Gulfstream Park: How to bet the mandatory-payout Rainbow Pick 6

The Rainbow Pick 6 at Gulfstream Park is usually a jackpot-style wager, but an exception will be made during Saturday’s 11-race card, when a mandatory payout is scheduled.

Although the 20-cent wager doesn’t currently boast a carryover (a single TwinSpires bettor swept the jackpot for more than $1.2 million on Friday), Gulfstream has guaranteed the gross pool for Saturday’s sequence at $250,000, an enticing pot to chase.

Let’s take a race-by-race by race look at the sequence – which begins with Race 6 at approximately 2:35 p.m. ET – and assemble a ticket on a $72 budget:

Race 6: $35,000 Claiming (1 1/16 miles on turf)

A competitive two-turn turf claimer kicks off the sequence. There aren’t any standouts in the mix, so we’ll spread deep with #3 Tackle (5-2), #4 Caribbean Gold (6-1), #5 Propensity (9-2), #8 Maker of an Empire (6-1), and #9 Holy Emperor (5-1).

Race 7: Maiden Special Weight (one mile)

#3 Touch Code (7-2) ran second over this track, distance, and class level on Dec. 11, earning a solid 80 Brisnet Speed rating. As a half-brother to champion three-year-old West Coast, Touch Code is bred to improve with maturity, and should have every chance to visit the winner’s circle on Saturday.

However, we’ll also include the first-time starter #2 Charge It (4-1), a well-bred youngster hailing from the phenomenally hot barn of Todd Pletcher. Since the start of the current meet, Pletcher has gone 15-for-34 (44%).

Race 8: Tropical Turf S. (G3, one mile on turf)

#1 Largent (9-5) hasn’t missed the exacta in 10 starts and showed strong form at Gulfstream last winter, winning the Ft. Lauderdale S. (G2) and finishing second by a neck in the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1). But the Todd Pletcher trainee hasn’t run in nearly a year, so if he fails to fire his best shot off the layoff, improving sprinter/miler #4 Value Proposition (8-5) can put up a fight.

Race 9: $12,500 Allowance Optional Claiming (six furlongs)

#8 Twice too Many (9-5) was beaten just half a length over this track and class level on Dec. 12.  He’d previously smashed a maiden special weight by 4 1/2 lengths with a 103 Brisnet Speed rating, so Twice too Many definitely has the speed to factor here.

But don’t dismiss #7 Raise the Rent (3-1), an easy winner of a $35,000 claimer sprinting six furlongs at Gulfstream last month. He’s eligible to improve in his first start since being claimed by trainer Kelly Breen, a 21% winner with new claiming acquisitions. And we can’t write off #6 Doo Wop Don (6-1), a versatile gelding entering off three straight victories (two of them blowouts) against easier company.

Race 10: $25,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (six furlongs)

#3 We Miss Susie (4-1) rolled by three lengths over this track, distance, and class level on Dec. 11, and has to be viewed as a formidable win threat. But the stakes-placed #5 Psychic Ability (7-2) is eligible to challenge in her first start for high-percentage trainer Saffie Joseph. And the consistent #6 Sprout Wings (9-2) must be respected after rattling off three straight sprint wins at Gulfstream.

Race 11: $50,000 Maiden Optional Claiming (one mile on turf)

The finale has drawn an unusual blend of dirt and turf horses exiting races of many different distances and class levels. There are also a couple of first-time starters in the mix. You can make a case of some sort for almost any horse in the field, but we’ll try to survive using only the graded stakes-experienced #7 Gooch Go Bragh (7-2) and the well-bred maiden special weight competitor #9 Charming Charlie (4-1).

Gooch Go Bragh hails from the barn of Todd Pletcher, while Charming Charlie races for trainer Christophe Clement and jockey Tyler Gaffalione, who have gone 5-for-10 (50%) together over the last two months.

20-cent Rainbow Pick 6: 3,4,5,8,9 with 2,3 with 1,4 with 6,7,8 with 3,5,6 with 7,9 ($72)

Good luck!