Longshot of the Day: Race 3 at Horseshoe Indy

Track: Horseshoe Indianapolis

Race 3: $15K maiden claimer going 5 ½ furlongs on dirt for 3+ Indiana-breds

Post Time: 3:12 PM ET

Horse: #4 Handsome Hannah (8/1 morning line) use as a win bet at 5/1 or higher.

Class drops off a long layoff can be a little suspicious, but at this time of year at Horseshoe Indianapolis it is more common to see for Indiana-bred runners since they have not had an opportunity to race since late last fall. Handsome Hannah is coming into today’s race having last run in November 2024, but he has faced maiden special weight competition in all four career starts. While the son of Elite Squadron has not shown much in terms of finishes in those contests, he has shown a valuable skill for today’s race, which is early speed. They have sloppy conditions on the main track at Horseshoe Indianapolis today and maiden claiming races are often won on the frontend, so when you combine those two factors, Handsome Hannah stands out as a horse that has a chance to graduate. Look for jockey JD Ramos, who is winning at a 19% clip during this meet, to get the horse out up front early and let him get comfortable on the lead. I like the series of works trainer Tracey Wisner has given to him as the horse has gotten a nice combination of four- and five-furlong works for speed and conditioning. Wisner wins at a decent rate on the class drop and her runners hit the board at a 45% clip when dropping to maiden claiming company. In a relatively short field where you have multiple horses who have had several bites at the apple at this level, I would rather go with a new shooter dropping down that has showed early speed and might be able to take advantage of the track and class conditions.