Tuesday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Super High 5 carryover at Mountaineer

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Tuesday, June 2 at Horseshoe Indianapolis and Assiniboia Downs, along with a ticket for the $1,231 Super High 5 carryover at Mountaineer.

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.
• 25% Double Down at Assiniboia Downs: Hit two double wagers to receive a 25% boost (up to $25 per day) on all winning double wagers at Assiniboia Downs each racing Tuesday and Wednesday until June 24.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $64 Parx Feeder to 6/12 Churchill Downs Bonus Feeder
• $80 Horseshoe Indianapolis Feeder to 6/5 Belmont at Saratoga Bonus Feeder
• $40 Horseshoe Indianapolis Challenge
• $50 Mountaineer Bet and Set Feeder to 6/4 Belmont at Saratoga SFBC Qualifier
• $40 Mountaineer Challenge

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (five furlongs on dirt, 3:43 p.m. ET)

Since 2021, trainer John Alexander Ortiz has compiled a sharp 16-5-2-1 (31%) record debuting juveniles in dirt sprints at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

This bodes well for Ortiz’s unraced two-year-old filly #6 Subliminal (7-2). The daughter of juvenile Grade 1 winner McKinzie enters off sharp half-mile workouts at Keeneland, and she’s bred to win from an early age—her half-sister Bluelightspecial won her first two starts as a juvenile at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Let’s place a win bet on Subliminal, then key her over fellow first-time starter #4 Justifier (5-1) in an exacta. Justifier is trained by Rodolphe Brisset, and while Brisset has gone 0-for-7 debuting juveniles in dirt sprints at Horseshoe Indianapolis since 2021, six of the seven recorded top-three finishes.

Selections

• #6 Subliminal (7-2)
• #4 Justifier (5-1)
• #5 Maid of Steel (9-2)

Wagers

• $30 to win on #6 Subliminal
• $5 Exacta: 6 with 4
  Total: $35

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 8: Maiden Special Weight (1 1/16 miles on turf, 5:47 p.m. ET)

#8 Vacationer (5-1) ran okay when debuting in a $50,000 maiden optional claimer during the winter at Gulfstream Park. Sent off at 10-1 in the 1 1/16-mile turf contest, Vacationer rated off the pace in a large field before rallying mildly to finish fifth, beaten 3 1/2 lengths.

Vacationer may find the competition a bit easier at Horseshoe Indianapolis, and take note, trainer Brad Cox wins at a lofty 29% rate with second-time starters. We’ll bet Vacationer to win and play him over first-time starters #1 Stark (12-1) and #2 Kuch (10-1) in an exacta. Stark and Kuch are trained by Brendan Walsh, who has gone 4-for-18 (22%) saddling first-time starters in turf routes at Horseshoe Indianapolis since 2021.

Selections

• #8 Vacationer (5-1)
• #1 Stark (12-1)
• #2 Kuch (10-1)

Wagers

• $24 to win on #8 Vacationer
• $3 Exacta: 8 with 1,2 ($6)
  Total: $30

Assiniboia Downs: Race 1: Maiden Special Weight (five furlongs on dirt, 8:30 p.m. ET)

The experienced runners in this field don’t appear overly formidable, so we’ll take a shot betting first-time starter #3 Spec of Gold (2-1).

Spec of Gold is conditioned by red-hot trainer Michael Nault, who wins at a terrific 44% rate with first-time starters. Four of Spec of Gold’s half-siblings have won stakes at Assiniboia Downs, so he’s bred to be a talented runner.

A win bet is in order.

Selections

• #3 Spec of Gold (2-1)
• #5 High Miler (5-2)
• #2 Swing Time (4-1)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #3 Spec of Gold

Carryover Watch

Mountaineer: Race 8: $1,231 Super High 5 carryover (9:55 p.m. ET)

No one solved the Super High 5 at Mountaineer on Monday, triggering a $1,231 carryover into Tuesday’s card.

The prize pool is up for grabs in Race 9, a ratings handicap for three-year-olds and older horses dashing 5 1/2 furlongs on dirt. With seven horses in the entries, there are only 2,520 possible Super High 5 outcomes to analyze, so assembling a competitive ticket should be a possible on a modest budget.

Wager

• $1 Super High 5: 3 with 2,4,7 with 2,4,6,7 with 1,2,4,6,7 with 1,2,4,6,7 ($54)

We’ll key morning-line favorite #3 Breezer (2-1) on top in the Super High 5. After spending the vast majority of his career competing (with some success) over the synthetic Tapeta track at Gulfstream Park, Breezer relished making his dirt debut in a six-furlong ratings handicap on May 4 at Mountaineer. He led every step of the way through quick fractions to triumph by 3 1/2 lengths.

A similar performance on Tuesday should make Breezer tough to catch for the hot jockey/trainer duo of Yuri Yaranga and Jeff Fletcher, who have gone 3-for-15 (20%) teaming up together over the last two months.

Underneath, we’ll emphasize three horses: #2 French Onion (5-2), #4 Out of Cents (3-1), and #7 Homerunhappy (15-1).

French Onion struggles with consistency, but on his best day he’s quite good. This year, he’s wired $10,000 and $12,500 claimers at Mountaineer with sharp Brisnet Speed ratings of 92 and 82.

Out of Cents has likewise posted strong Brisnet Speed ratings, and he’s cracked the trifecta in 53 of his 68 lifetime starts, making him a must-use horse in the Super High 5. The 10-year-old gelding exits a third-place finish in a $12,500 starter allowance at Mountaineer.

Homerunhappy is a newcomer to Mountaineer. He’s been freshened since last August, when he wired a $10,000 claimer for Indiana-breds at Horseshoe Indianapolis. He rarely finishes out of the top four and could prove to be a good fit for Mountaineer. It helps that he’ll be ridden by hot jockey Alejandro Gomez, a 20% winner at Mountaineer this meet.

Good luck!