Churchill Downs: How to bet the $7,007 Super High 5 carryover

You’ll have to start betting pretty early in the day if you want to win a share of Sunday’s $7,007 Super High 5 carryover at Churchill Downs.

The prize pool for the $1 wager is available to chase right off the bat in Race 1 (post time12:45 p.m. ET), a straightforward $25,000 claimer for fillies and mares sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on dirt. Eight horses have been entered, which equates to 6,720 possible Super High 5 outcomes—hardly an unmanageable number.

Still, assembling a winning ticket won’t be easy. The field lacks any standout contenders, and splitting the favorites is difficult. You can make a case for several different horses to visit the winner’s circle.

The morning line choice is #4 A Real Jewel (3-1), and her credentials are respectable. She’s finished on the board in all 13 of her starts across 2022 and 2023, most recently taking third in a $30,000 claimer sprinting six furlongs at Oaklawn Park. A Real Jewel was claimed out of that contest by Tom Amoss, a high-percentage conditioner who strikes at a 21% rate with new claiming acquisitions, so A Real Jewel is a logical contender for victory.

Second choice #1 Lady Goldstart (4-1) is a wildcard with a chance to run strongly. At first glance her form is unappealing; she’s faltered in her last three starts against tougher competition, finishing fifth in an $80,000 allowance optional claimer at Churchill, seventh in a $50,000 allowance optional claimer over the synthetic track at Turfway Park, and 11th in an allowance at Oaklawn Park.

But Lady Goldstart has been freshened since January, enters off sharp workouts (including a bullet half-mile in :46), and boasts encouraging back class. Four starts back, Lady Goldstart won a $32,000 claimer sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs at Keeneland. Dropping down to the $25,000 claiming level at Churchill Downs can potentially trigger a winning run, though you can make a case 6 1/2 furlongs is a little farther than Lady Goldstart wants to run—she’s missed the trifecta in all three of her starts over this trip.

So how should we bet the Super High 5? Let’s key A Real Jewel on top, count on Lady Goldstart to finish in the top four, and spread a bit deeper for the remaining slots:

• $1 Super High 5: 4 with 1 with 6,8 with 2,6,8 with 2,3,5,6,7,8 ($16)
• $1 Super High 5: 4 with 6,8 with 1 with 2,6,8 with 2,3,5,6,7,8 ($16)
• $1 Super High 5: 4 with 6,8 with 2,6,8 with 1 with 2,3,5,6,7,8 ($16)
  Total: $48

Good luck!