How to bet the $36,329 Houston Hi-5 carryover at Sam Houston

The racing week at Sam Houston kicks off on Wednesday with a $36,329 carryover in the Houston Hi-5, a 20-cent jackpot-style Super High Five wager awarding the full payout only if a unique winning ticket is sold.

The Houston Hi-5 is offered twice daily, and carries over from one pool to the next if more than one winning ticket is sold.

Let’s take a look at the Wednesday’s offerings and put together a few tickets to chase the carryover:

Race 5: $15,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (1 1/16 miles, 7:11 p.m. ET)

The $36,329 carryover is up for grabs in Race 5, where #8 Simple Pleasure (6-5) looms as a heavy favorite. The daughter of Super Saver pretty much towers over her opponents from a Brisnet Speed rating perspective and hasn’t missed the exacta in her last seven non-stakes starts.

But Simple Pleasure has done her best running on dirt and brings an unremarkable 6-1-1-0 turf record to the equation, so switching surfaces may introduce an element of vulnerability. Tried-and-true turf horses like #6 Just Leave (3-1), #4 Bee Bit (9-2), and even #2 Badgeri Candy (15-1) and #9 Raging Gold Digger (15-1) could thus become viable alternatives at better prices.

Let’s exclude Simple Pleasure from the top of our tickets and try to catch a longshot on top.

• 20-cent Super Hi-5: 2,4,6,9 with 8 with 2,4,6,9 with 2,4,6,9 with 2,3,4,5,6,9 ($14.40)
• 20-cent Super Hi-5: 2,4,6,9 with 2,4,6,9 with 8 with 2,4,6,9 with 2,3,4,5,6,9 ($14.40)
• 20-cent Super Hi-5: 2,4,6,9 with 8 with 2,4,6,9 with 3,5 with 2,4,6,9 ($9.60)
• 20-cent Super Hi-5: 2,4,6,9 with 2,4,6,9 with 8 with 3,5 with 2,4,6,9 ($9.60)
• Total: $48

Race 10: $25,000 Maiden Claiming (5 furlongs, 9:32 p.m. ET)

It should be relatively easy to find the winner of this five-furlong dash for Texas-bred fillies and mares. #1 My Golden Bling (6-5) carved out the pace in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Sam Houston last month before weakening in the final furlong to finish third. Cutting back in distance and dropping down to the maiden claiming ranks should make My Golden Bling formidable for hot trainer Austin Gustafson, who has gone 13-for-36 (36%) at Sam Houston this meet.

Other logical contenders include #4 In Disguise (7-2), a Karl Broberg trainee freshened since a couple of disappointing efforts against tougher company last summer, and #6 Bubble Line (4-1), runner-up for a $25,000 tag on Jan. 22 at Sam Houston. But if we’re going to sweep the whole carryover pool (assuming it isn’t hit in Race 5), we’ll need a couple of live longshots to make our winning ticket unique. This is where #5 David’s Dream Girl (15-1) comes into play.

David’s Dream Girl ran twice at Lone Star Park last summer, finishing sixth and eighth against maiden special weight company. But David’s Dream Girl did show flashes of tactical speed, and trainer Henry Uriegas wins at a 27% rate with horses dropping from maiden special weight to maiden claiming company, so it’s not unreasonable to conclude David’s Dream Girl can take a step forward off the layoff.

• 20-cent Houston Hi-5: 1 with 4,5,6 with 4,5,6 with 4,5,6 with ALL ($6)
• 20-cent Houston Hi-5: 1 with 4,5,6 with 4,5,6 with ALL with 4,5,6 ($6)
• 20-cent Houston Hi-5: 1 with 4,5,6 with ALL with 4,5,6 with 4,5,6 ($6)
• Total: $18

Good luck!