Arlington Park: How to bet the $6,497 Pick 8 carryover

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares a $96 ticket for the $6,497, non-jackpot Pick 8 carryover up for grabs on Saturday at Arlington Park.

Race 1: $6,250 Claiming (six furlongs)

#1 Morriston (7-5) won two straight races against $6,250 claiming company before stepping up to the $12,500 level and finishing second in back-to-back starts. Dropping back down into a $6,250 claimer can send Morriston to the winner’s circle at a short price.

Race 2: $25,000 Maiden Claiming (six furlongs)

Trainer Larry Rivelli has gone 6-for-12 (50%) saddling juveniles at Arlington this meet. He’s entered two in this maiden claiming sprint: #5 Star On the Map (7-2), who showed speed in his debut against maiden special weight company, and #6 Birdman Richie (3-1), a first-time starter. One or the other should prevail.

Race 3: $5,000 Claiming (five furlongs on turf)

#7 Mongol Bull (2-1) has won four of his last five starts sprinting five furlongs on turf, with three of those victories coming against $5,000 claiming company at Arlington. But #4 Boom Box (3-1) is almost as fast and managed to finish ahead of Mongul Bull two starts back, so we’ll include him as backup.

Race 4: $5,000 Starter Allowance (five furlongs on turf)

Rivelli’s #3 Juju’s Specialgirl (1-1) prevailed over this course, distance, and class level on Aug. 8, and figures to win right back on Saturday. She’s cracked the trifecta in each of her last six starts, and hasn’t tasted defeat in her last three runs against $5,000 claiming or starter allowance company.

Race 5: $4,000 Claiming (six furlongs)

#1 Offlee Fun (3-1) and #6 Splash for Gold (4-1) bring competitive Brisnet Speed ratings to the mix, but they’re late runners in a race without much speed. Thus, we’ll include their more tactical rivals #2 Strate Remark (12-1) and #4 Oncewewerebrothers (5-2) for good measure.

Race 6: $75,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (five furlongs on turf)

You can make a logical case for many of the entrants in this competitive turf dash, so we’ll spread deep with #2 Etched in Stone (9-2), #3 Oncoming Train (5-1), #6 Name Rejected (3-1), #7 Kennesaw (9-2), and #8 City Drifter (7-2).

Race 7: Arlington-Washington Futurity (seven furlongs)

#6 One Timer (4-5) is a heavy favorite after dominating his first two starts in gate-to-wire fashion, including a 3 3/4-length romp in the Victoria S. at Woodbine. But don’t overlook #5 Baladi (5-1), a beautifully bred Brendan Walsh trainee adding Lasix off a 5 1/2-length debut score on dirt at Ellis Park.

Race 8: Arlington-Washington Lassie S. (seven furlongs)

#1 Queens Up (6-1), #7 Plus Chic (3-1), and #9 Purr Sea (8-5) all cracked the 80 Brisnet Speed rating plateau while winning their debuts by daylight margins. One of the three figures to win this sprint stakes for juvenile fillies.

20-cent Pick 8: 1 with 5,6 with 4,7 with 3 with 1,2,4,6 with 2,3,6,7,8 with 5,6 with 1,7,9 ($96)

Good luck!