Tournaments, mandatory Pick 6 payout: What to bet on Sunday

Two tournaments and a mandatory-payout Pick 6 carryover are among the enticing betting options for horseplayers to pursue on Sunday.

Gulfstream Park $214,498 Pick 6 mandatory payout

With a $214,498 carryover slated for mandatory payout, Gulfstream Park estimates that the final pool for Sunday’s 20-cent Rainbow Pick 6 will reach $2 million.

A competitive sequence with large fields is on the agenda. If you need a single to build tickets around, there’s an option—albeit a risky one—in Race 6, the opening leg of the Pick 6. It’s a $62,500 allowance optional claimer for fillies and mares sprinting seven furlongs on dirt, which should suit #8 Olivia Darling (5-2) to perfection.

Olivia Darling showed strong form in dirt sprints at Gulfstream Park last winter, winning the Inside Information (G2) and cracking the trifecta in the Hurricane Bertie (G3) and Sugar Swirl (G3). She went off form when shipping away from Gulfstream during the spring and summer, finishing ninth in the Derby City Distaff (G1) and fifth in the Dashing Beauty S., but she’s been freshened since July and should appreciate returning to Gulfstream. It helps that trainer Jorge Delgado wins at a 22% rate with horses returning from layoffs of 90 days or more.

If you’re willing to bet Olivia Darling will rebound to her best off the layoff, then she’s clearly the mare to beat and a logical single to start the Pick 6.

$100 Churchill Downs Feeder to 11/30 Churchill Downs KDBC Qualifier

You can win an entry into the Nov. 30 $400 Churchill Downs KDBC Qualifier tournament if you perform well in Sunday’s $100 Churchill Downs Feeder tournament on TwinSpires. Bet your entire $50 bankroll across at least five races (minimum $5 per race) at Churchill to climb the standings.

One horse to consider betting is #8 Keepsake (9-5) in Race 7, a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight for juvenile fillies. Conditioned by high-percentage trainer Brad Cox, Keepsake endured a troubled start when debuting in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Keeneland, but nevertheless rallied nicely to finish second by 2 1/2 lengths.

Cox wins at a 26% rate with second-time starters, and he is a 31% winner with horses removing blinkers, two angles that apply to Keepsake. Throw in jockey Flavien Prat (a 45% winner teaming up with Cox over the last two months), and Keepsake is worthy of a win bet. Tournament players should also consider an exacta using the well-bred first-time starter #7 Pretty Sassy (5-1) for second place.

$200 Mountaineer Feeder to 12/6 Turfway Qualifier

The basics of this $200 Mountaineer Feeder tournament are simple: bet your entire $100 bankroll across at least five races at Mountaineer (minimum $10 per race) to compete for an entry into the Nov. 6 $500 Turfway Handicapping Championship Qualifier tournament.

We have a bet to recommend in Race 3, a $6,500 claimer for fillies and mares sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs on dirt. California raider #3 T N T Nova (6-5) brings strong Brisnet Speed ratings to the table and should be tough to beat in her first start for trainer Juan P. Silva, a 22% winner at Mountaineer this meet.

We suggest betting T N T Nova on top of an exacta using #4 Kays Heavenly Star (4-1) for second place. After spending the year competing at Horseshoe Indianapolis—where she finished second in a $5,000 claimer for Indiana-breds last time out—Kays Heavenly Star may find the competition a little easier at Mountaineer.

Good luck!