Wednesday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Price plays at Churchill Downs

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Wednesday, June 24 at Churchill Downs and Horseshoe Indianapolis, including a 20-1 longshot to use in pursuit of Churchill’s $12,627 Super High 5 carryover.

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 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.
• $1,500 Late Pick 5 Hit It & Split It at Horseshoe Indianapolis: Hit the Late Pick 5 at Horseshoe Indianapolis to split a $1,500 prize pool each racing Wednesday in June.
• $250,000 Minimum Guarantee Jackpot 8: Play the Jackpot 8 at Churchill Downs on TwinSpires for a chance to win a guaranteed payout of $250,000 for any single winner of the entire Jackpot 8.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $140 Churchill Downs Feeder to 6/26 Churchill Downs SFBC Qualifier
• $96 Churchill Downs Feeder to 6/25 Churchill Downs SFBC Bonus Feeder
• $100 Churchill Downs Challenge
• $40 Churchill Downs Challenge
• $47 Penn National Bet and Set Feeder to 6/28 Churchill Downs Haskell Challenge Qualifier

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Churchill Downs: Race 2: $50,000 Maiden Claiming (5 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 1:14 p.m. ET)

Trainer Tom Drury Jr. wins at a sharp 22% rate with horses debuting at the maiden claiming level, which suggests unraced two-year-old #2 Silverback (6-1) can factor in his first start.

Two of Silverback’s half-siblings matured early enough to win at age two, and Silverback enters off an encouraging work tab capped off with half a mile from the Churchill Downs starting gate in :48 4/5. Let’s place a win bet on Silverback.

Selections

• #2 Silverback (6-1)
• #1 Mo Reviews (8-1)
• #4 Jack’s Back (9-2)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #2 Silverback

Churchill Downs: Race 8: $125,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (6 1/2 furlongs on dirt, 4:22 p.m. ET)

#5 Movie Night (7-5) has shown plenty of potential in her first two starts. First, she finished second in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Keeneland, beaten only 1 1/4 lengths by next-out $125,000 allowance optional claiming winner Where Luck Lives. Then she tackled a six-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill Downs and crushed a next-out winner by eight lengths.

With sharp Brisnet Speed ratings of 92 and 95 under her belt, Movie Night is a compelling favorite to win Race 8. Let’s key her over Aqueduct debut winner #3 Highgrove (9-5) and Beaumont (G2) third-place finisher #2 Wrong Shoes (4-1) in exacta and trifecta tickets.

Selections

• #5 Movie Night (7-5)
• #3 Highgrove (9-5)
• #2 Wrong Shoes (4-1)

Wagers

• $11 Exacta: 5 with 2,3 ($22)
• $4 Trifecta: 5 with 2,3 with 2,3 ($8)
  Total: $30

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 8: Nobody Listens H. (six furlongs on dirt, 6:09 p.m. ET)

#10 Goldwyn (8-5) has been red-hot this year. He’s gone 2-for-2, leading all the way to dominate a $25,000 allowance optional claimer for Indiana-breds by 5 3/4 lengths and an allowance by 2 3/4 lengths. Both of those wins came sprinting six furlongs at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Goldwyn boasts an abundance of early speed and should be tough to catch while returning to the Indiana-bred ranks for the Nobody Listens. Fellow speedster #3 Goodlookinjustice (4-1) can hang on to complete the exacta.

Selections

• #10 Goldwyn (8-5)
• #3 Goodlookinjustice (4-1)
• #4 Sleepy (5-1)

Wagers

• $35 to win on #10 Goldwyn
• $10 Exacta: 10 with 3
  Total: $45

Carryover Watch

Churchill Downs: Race 1: $12,627 Super High 5 carryover (12:45 p.m. ET)

Racing at Churchill Downs this week gets underway on Wednesday with an enticing $12,627 carryover up for grabs in the $1 Super High 5.

You won’t have to wait long to chase the carryover. It’s available to pursue in Race 1, a $20,000 claimer for older horses racing 1 1/16 miles over the main track. A competitive nine-horse field has entered, and narrowing down the contenders isn’t easy.

One longshot you won’t want to leave off your tickets is #8 Bloodline (20-1). The seven-year-old gelding has spent 15 of his 25 starts competing on synthetic and turf, and another five starts sprinting on dirt. But he might be best as a dirt router.

Consider the five efforts Bloodline has produced running long on dirt:

• On Oct. 28, 2021, Bloodline trounced a one-mile maiden special weight at Horseshoe Indianapolis by 7 3/4 lengths.
• On Dec. 2, 2021, Bloodline ran fourth in a 1 1/16-mile $50,000 allowance optional claimer at Fair Grounds. The winner, Trafalgar, later competed in the Lecomte (G3) and Risen Star (G2) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
• On Dec. 31, 2021, Bloodline won an off-the-turf $50,000 allowance optional claimer racing one mile and 70 yards at Fair Grounds.
• On July 9, 2025, Bloodline returned to dirt route racing after a long hiatus and wired an off-the-turf allowance racing one mile and 70 yards at Belterra Park.
• On May 22, 2026, Bloodline rallied from off the pace to finish second by 1 1/4 lengths in a one-mile $20,000 claimer at Churchill Downs. He finished ahead of #7 Great Escape (7-2), the morning-line favorite to win Race 1 on Wednesday.

To put all this another way, Bloodline boasts a sharp 5-3-1-0 record running one mile or farther on dirt.

Bloodline misfired in his latest start, finishing 11th in a $40,000 claimer over the Churchill turf course. Returning to dirt and dropping back down to the $20,000 level could trigger a big turnaround. We strongly recommend including Bloodline in Super High 5 tickets, and bettors should even consider playing him on top.

Good luck!