Wednesday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Saratoga’s $154,119 Pick 6 carryover

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Wednesday, Aug. 19 at Saratoga, Finger Lakes, and Horseshoe Indianapolis, along with horses to play in Saratoga’s $154,119 Pick 6 carryover and Presque Isle Downs’ $2,505 Pick 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.
• $2,000 Exacta Hit It and Split It at Horseshoe Indianapolis: Opt in and hit two exactas at Horseshoe Indianapolis for a chance to split a $2,000 prize pool each racing Wednesday in August.
• 15% Odds Boost at Saratoga: Opt in to receive a 15% odds boost (up to $25 per day) on your winning single-horse win wagers at Saratoga each racing Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in August.
• 15% Odds Boost at GBI Racing: Opt in to receive a 15% odds boost (up to $25 per day) on your winning single-horse win wagers at select GBI tracks from Monday, Aug. 10 through Monday, Aug. 31.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $75 Saratoga Bet and Set Feeder to 8/23 Saratoga SSBC Qualifier
• $150 Saratoga Challenge
• $40 Saratoga Challenge
• $200 Saratoga Feeder to 8/22 Saratoga KDBC/BCBC Qualifier
• $90 Mountaineer Feeder to 8/21 Saratoga KDBC/BCBC Bonus Feeder
• $40 Mountaineer Challenge

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Saratoga: Race 2: $80,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (one mile on dirt, 1:45 p.m. ET)

#7 Concurrently (7-2) survived a speed duel to win a one-mile maiden special weight at Aqueduct last fall, and she followed up with a third-place finish in the 1 1/8-mile Demoiselle (G2).

Concurrently cut back to one mile for her 2026 debut in a $100,000 allowance optional claimer at Aqueduct. She stayed within 1 1/4 lengths of a quick pace before taking over to win by 2 1/4 lengths, earning a career-best 95 Brisnet Speed rating.

None of the other fillies and mares entered in Race 2 have recently earned a Brisnet Speed rating higher than 95, so Concurrently looms as a logical contender in her second start of the season. A win bet is in order, along with a small exacta using #6 Pronghorn (8-5) for second place.

Selections

• #7 Concurrently (7-2)
• #6 Pronghorn (8-5)
• #4 Ballerina d’Oro (4-1)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #7 Concurrently
• $5 Exacta: 7 with 6
  Total: $30

Finger Lakes: Race 6: Allowance (1 1/16 miles on dirt, 3:20 p.m. ET)

#7 Love Coin (9-5) showed promise in his first two starts against New York-bred competition at Aqueduct, winning a maiden special weight and placing fourth in an $80,000 allowance optional claimer. Then he gave Finger Lakes a try and finished third in a non-state-restricted 1 1/16-mile allowance.

Love Coin’s Finger Lakes effort yielded an 89 Brisnet Speed rating, the highest number belonging to any horse entered in Race 6. A similar performance on Wednesday can send Love Coin to the winner’s circle under hot jockey Keiber Coa, a 25% winner at Finger Lakes this meet.

Let’s key Love Coin on top of a cold exacta using runaway Finger Lakes maiden winner #3 Inonit (2-1) for second place.

Selections

• #7 Love Coin (9-5)
• #3 Inonit (2-1)
• #6 Arch’s Assault (5-1)

Wagers

• $20 Exacta: 7 with 3

Horseshoe Indianapolis: Race 6: Maiden Special Weight (five furlongs on dirt, 4:45 p.m. ET)

#4 Cash Per Trip (7-2) ran third when debuting at this track, distance, and class level on July 16. He made a nice midrace move before flattening out to finish 1 3/4 lengths behind the winner. Even in defeat, Cash Per Trip earned a 61 Brisnet Speed rating only two points lower than the par winning number for Wednesday’s conditions.

Trainer Coty Rosin wins at a sharp 22% rate with second-time starters, so Cash Per Trip is eligible to move forward on Wednesday. At 7-2, he warrants a win bet.

Selections

• #4 Cash Per Trip (7-2)
• #1 Captain Shagaf (5-1)
• #9 Trick Shot Tommy (8-1)

Wagers

• $30 to win on #4 Cash Per Trip

Carryover Watch

Saratoga: Race 3: $154,119 Pick 6 carryover (2:20 p.m. ET)

This week’s racing action at Saratoga kicks off on Wednesday with a massive $154,119 carryover up for grabs in the $1 Pick 6.

The feature event in the sequence is Race 7, the $150,000 New York Stallion Statue of Liberty S. for three-year-old fillies eligible for the New York Stallion Stakes. The one-mile grass contest has drawn nine entries, though one filly—#9 Hanna’s Hideaway (15-1)—is entered for the main track only.

#7 She’s Country (2-1) is a logical morning line favorite after winning the one-mile Key Cents S. over the Aqueduct turf course last fall. She hasn’t run since November, but trainer George Weaver wins at a 21% rate with horses returning from layoffs of 90 days or more, so the time off isn’t necessarily a concern.

However, a couple of other runners are worth considering at bigger prices. #4 Combat Move (6-1) recently won an off-the-turf maiden special weight sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs at Saratoga, and the daughter Combatant could potentially move forward in a big way while switching to turf and stretching out in distance under hot jockey Jose Ortiz.

Meanwhile, first-time starter #8 Shake Em Off (12-1) is intriguing after posting four straight workouts over the Saratoga training track turf course. She’s slated to be ridden by two-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Flavien Prat, so at double-digit odds, she’s worth a long look.

Presque Isle Downs: Race 4: $2,505 Pick 5 carryover (4:51 p.m. ET)

The 50-cent Late Pick 5 at Presque Isle Downs features a $2,505 carryover for Wednesday’s card.

If you’re looking for a single to build tickets around, we’ll steer you toward #4 Bossy Wossy (9-5) in Race 6, a $62,500 allowance optional claimer for two-year-olds dashing six furlongs on Tapeta.

Bossy Wossy was tons the best when debuting in a five-furlong maiden special weight over the Presque Isle Tapeta last month. After pressing the pace in second place, she powered away to dominate by 12 1/4 lengths, earning a flashy 82 Brisnet Speed rating. The form was flattered when third-place finisher Grandes Suenos returned to smash a $25,000 maiden claimer over the same track and distance by 8 1/4 lengths.

If Bossy Wossy repeats her debut performance on Wednesday, she can deliver a comfortable victory as a short-priced Pick 5 single.

Good luck!