Betting on one horse for two carryovers at Turfway Park

Turfway Park heads into the first weekend of 2021 with a couple of modest (but nonetheless enticing) carryovers up for grabs.

Following a mandatory dispersal of the Single 6 on New Year’s Eve, the jackpot-style Pick 6 wager has accumulated a carryover of $2,938 for the Saturday card. Simultaneously, a 7-1 upset winner in the Friday finale triggered a $1,572 carryover in the Super Hi 5.

Saturday’s Single 6 spans Race 3 through Race 8, an incredibly formidable sequence in which every leg drew 12 starters plus a pair of also-eligibles. Assuming twelve horses start in each race, this Single 6 will feature no fewer than 2,985,984 possible outcomes, and finding a single to count on will be the key to keeping ticket costs reasonable.

Fortunately, Race 8 may afford just the right opportunity, which is doubly valuable since the final leg of the Single 6 is also the race in which the Super Hi 5 carryover will (presumably) be dispersed. A 6-furlong maiden special weight for 3-year-old fillies, Race 8 appears ripe for conquest by #9 Wild Story (5-1), a daughter of Preakness (G1) winner Exaggerator out of the Forest Wildcat mare Fashion Cat.

Wild Story has yet to finish better than fifth in three starts running a mile, but she nevertheless brings competitive Brisnet Speed ratings to the mix. In a 1-mile maiden race at Turfway last month, Wild Story tracked the pace while racing a bit rank, then weakened only slightly in the drive to finish fifth by 2 1/2 lengths.

Cutting back in distance could work wonders for Wild Story, considering she’s a half-sister to Saratoga Special (G2) winner Corfu and Saudi Cup Sprint winner New York Central, a pair of graded stakes-winning sprinters. Trainer Kenny McPeek has been hot at Turfway, going 4-for-11 (36%) during the month of December, and Wild Story may also benefit from racing on Lasix for the first time (a winning move 21% of the time for McPeek).

For good measure, Wild Story is picking up the services of jockey Joe Talamo, who went 6-for-22 (27%) at Turfway last month. Any way you slice it, Wild Story looks like a formidable win contender at a fair price. I recommend singling her in the Single 6 and keying her on top in the Super Hi 5; if she delivers as expected, we’ll be well on our way to cashing both wagers.

Good luck!