Churchill Downs: $240,017 mandatory-payout Pick 6, plus tournament

Sunday is closing day of the Churchill Downs fall meet. The highlight is the mandatory payout of a $240,017 Pick 6 carryover.

There’s also a $100 Churchill Downs Feeder to 12/7 Oaklawn KDBC Qualifier tournament on the agenda. Bet your entire $50 bankroll across at least five races at Churchill (minimum $5 per race) to climb the leaderboard.

Tournament bettors should consider backing #7 Booth (5-2) in Race 4, a $125,000 allowance optional claimer taking place over 6 1/2 furlongs on dirt. Booth has shown flashes of serious sprint talent for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, most notably trouncing a $100,000 allowance optional claimer at Oaklawn Park last winter by 4 1/4 lengths.

A strong work tab suggests Booth can sprint to victory in his first start off an eight-month layoff. Consider a win bet on this speedy three-year-old if his 5-2 morning line odds hold up.

Meanwhile, the Pick 6 gets underway in Race 7 and runs through Race 12. Competitive fields have turned out, and identifying a viable single isn’t easy.

One possibility can be found in Race 10, an $80,000 allowance optional claimer. The 1 1/16-mile dirt contest has drawn a large 12-horse field, but morning line favorite #11 Piroli (3-1) is a compelling win threat.

Runner-up in the 2023 Hollywood Gold Cup (G1), Piroli struggled in his first three starts of 2024, failing to record a top-three finish. But two of those were stakes, and his lone try outside the stakes ranks yielded a respectable fourth-place finish in an $80,000 allowance optional claimer at Santa Anita, his first start back from a lengthy layoff.

When Piroli dropped back down in class for a $100,000 allowance optional claimer at Keeneland last month, he improved significantly, tracking the pace before pulling clear to win the 1 1/8-mile contest by 2 1/2 lengths with a sharp 98 Brisnet Speed rating.

Only one of Piroli’s rivals has recently posted a Brisnet Speed rating higher than 98, that being #9 Hero Status (8-1), who threw down a 102 when second by a neck in an $80,000 allowance optional claimer at Del Mar two starts back. But he finished 7 3/4 lengths behind Piroli when sixth at Keeneland last time out, so if Piroli replicates his last performance, he ought to take home top honors.

In addition to singling Piroli in the Pick 6, tournament players should consider betting him to win and/or keying him in exotic wagers.

Good luck!