Carryovers: Churchill’s $10,457 Super High 5, Aqueduct’s $62,294 Pick 6

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson analyzes a pair of Sunday carryovers at Churchill Downs and Aqueduct.

Churchill Downs: Race 2: $10,457 Super High 5 carryover (1:14 p.m. ET)

Sunday’s second race at Churchill Downs is a $16,000 claimer for horses who have never won two races, and if you can select the top five finishers in the 1 1/16-mile contest, you’ll win a share of a $10,457 Super High 5 carryover.

The morning line favorite is #7 Centurion (5-2), and his credentials are respectable. The six-year-old gelding has finished third in his last two starts against $30,000 claiming competition at Monmouth Park and Colonial Downs. But Centurion is a deep closer who usually comes running too late to challenge for top honors, as indicated by his 23-1-3-7 lifetime record. Will dropping in class be enough to put Centurion in the win hunt?

The lightly raced three-year-old #8 Platinum Ghost (7-2) is an intriguing alternative. Two starts back, he wired a $20,000 maiden claimer sprinting six furlongs at Churchill Downs with a 79 Brisnet Speed rating, similar to the numbers Centurion has been posting as of late.

Platinum Ghost subsequently stumbled severely at the start of a $30,000 starter allowance at Horseshoe Indianapolis, so we’ll forgive his fifth-place finish. Platinum Ghost is dropping down in class on Sunday and has the speed to work out a favorable trip in his route debut, so don’t be surprised if Platinum Ghost springs a mild surprise against Centurion.

Aqueduct, Race 4: $62,294 Pick 6 carryover (2:39 p.m. ET)

If you’re thinking, “I sure would like a single to build tickets around in Sunday’s $62,294 Pick 6 carryover at Aqueduct,” then we’ve got you covered.

Race 8, the seven-furlong Bertram F. Bongard S. for New York-bred juveniles, looks like a perfect spot for #3 El Grande O (8-5) to secure his first stakes win. Conditioned by hot trainer Linda Rice (a 25% winner to kick off this “Belmont at the Big A” Aqueduct meet), El Grande O has already proven his worth by finishing second in two stakes at Saratoga.

Indeed, El Grande O ran well against non-state-restricted competition in the Skidmore S. at Saratoga, tracking the pace to finish second by 1 1/4 lengths. But he fired off an even stronger effort when facing fellow New York-breds in the Funny Cide S., carving out the pace before finishing second by a head against The Wine Steward, an unbeaten colt who had previously won the Bashford Manor S. against non-state-restricted rivals.

El Grande O’s Funny Cide effort yielded a flashy 97 Brisnet Speed rating, the highest number in the Bertram F. Bongard field by 11 points. Anything close to a repeat should land El Grande O in the Aqueduct winner’s circle.

Good luck!