How to bet the $13,480 Space City Pick 6 carryover at Sam Houston

Sam Houston Race Park’s biggest day of racing just got even bigger. An evening of upsets on Saturday has triggered a pair of carryovers for Sunday’s stakes-packed card.

The day was already shaping up to be epic with half a dozen stakes worth a combined $950,000 on the agenda. Throw in a $19,024 Houston Hi-5 carryover and a $13,480 Space City Pick 6 carryover, and you have the recipe for a sensational evening of racing and betting.

The Houston Hi-5 is up for grabs in Race 5, which is also when the Space City Pick 6 (comprised exclusively of stakes events) gets underway.

Let’s take a race-by-race look at the Pick 6 sequence and put together a play on a ~$50 budget:

Race 5: Pulse Power Turf Sprint S. (Five furlongs on turf, 4:53 p.m. ET)

This five-furlong grass dash is a tough race with lots of logical contenders. I narrowly fancy #2 Share the Upside (4-1), an established stakes winner with a 3-for-3 record sprinting on turf for hot jockey/trainer duo Stewart Elliot and Steve Asmussen. But to play it safe, we’ll spread deep with #1 Mo Maverick (5-1), #3 Carotari (8-1), #7 Fast Boat (7-2), #10 Tiger Blood (10-1), and #12 Kingpin (12-1).

Race 6: Stonerside Sprint S. (Six furlongs, 5:25 p.m. ET)

#1 Nitrous (8-5) has been facing tough company, most recently beating next-out stakes winner Manny Wah in the Thankgiving Classic S. at Fair Grounds. The son of Tapit brings a bevy of sharp Brisnet Speed ratings to the mix and will be tough to beat for Elliot and Asmussen, though the speedy front-runner #9 Hollis (5-2) has also run fast races against quality competition and will be tough to catch if the early pace is modest.

Race 7: Texas Turf Mile (One mile on turf, 6:00 p.m. ET)

We’ll take a shot singling the well-bred #5 Fighting Force (3-1), who ships in from Florida off a runner-up effort in the Dania Beach S. Sold for $500,000 as a two-year-old, the Todd Pletcher trainee hasn’t missed the exacta in three grass starts and has the tactical speed to work out a clean trip.

Race 8: Houston Ladies Classic (G3, 1 1/16 miles, 6:32 p.m. ET)

The multiple graded stakes winner #7 Letruska (1-1) has blinding speed and will be difficult to catch if she brings her A-game. The five-year-old mare brings the best Brisnet Speed ratings to the equation and is 11-for-15 lifetime, so in the interest of keeping our ticket cost reasonable, we’ll make Letruska a short-priced single.

Race 9: John B. Connally Turf Cup (G3, 1 1/2 miles on turf, 7:07 p.m. ET)

#10 Spooky Channel (5-2) is a graded stakes winner at this distance, and the son of English Channel recently returned from a layoff to finish a deceptively good fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Ft. Lauderdale (G2). He’ll be dangerous while stretching back out in distance, though don’t sleep on the chances of #3 Ajourneytofreedom (10-1) and #5 Conviction Trade (7-2). Both are trained by Mike Maker, who has won seven of the last nine renewals of the John B. Connally Turf Cup.

Race 10: Jersey Lilly Turf S. (1 1/16 miles on turf, 7:42 p.m. ET)

We’ll end our play with 2019 Riskaverse S. winner #1 Catch a Bid (7-5), who is making her first start off a layoff for trainer Joe Sharp; #7 Morning Molly (4-1), who hasn’t missed the exacta in four turf starts; and #8 Stunning Sky (3-1), who rallied to victory in the Valley View (G3) at Keeneland last fall.

The Ticket

Race 5, 50-cent Pick 6: 1,2,3,7,10,12 with 1,9 with 5 with 7 with 3,5,10 with 1,7,8 ($54)

Good luck!