 Brisnet Speed rating, five points higher than the par winning number for Tuesday’s conditions. She looks tough to beat for trainer Randy Klopp (a 21% winner with horses running back for the second time following a layoff), so let’s key Stanka on top of an exacta using #1 Mayzforcebewithu (9-2) for second place.

We’ll also single Stanka to start a double wager.

Selections

• #4 Stanka (4-5)
• #1 Mayzforcebewithu (9-2)
• #10 Obvious Agenda (6-1)

Wagers

• $15 Exacta: 4 with 1
• $10 Double: 4 with 4
  Total: $25

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 8: Maiden Special Weight (one mile on turf, 5:47 p.m. ET)

#4 Most Amazing (6-1) hasn’t shown much in six starts on dirt. But he did run well in his 2026 debut, finishing third in a 1 1/16-mile $24,000 maiden claimer at Oaklawn Park while earning a career-best 70 Brisnet Speed rating.

As a son of Jack Milton out of a mare by Paddy O’Prado, Most Amazing is bred to shine on turf. Throw in the fact that trainer Michael Lauer wins at a solid 18% rate with horses trying grass for the first time, and there are clear reasons to believe Most Amazing can move forward in a big way on Tuesday.

Let’s place a win bet on Most Amazing.

Selections

• #4 Most Amazing (6-1)
• #6 Mordecai (5-1)
• #9 Silent Tone (9-2)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #4 Most Amazing

Carryover Watch

Louisiana Downs: Race 3: $12,615 Pick 5 carryover (6:01 p.m. ET)

The 50-cent Pick 5 at Louisiana Downs went unsolved on Monday. Tickets with four out of five winners returned $144, and a carryover worth $12,615 heads into Tuesday’s card.

Two legs of the Pick 5 feature heavy favorites worth singling, which will reduce ticket complexity and cost.

Race 3: #2 God Given (4-5)

The opening leg of the Pick 5 is a $5,000 claimer for horses that have never won two races. The one-mile and 70-yard dash looks ripe for conquest by God Given, who is dropping in class.

God Given showed some ability in New York last year, leading all the way to win a one-mile $30,000 maiden claimer for New York-breds with a 77 Brisnet Speed rating. But he went to the sidelines after that, and after switching to the care of trainer Jonathan Wong, he returned in a seven-furlong $10,000 claimer at Evangeline Downs last month, finishing third.

Won wins at a lofty 38% rate with horses starting for the second time under his care, so God Given should be tough to beat while dropping down to the $5,000 level.

Race 5: #1 Sand Cast (1-1)

The middle leg of the Pick 5 is a $10,000 claimer for horses that have never won three races. Sand Cast is a formidable favorite while dropping in class for this one-mile and 70-yard contest.

Sand Cast has been competing against tougher competition at Fair Grounds. Last time out, in his first start since being claimed by Jonathan Wong, he trounced a one-mile and 70-yard $15,000 claimer by 2 1/4 lengths, earning a career-best 84 Brisnet Speed rating. That’s four points higher than the par winning number for Race 5’s conditions.

Wong wins at a 38% rate with horses dropping in class off a win, so Sand Cast should be mighty dangerous while descending to the $10,000 level. The presence of jockey Harry Hernandez (a 29% winner teaming up with Wong over the last two months) cements Sand Cast as the horse to beat.

Good luck!