Golden Gate Fields: How to bet the $3,021 Super High 5 carryover

Have you heard the news? There’s a $3,021 Super High 5 carryover up for grabs on Saturday at Golden Gate Fields.

It’s not the biggest carryover you’ll ever encounter, but the $1 wager is of the non-jackpot variety, so bettors who select the top five finishers in order will all share in the carryover—no unique winning ticket required.

The prize pool is available in Race 6, an $8,000 claimer taking place over one mile on Tapeta. Eight horses have been entered, providing 6,720 possible outcomes.

There are a couple of ways to go in plotting our betting strategy. One logical choice is to focus on morning line favorite #6 Paint Me Lucky (5-2), who exits a third-place finish in an $8,000 claimer racing one mile over the dirt track at Del Mar. Paint Me Lucky has cracked the trifecta in four straight races and ran third against $16,000 claiming company in his most recent run over the Golden Gate Tapeta, suggesting Saturday’s class level will suit the seven-year-old veteran just fine. Keep in mind, Paint Me Lucky is making his first start for high-percentage trainer Jonathan Wong, who wins at a 29% rate with new claiming acquisitions.

The other strategy would be to emphasize the class-dropping #7 Dubby Dubbie (3-1). Dubby Dubbie hasn’t made the trifecta in his last seven starts, but all those runs have come against much tougher competition on turf. Dubby Dubbie is exiting a $25,000 claimer at Del Mar and won his lone previous start over the Golden Gate Tapeta, so he’s eligible to challenge while dropping down multiple class levels for trainer Robert Hess Jr., who strikes at a 30% rate when making this move.

Then again, maybe we don’t have to choose between these two strategies. Maybe we can combine them and use Paint Me Lucky and Dubby Dubbie in equal strength, counting on one to win and the other to finish in the top three.

Here’s how we’ll bet the Super High 5:

• $1 Super High 5: 6,7 with 6,7 with 5,8 with 2,5,8 with 1,2,4,5,8 ($24)
• $1 Super High 5: 6,7 with 5,8 with 6,7 with 2,5,8 with 1,2,4,5,8 ($24)
  Total: $48

Good luck!