Wednesday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Instant Replay returns

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Wednesday, May 27, at Horseshoe Indianapolis and Presque Isle Downs, including a stakes winner making his 2026 debut.

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.
• 15% Odds Boost Horseshoe Indianapolis: Receive a 15% odds boost (up to $25) on your winning single-horse win wagers at Horseshoe Indianapolis each racing Wednesday in May.
• 25% Double Down at Assiniboia Downs: Hit two double wagers at Assiniboia Downs to receive a 25% boost on all winning double wagers (up to $25 for the day) at Assiniboia each racing Tuesday and Wednesday until June 24.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $50 Parx Bet and Set Feeder to 5/31 Churchill Downs SFBC Qualifier
• $120 Horseshoe Indianapolis Feeder to 5/30 Churchill Downs SFBC Qualifier
• $50 Horseshoe Indianapolis Challenge
• $40 Presque Isle Downs Challenge
• $68 Assiniboia Downs Bet and Set Feeder to 6/5 Belmont at Saratoga Bonus Feeder

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 3: $50,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (one mile and 70 yards on dirt, 3:12 p.m. ET)

#4 Instant Replay (1-1) has won three of his last four starts, all against stakes company. Last spring, he took the Texas Derby with a 99 Brisnet Speed rating, and in September, he won the Super Derby with a career-best 102 Brisnet Speed rating.

None of Instant Replay’s rivals in Race 3 have posted a Brisnet Speed rating higher than 91 in their last nine starts apiece, suggesting the favorite will be tough to beat in his four-year-old debut. It helps that he’s trained by Brad Cox, a 27% winner with horses returning from layoffs of 90 days or more.

Let’s bet Instant Replay on top of #5 Bourbon Society (4-1) in a cold exacta.

Selections

• #4 Instant Replay (1-1)
• #5 Bourbon Society (4-1)
• #6 Speed Bias (3-1)

Wagers

• $20 Exacta: 4 with 5

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 7: Maiden Special Weight (5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 5:16 p.m. ET)

#10 Volatile Risk (9-2) is an unraced three-year-old filly from the barn of Rodolphe Brisset. Since 2023, Brisset has gone 3-for-5 (60%) debuting three-year-olds in dirt sprints at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Volatile Risk is a daughter of Grade 1-winning sprinter Volatile, and she’s shown promise during morning training, most notably breezing a bullet half-mile from the Horseshoe Indianapolis starting gate in :48. Let’s place a win bet on the gray filly, then key her over #11 Pious (20-1) in a small exacta.

Selections

• #10 Volatile Risk (9-2)
• #11 Pious (20-1)
• #4 Dreamy Druso (12-1)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #10 Volatile Risk
• $5 Exacta: 10 with 11
  Total: $30

Presque Isle Downs: Race 5: Maiden Special Weight (one mile on Tapeta, 5:18 p.m. ET)

#4 Alluring Beauty (2-1) is a logical favorite. During the winter, she ran second in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on Tapeta at Gulfstream Park, earning an 81 Brisnet Speed rating. She’s since finished sixth and seventh in a couple of turf maiden special weights at Gulfstream and Keeneland.

Returning to Tapeta at Presque Isle Downs should make Alluring Beauty tough to beat. Take note: the par winning Brisnet Speed rating for Race 5’s conditions is only 73.

A win bet is in order, along with a small exacta using #1 Busker (10-1) for second place.

Selections

• #4 Alluring Beauty (2-1)
• #1 Busker (10-1)
• #3 More Than Hope (5-2)

Wagers

• $30 to win on #4 Alluring Beauty
• $5 Exacta: 4 with 1
  Total: $35

Good luck!