Louisiana Downs: How to bet the mandatory-payout $77,567 Pick 4 carryover

Louisiana Downs has announced their 50-cent Pick 4 wager is changing from a jackpot-style bet into a traditional Pick 4. As part of the shift, the $77,567 carryover that has accumulated is slated for a mandatory payout on Saturday.

The Pick 4 gets underway in Race 4 at 4:09 p.m. (ET). Let’s take a race-by-race look at the sequence, then assemble a ticket for less than $20:

Race 4: $10,000 Starter Optional Claiming (about 1 1/16 miles on turf)

The stakes-placed #2 Indy Tourist (9-5) finished second by half a length over this class level during the winter at Fair Grounds, earning a solid 85 Brisnet Speed rating. But two sound defeats in the interim suggest including horses like #4 Landofthepharoahs (7-2) and #5 Da Gold Room (8-1) as backup isn’t the worst strategy.

Race 5: $7,500 Claiming (six furlongs)

#7 Life of Saturdays (6-5) has posted four straight Brisnet Speed ratings in the 72-77 range at Oaklawn Park, including when third in a $12,500 claimer sprinting six furlongs on May 6. Dropping down the class ladder should make Life of Saturday formidable under hot jockey Carlos Lozada (a 21% winner this meet), but don’t count #3 O Chita (2-1) out of the mix. She was beaten only a neck in a $15,000 claimer at Sam Houston two starts back and broke her maiden in a romp at Louisiana Downs last summer.

Race 6: Allowance (about one mile on turf)

#5 Blessed Anna (4-5) has been facing tougher competition over the Fair Grounds lawn, most recently finishing fourth in the Red Camelia S. She brings a bevy of competitive Brisnet Speed ratings to the mix and races for the red-hot duo of jockey Jose Guerrero and trainer Shane Wilson, who have teamed up to win at a 32% rate over the last two months. What’s not to like? Blessed Anna looms as a logical single.

Race 7: $12,500 Maiden Claiming (5 1/2 furlongs)

#2 La Feme Jolie (2-1) finished second in a $10,000 maiden claimer over this distance at Fair Grounds two months ago, earning a 70 Brisnet Speed rating that easily tops Saturday’s field. But #3 Roadside Girl (7-2) is eligible to factor while dropping in class out of a maiden special weight, and the first-time starter #1 True Blonde Auntie (9-2) must be included since trainer Steve Ingram strikes at a 38% rate with debuting runners.

• $1 Pick 4: 2,4,5 with 3,7 with 5 with 1,2,3 ($18)

Good luck!