Horses to single in Arlington's Pick 7 and Pick 8 carryovers

Don’t look now, but the Pick 8 carryover at Arlington Park is gaining steam again.

When a 17-1 longshot rallied to victory in the Friday finale, not a single bettor held a winning Pick 8 ticket, leaving the 20-cent wager with a $5,614 carryover for Saturday’s card. The upset was also sufficient to trigger a $3,802 carryover in the Pick 7.

If the thought of chasing Arlington’s 15% takeout, non-jackpot carryovers sounds enticing, why not add this challenge to your weekend agenda? Post time for the first race on Saturday is 3:40 p.m. ET, and we’ve identified a couple of possible singles to build tickets around:

Race 3, $12,500 Claiming: #2 Maystart (7-5)

A three-year-old filly conditioned by Arlington’s leading trainer, Larry Rivelli (a 39% winner this meet), Maystart has been competing with aplomb against tougher foes. After finishing fourth in a $20,000 claimer racing one mile over the Arlington turf (with next-out winners Tiz Susan Ann and Double Dawn among her conquerors), Maystart switched to six furlongs over the Arlington Polytrack and finished second in another $20,000 claimer.

On Saturday, Maystart will stick to six furlongs on Polytrack, but descend to the $12,500 claiming level. This class drop stamps the three-year-old daughter of Upstart as the filly to beat under leading jockey Jareth Loveberry, a 36% winner when teaming up with Rivelli.

Race 4, Maiden Special Weight: #7 Sliabh Aughty (2-1)

Although Sliabh Aughty hasn’t cracked the trifecta in his last five starts, those were tough turf tests against maiden special weight company at Fair Grounds, Keeneland, and Churchill Downs. The four-year-old gelding figures to encounter easier circumstances on Saturday, when he’ll switch to Arlington’s Polytrack course.

Sliabh Aughty showed a clear affinity for synthetic footing when competing at Dundalk in Ireland, a course over which he recorded narrow runner-up efforts in two of his three starts. In a September 2019 maiden event sprinting seven furlongs at Dundalk, Sliabh Aughty was beaten just a neck by the filly Stela Star, who went on to win the Killavullan S. (G3) in Ireland and place in the Honeymoon S. (G3) at Santa Anita.

But Sliabh Aughty might not be an absolute lock to win on Saturday. #8 Rag Tag (3-1) has run faster on the Brisnet Speed rating scale. However, Rag Tag has finished second or third in eight consecutive races, suggesting he’s more inclined to settle for a minor award than battle for victory. If Sliabh Aughty shows improvement while switching to synthetic, he can settle into a perfect pacesetting or tracking position and roll home on top.

Good luck!