Horses of note for a trio of Arlington Park carryovers

Although there aren’t any stakes taking place at Arlington Park this Saturday, handicappers might still want to tune in and pursue the trio of non-jackpot carryovers on the agenda.

The 20-cent Pick 8, the 20-cent Pick 7, and the 50-cent Pick 5 all boast prize pools set to be split among any bettors who construct winning tickets. The details are as follows:

• Race 1 (3:25 p.m. ET): $19,093 Pick 8 carryover
• Race 2 (3:51 p.m. ET): $4,117 Pick 7 carryover
• Race 4 (4:56 p.m. ET): $11,518 Pick 5 carryover

Planning to play along? We’ve identified a handful of noteworthy runners across the card to help you get started:

Best single: Race 2, #6 Dynablue (2-1)

Racing one mile over the Arlington turf course in a $25,000 maiden claimer should suit Dynablue just fine. Two starts back, the son of grass champion Big Blue Kitten finished second in a $35,000 event over this course and distance. On that occasion, Dynablue was beaten only a nose while pulling four lengths clear of future two-time winner Lowcountry.

Arlington’s leading jockey Jareth Loveberry is named to ride Dynablue, and Loveberry has gone 3-for-3 when teaming up with trainer Dee Poulos over the last two months. Throw in the fact Dynablue owns the fastest Brisnet Speed ratings in the field, and I think we have a deserving single.

Live longshot: Race 6, #1 Etched in Stone (9-2)

It’s hard to knock Etched in Stone’s turf form. In his grass debut over the Gulfstream Park lawn, the gray colt rallied boldly to finish second in a five-furlong, $75,000 allowance optional claimer, beaten just half a length. Then—after knocking heads with future stakes winners Known Agenda and Red Ghost on dirt—the son of Cairo Prince returned to the turf at Arlington, where he romped by 2 1/4 lengths in another five-furlong, $75,000 allowance optional claimer.

Runner-up Tightrope returned to win another Arlington allowance, flattering Etched in Stone’s form. With hot jockey E. T. Baird in the saddle for high-percentage trainer Larry Rivelli, Etched in Stone figures to be formidable while sticking to a five-furlong turf sprint and dropping into a $40,000 allowance optional claimer.

Vulnerable favorite: Race 8, #1 Frontana (3-1)

In many respects, Frontana is a logical choice in this one-mile, $20,000 allowance optional claimer. The son of War Front has cracked the 82 Brisnet Speed rating plateau in six consecutive races, all since being claimed by high-percentage trainer Michael Reavis last summer.

But Frontana ran a bit below form over this course, distance, and class level on July 3, making a mid-race rally to reach contention before flattening out down the homestretch. The son of War Front settled for sixth place, behind Saturday rivals #3 Benelux (7-2) and #8 Cammack (4-1).

Frontana was claimed that day by trainer Christopher Davis, and while Davis wins at a 29% rate with new claiming acquisitions, the fact Frontana is switching barns—after running so well for Reavis—is a question mark.

I’m more intrigued by the other Davis trainee, Benelux, who has already defeated Frontana on a couple of occasions. The four-year-old gelding has been posting sharp Brisnet Speed ratings and fired off a big effort on July 3, overcoming traffic and a slow pace to rally and finish second by just 1 1/4 lengths. As a result, I view Benelux as a more likely winner than Frontana.

Good luck!