Three singles in two carryovers at Arlington Park

The penultimate Saturday of the 2021 Arlington Park meet brings an eight-race card featuring a pair of non-jackpot carryovers.

Race 1 (3:25 p.m. ET) kicks off the action with a $3,287 carryover in the 20-cent Pick 8. Race 2 (3:55 p.m. ET) follows suit with an even larger $8,616 prize pool in the 20-cent Pick 7.

If you’re planning to chase one or both of the carryovers, we’ve identified a handful of horses worth singling across the sequences.

Race 1, $25,000 Maiden Claiming: #4 Birdman Richie (7-5)

Arlington’s leading trainer, Larry Rivelli, will have every opportunity to start the card on a winning note with Birdman Richie. The two-year-old son of Noble Bird ran well when debuting over this track and six-furlong distance last month, carving out the pace before weakening slightly to finish second.

The 63 Brisnet Speed rating Birdman Richie received tops Saturday’s field, and hot jockey E. T. Baird (a 30% winner when teaming up with Rivelli) is slated to ride. If Birdman Richie runs back to his debut effort, he can win the Saturday opener for fun.

Race 2, $4,000 Claiming: #6 Morethansoultitle (8-5)

Sprinting seven furlongs against $4,000 claiming company should suit Morethansoultitle just fine. The three-year-old gelding scored by five lengths in a $6,250 maiden claiming sprint at Arlington two starts ago, then came back to run third in a $12,500 claimer over the same track and six-furlong distance.

Morethansoultitle was claimed out of the latter race by Rivelli, who strikes at a 33% rate with new claiming acquisitions, and at 34% with horses dropping down multiple class levels. Morethansoultitle has enough tactical speed to secure a favorable trip in Saturday’s largely paceless field, stamping the son of More Than Ready as a logical single with Baird aboard.

Race 8, $12,500 Claiming: #8 Pitaman (7-5)

With four victories from his last five starts at Arlington, Pitaman has been on a roll this summer. Conditioned by high-percentage trainer Brittany Vanden Berg (a 33% winner this meet), Pitaman won multiple times at the $6,250 claiming level before stepping up in class for a $12,500 claimer sprinting five furlongs on turf. The tougher circumstances could have tripped up Pitaman, but instead, the three-year-old gelding led all the way to win by three-quarters of a length.

Pitaman will stick to the same conditions on Saturday, and while there’s a fair amount of speed in the entries, Pitaman should have options for working out a favorable trip from his outside draw. For Pick 8 purposes, Pitaman is well worth considering as a single.

Good luck!