Horses to key in Golden Gate, Turfway carryovers

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson analyzes a pair of Sunday carryovers at Golden Gate Fields and Turfway Park.

Golden Gate Fields, Race 6: $48,121 Pick 6 mandatory payout (5:07 p.m. ET)

Sunday is closing day at Golden Gate Fields, which means the $48,121 jackpot carryover in the 20-cent Pick 6 is slated for a mandatory dispersal.

Large and competitive fields are on tap, so finding a trustworthy single is difficult. The best opportunity might come in Race 9, the Miss America S. for fillies and mares racing 1 1/16 miles on turf. Nine horses have been entered, but #2 Brooke (3-1)—shipping in from the Southern California circuit—looks formidable.

Twice placed against graded stakes company this season, Brooke has tactical speed, but is capable of rating off the pace if necessary. She showed this ability quite clearly in the one-mile Swingtime S. at Santa Anita two months ago, when she rallied from midfield to finish third by two lengths.

Brooke has already finished ahead of key rival #5 Tapwater (2-1) this year and hails from the barn of hot trainer Michael McCarthy, a 27% winner at Golden Gate. In short, all the signs suggest Brooke is ready for a winning effort.

Turfway Park, Race 8: $2,672 Super High 5 carryover (4:30 p.m. ET)

You’ll need a bit of luck to assemble a winning ticket for Sunday’s $2,672 Super High 5 carryover at Turfway Park. The $1 wager is available for betting in Race 8, a $5,000 maiden claimer containing a dozen horses before scratches. Suffice to say, it looks like a race where almost anything could happen.

On the bright side, the one-mile Tapeta test does feature a couple of class droppers who seem trustworthy enough to build tickets around. #2 Chelichna (7-2), for example, ran third in a $16,000-$12,500 maiden claimer over the Laurel Park turf course two starts back, gaining 6 1/4 lengths in the final furlong to finish a neck away from victory. She subsequently employed tracking tactics to finish fifth in a $15,000-$14,000 maiden claimer over the Woodbine Tapeta, an encouraging effort suggesting she can challenge against easier company at Turfway.

#6 Laugh It Off (7-2) is the other key contender. She’s finished third and eighth in her last two starts against $16,000 maiden claiming company over the Laurel turf, but her form on Tapeta at Presque Isle Downs is even better. During the summer, she ran second in a $17,500 maiden claimer, and fourth in a maiden special weight. The top two finishers in the latter race returned to win their next starts.

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

$1 Super High 5: 2,6 with 2,6 with 5,9,10 with 5,8,9,10 with 5,8,9,10 ($36)
$1 Super High 5: 2,6 with 5,9,10 with 2,6 with 5,8,9,10 with 5,8,9,10 ($36)
Total: $72

Good luck!