Fair Grounds: Horse to bet in the $1,815 Pick 6 carryover

Saturday is Louisiana Champions Day at Fair Grounds. Eight of the nine races are stakes for horses bred in Louisiana, including every race comprising the $1 Pick 6.

Speaking of the Pick 6, there’s a $1,815 non-jackpot carryover up for grabs on Saturday. Planning to play along? We’ve analyzed the entries and identified a solid single and a live longshot worth supporting.

Best single: Race 4: #4 Free Drop Maddy (8-5)

The Louisiana Champions Day Lassie S. has drawn a field of eight juvenile fillies to sprint six furlongs over the main track. Speed has been dominant over this distance, with pacesetters winning at a 51% rate so far this meet, and Free Drop Maddy has the speed and talent to enjoy a perfect trip and cruise to victory.

Free Drop Maddy owns the best Brisnet E1 and E2 Pace ratings in the field and similarly posted a field-best 87 Brisnet Speed rating when employing pace-pressing tactics to dominate the Donovan L. Ferguson Memorial S. at Fair Grounds last month. Free Drop Maddy was tons the best in that 5 1/2-furlong dash, winning by 6 3/4 lengths over #8 Addi Bug (12-1) and #5 Don’tcallmepatsy (10-1).

There isn’t much speed drawn inside of Free Drop Maddy on Saturday, so if she breaks cleanly and secures the lead under hot jockey Reylu Gutierrez, she’ll be tough to catch. It helps that trainer Bret Calhoun has been on fire at Fair Grounds this meet, winning at a 31% rate.

Live longshot: Race 8: #3 Touchuponastar (6-1)

#7 Who Took the Money (4-5) is an odds-on favorite to win the 1 1/8-mile Louisiana Champions Day Classic S. and it’s easy to understand why. He’s 4-for-5 at Fair Grounds and brings a three-race win streak to the table, highlighted by a 2 1/4-length victory in the Scott’s Scoundrel S. over this track last month.

But Who Took the Money is a deep closer facing a field without much speed on paper. Who’s to say the pacesetting longshot Touchuponastar won’t shake loose on an easy lead and forget to stop?

A son of three-time Louisiana Champions Day Classic winner Star Guitar, Touchuponastar enters off back-to-back blowout sprint victories, most recently crushing a seven-furlong allowance optional claimer at Delta Downs by 8 1/4 lengths.

That impressive performance produced a 97 Brisnet Speed rating, equal to the best ratings posted by Who Took the Money, so Touchuponastar is already fast enough to compete at this level. I’m optimistic this three-year-old gelding can spring a surprise against the stretch-running favorite.

Good luck!