Tuesday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Two stakes at Assiniboia

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Tuesday, June 24 at Assiniboia Downs, along with horses to play in carryovers at Louisiana Downs and 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.
• Assiniboia Downs 25% Double Down: Hit two double wagers at Assiniboia Downs to receive a 25% boost (maximum $25 in total) on all winning double wagers for the day at Assiniboia Downs every Tuesday and Wednesday in May.
• British Racing $10 Money Back: Receive up to $10 back on your first single-horse win wager if your horse runs second in selected British races from May 17 through Aug. 31.
• 8x Points at Presque Isle Downs: Receive 8x reward points on all wagers (excluding show bets) at Presque Isle Downs each Monday and Tuesday in June.
• 8x Points at Red Shores: Receive 8x points on all wagers (excluding show bets) at Charlottetown each Tuesday and Saturday in June and July, including each racing date from July 14-19 for Governor’s Plate.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $30 Horseshoe Indianapolis Challenge
• $200 Horseshoe Indianapolis Feeder to 6/27 Churchill Downs SFBC Qualifier
• $100 Mountaineer Feeder to 7/5 Indiana Derby KDBC/NHC Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Assiniboia Downs: Race 2: $5,000 Claiming (six furlongs on dirt, 9:00 p.m. ET)

#2 Kentucky Jake (7-5) has finished third in his last two starts against $10,000 claiming competition at Assiniboia Downs. Dropping down to the $5,000 level for his third start of the season should make Kentucky Jake tough to beat, especially since trainer Fred Rawson wins at a lofty 30% rate with horses running back for the third time following a layoff.

Let’s single Kentucky Jake to start a large double bet.

Selections

• #2 Kentucky Jake (7-5)
• #7 Valid Defence (6-1)
• #1 Mor of Tadaa (4-1)

Wagers

• $30 Double: 2 with 5

Assiniboia Downs: Race 3: Golden Boy S. (six furlongs on dirt, 9:25 p.m. ET)

#5 Just Trust Me (2-5) has won three starts in a row for red-hot trainer Dewey Williams. He recently made his Assiniboia Downs debut in the Fancy As S., pressing the pace before taking over to dominate by eight lengths with a sharp 83 Brisnet Speed rating.

Just Trust Me appears poised to record a fourth straight win, so let’s single him to conclude our double bet, then key him over #4 Medicine Dog (2-1) in the exacta.

Selections

• #5 Just Trust Me (2-5)
• #4 Medicine Dog (2-1)
• #3 Shocking Malice (10-1)

Wagers

• $20 Exacta: 5 with 4

Assiniboia Downs: Race 7: Free Press S. (six furlongs on dirt, 11:05 p.m. ET)

#1 Judo (5-1) has crossed the wire first in three straight races, including a pair of six-furlong $17,500 allowance optional claimers at Assiniboia Downs. Along the way, he’s earned promising Brisnet Speed ratings of 84, 84, and 93.

Judo might have a slightly better chance to see out Tuesday’s six-furlong distance than morning-line favorite #10 Sawasdee (9-5), winner of the five-furlong SS Pee Wee S. at Assiniboia earlier this month. We’ll place win and exacta bets accordingly.

Selections

• #1 Judo (5-1)
• #10 Sawasdee (9-5)
• #3 Upstriker (4-1)

Wagers

• $15 to win on #1 Judo
• $5 Exacta: 1 with 10
  Total: $20

Carryover Watch

Louisiana Downs: Race 3: $8,143 Pick 5 carryover (6:01 p.m. ET)

Are you planning to pursue the $8,143 carryover in Tuesday’s 50-cent Pick 5 at Louisiana Downs? We’ll get you started with a suggested single in the first leg of the sequence.

The Pick 5 gets underway in Race 3, a $7,500 maiden claimer for fillies and mares racing one mile on turf. Morning-line favorite #9 Embrasser (3-1) has been running on dirt as of late, but during the winter at Far Grounds she produced fine efforts against tougher competition on turf.

Most notably, Embrasser finished third and fifth in a couple of $30,000 maiden claimers racing about one mile. She was beaten by margins of 2 1/2 lengths and 1 1/2 lengths and earned Brisnet Speed ratings of 60 and 64 that stack up well against the par winning number (62) for Tuesday’s conditions at Louisiana Downs.

Throw in the fact red-hot trainer Jonas Gribson wins at a 29% rate with horses switching from dirt to turf, and Embrasser is a compelling Pick 5 single.

Mountaineer: Race 8: $5,488 Super High 5 carryover (9:55 p.m. ET)

After going unsolved for two days in a row, the Super High 5 at Mountaineer has tossed up an $5,488 carryover for Tuesday’s card.

The prize pool is up for grabs in Race 8, a maiden special weight taking place over one mile on dirt. A 10-horse field has entered, so there are 30,240 possible Super High 5 outcomes before scratches.

We suggest keying #2 Premier Cru (7-2) on top of your tickets. The son of Vino Rosso is shipping in from New York, where he’s shown flashes of ability at Aqueduct. Two starts back, he ran third by two lengths in a one-mile $25,000 maiden claimer for New York-breds, earning a 64 Brisnet Speed rating that stacks up well against Tuesday’s field.

Throw in the fact Premier Cru is picking up apprentice jockey Michael Pagan (who rides with a 10-pound weight allowance), and the chestnut colt looms as a likely winner while taking his game on the road to Mountaineer.

Underneath, emphasize horses like second-time starter #4 Game Maker (3-1), the capable dirt campaigner #6 Improbable Cause (5-1), and #9 Dreaming of Nana (4-1), who campaigns for the red-hot jockey/trainer duo of Brandon Tapara and Eric Reed.

Good luck!