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!