Aqueduct: Who to single in the $103,066 Pick 6 carryover

After going unsolved for two days in a row, the $1 Pick 6 at Aqueduct has tossed up a carryover worth $103,066 for Sunday’s card.

Six-figure, non-jackpot Pick 6 carryovers demand attention, and the surest bet on Sunday is that bettors will flock to play the double-carryover sequence. There will be an abundance of fresh money in the pool, and anyone who assembles a winning ticket is likely to catch a lucrative payoff.

The Pick 6 begins in Race 4 (post time 2:35 p.m. ET) and encompasses Race 8, the featured $150,000 Paradise Creek S. for three-year-olds sprinting six furlongs over the outer turf course. The nine-horse field is filled with promising young horses, but one in particular—#5 Apollo Ten (3-1)—is a must-use contender. And maybe even a single.

Apollo Ten has won two of his three grass starts for high-percentage trainer Christophe Clement, a 22% winner in ungraded stakes. Apollo Ten didn’t contribute to that win percentage when finishing fourth in the six-furlong Atlantic Beach S. at Aqueduct last fall, but that was his last run of the season, and he was only beaten 2 3/4 lengths even though he failed to bring his A-game.

Take note, the runner-up by a neck in the Atlantic Beach was Irish Gent, whom Apollo Ten had previously defeated by three-quarters of a length in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Aqueduct. On that occasion, Apollo Ten settled a few lengths off the speed in a large field before gradually taking over to win in the sharp time of 1:08.08.

Apollo Ten kicked off 2024 on a high note. In a five-furlong $75,000 allowance optional claimer on April 18 at Gulfstream Park, Apollo Ten showed surprising early speed. Even though he’d never previously shown any interest in setting the pace, Apollo Ten carved out blazing fractions of :21.70 and :43.50 to burn out the other speed horses (including a 2-5 favorite) and hold off a closer to win by three-quarters of a length. His final time of :54.62 missed the course record by only 1.01.

Clement wins at a 21% rate with horses running back for the second time following a layoff, and red-hot jockey Joel Rosario (a 43% winner at Aqueduct since May 2) is named to ride. Coupling these lofty win percentages with Apollo Ten’s strong profile, we’re willing to single Apollo Ten in the Pick 6.

Good luck!