Saratoga: Penultimate card brings $210,166 Pick 6 carryover

A $210,166 Pick 6 carryover is among the highlights of Sunday’s card at Saratoga, the penultimate day of racing at the prestigious summer meet.

Two stakes in the Pick 6

The Pick 6 gets underway in Race 8 (post time 3:59 p.m. ET).

The feature events on the 13-race card are a couple of stakes, both of which are part of the Pick 6. Race 12, the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), is the richest by far. The historic 1 1/4-mile dirt contest has drawn seven entries, and John Mucciolo is all-in on #7 Arthur’s Ride (4-5) as the horse to beat. 

We concur: Arthur’s Ride was brilliant winning Saratoga’s 1 1/8-mile Whitney (G1) last month by 2 1/4 lengths, and two starts back he trounced a 1 1/4-mile allowance optional claimer at Saratoga by 12 3/4 lengths. The talented four-year-old looks like a viable Pick 6 single.

The other stakes on the agenda is Race 11, the $150,000 Bernard Baruch S. taking place over 1 1/16 miles on turf. #5 Running Bee (9-5), who finished in a dead-heat for victory in the 1 1/8-mile Monmouth (G3) two starts back, is a must-use contender.

But #7 Taking Candy (5-2) might have an even stronger winning chance. He kicked off 2024 with a pace-pressing triumph in a $62,500 allowance optional claimer racing 1 1/16 miles at Saratoga and appears well spotted for his return to stakes company. Last year at Saratoga, Taking Candy won a $62,500 allowance optional claimer before finishing second in the 1 1/16-mile Saranac (G3) behind future Grade 1 winner Carl Spackler, so his form lines are strong.

TwinSpires special offer for win bets in Races 7 and 9

As if two stakes and a six-figure Pick 6 carryover aren’t exciting enough, TwinSpires is bolstering the Sunday card with a special offer you won’t want to miss: the Summer Selected Races $10 Money Back promotion. Opt-in on the offers page and receive refunds on win bets (up to $10) if your horse finishes second or third in Race 7 or Race 9 at Saratoga.

Race 7 isn’t part of the Pick 6, but you might want to play just the same. It’s a seven-furlong dirt maiden special weight for two-year-old fillies, and the field is packed with promising names. For the purpose of a $10 win bet, why not back first-time starter #3 Snowyte (5-2)? She’s been cranking out fast workouts like clockwork at Saratoga, including a bullet half-mile in :47 4/5, and as a daughter of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Good Magic (who sires 16% winners from first-time starters), Snowyte is bred to excel from an early age.

Race 9 is a $62,500 allowance optional claimer for fillies and mares sprinting seven furlongs on dirt. #1 St. Benedicts Prep (3-1) looks like a solid candidate for a $10 win bet. She brings sharp Brisnet Speed ratings to the table and won a seven-furlong allowance on Aug. 3 at Saratoga. After breezing a bullet five furlongs in 1:00 1/5 on Aug. 22, St. Benedicts Prep appears poised to snatch her second win of the meet.

Good luck!