Churchill Downs: $52,729 Single 6 carryover awaits Oct. 30

A $52,729 carryover pool isn’t the only reason to play Friday’s Single 6 jackpot at Churchill Downs.

Even if you don’t hit the full jackpot (which requires holding the only winning ticket), the payoffs for this Pick 6 wager tend to be solid. Consider Thursday’s Single 6, which produced five winning favorites plus an 18-1 upset in a race that looked wide-open on paper. If you successfully assembled all six winners, you were rewarded with a payoff $1,984.66. Not bad for a 20-cent wager.

Friday’s Single 6 kicks off in Race 5, a $50,000 claiming race for non-winners of two races lifetime. Just a half-dozen horses have entered the 6 1/2-furlong sprint, but it’s tough to narrow down the winner. #3 Elusive d’Oro has never run a bad race on dirt and brings competitive Brisnet Speed ratings to the fold, but he failed to fire in his 2020 debut, when he finished seventh in a Sept. 16 allowance over the tricky turf course at Kentucky Downs.

Can Elusive d’Oro rebound in a return to dirt for trainer Steve Asmussen? He is tough to trust as a single at 2-1.

The graded stakes-placed #5 Verb hasn’t missed the trifecta in seven starts and looms as a viable alternative, though he hasn’t run since he broke his maiden over this track and distance May 23. The layoff is a question mark, but at least trainer Keith Desormeaux strikes at a 24% rate with horses dropping down into claiming company for the first time.

If you’re confused by Race 5, you’ll be glad to know Race 6, a $40,000 maiden claiming race for 2-year-olds, looks considerably more straightforward.

Seven of the nine entrants in this 6-furlong sprint have yet to run and appear unlikely to challenge on debut, which leaves the experienced runners #4 Clearly Mad (7-2) and #5 Roman Pharoah (3-1) as logical favorites.

Clearly Mad was beaten just a half-length when he competed for a $50,000 tag over this track and distance Sept. 19. He earned a 74 Brisnet Speed rating, which is just shy of the par figure (75) for Friday’s conditions.

Roman Pharoah will drop down from the maiden special weight level for high-percentage trainer Robertino Diodoro, who strikes at a 22% with this move.

Of the pair, I narrowly prefer Clearly Mad. But using both in equal strength should ensure that we survive the second leg of the Single 6.

Good luck!