Gulfstream Park: Singles for the mandatory-payout $410,521 Pick 6 carryover

From a sporting perspective, the Breeders’ Cup qualifiers taking place at Churchill Downs, Santa Anita, and Belmont at the Big A are the highlights of the first Saturday in October.

But from a betting perspective, it’s hard to top the action at Gulfstream Park, where a massive $410,521 Rainbow Pick 6 carryover is scheduled for a mandatory payout.

The sequence for the 20-cent wager kicks off in Race 6 (post time 2:55 p.m. ET) and encompasses a trio of stakes. That’s good news, because the stakes provide perfect opportunities to seek reliable singles.

We recommend building your tickets around the following two favorites:

Race 8: Florida Sire My Dear Girl S. (1 1/16 miles): #2 Lynx (8-5)

It’s hard to look past Lynx in this two-turn stakes for Florida-bred juvenile fillies. The daughter of Brethren has compiled a perfect 3-for-3 record while demonstrating a variety of running styles, and she’s already nabbed a couple of stakes for Florida-bred fillies at Gulfstream, winning the Florida Sire Desert Vixen S. and the Florida Sire Susan’s Girl S.

The latter race came over seven furlongs, and Lynx dominated by 4 3/4 lengths in her most impressive performance to date. The 89 Brisnet Speed rating Lynx posted tops Saturday’s field, and stretching out over 1 1/16 miles shouldn’t be an issue since her half-sister African Rose won three stakes racing one mile. Throw in the fact jockey Edgard Zayas has gone 3-for-7 (43%) teaming up with trainer Carlos David over the last two months, and Lynx looks like a standout.

Race 10: Florida Sire In Reality S. (1 1/16 miles: #8 Awesome Strong (7-5)

Pretty much everything we’ve said about Lynx applies also to Awesome Strong, the favorite to win this 1 1/16-mile test for Florida-bred colts and geldings.

Awesome Strong is 3-for-3 and has already won a couple of stakes for Florida-breds at Gulfstream, dominating the Florida Sire Dr. Fager S. by 4 3/4 lengths and the Florida Sire Affirmed S. by three lengths. Those victories produced Brisnet Speed ratings of 95 and 99 (the two highest ratings in Saturday’s field), and stretching out over 1 1/16 miles should be easy since Awesome Strong is a half-brother to the graded stakes-placed route racer Bad Debt.

Lastly, Awesome Strong is slated to be ridden by Miguel Vasquez, who has gone 4-for-7 (57%) teaming up with trainer Jorge Delgado over the last two months. Just like Lynx, Awesome Strong looms as a standout favorite to win a third consecutive stakes.

Good luck!