Carryover watch: Horses to single at Churchill Downs and Pimlico

No fewer than eight jackpot-style Pick 6 carryovers are up for grabs at U.S. racetracks on Saturday. Two of the richest offerings can be found at Churchill Downs and Pimlico, better known as the host tracks of the first two Triple Crown races.

Both sequences look highly competitive, so to keep costs manageable, we’ve identified logical singles to build our tickets around.

Churchill Downs: Derby City Pick 6

Carryover amount: $70,011
Base bet: 20 cents
Sequence starts: Race 6, 8:30 p.m. ET
Number of entries: 56 (9.3 per race)

Enticing payoffs are par for the course in the Derby City Pick 6, which pays out 90% of the daily pool when multiple winning tickets are sold. Thursday’s sequence returned a hefty $2,461.60 even after five of the six winners started at 3-1 or less.

Friday’s Derby City Pick 6 looks as competitive as usual with 56 horses in the mix, only two of which are also-eligibles. The best place to look for a single is likely Race 10, a seven-furlong allowance sprint featuring just six entries. #2 Aloha West (1-1) doesn’t have much in the way of tactical speed, but he does own the two highest Brisnet Speed ratings in the field, most recently putting up a 94 when finishing second by a nose in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance dash at Keeneland.

There should be enough pace in this compact field to enhance Aloha West’s rally, and Churchill’s leading jockey Florent Geroux (a 27% winner this meet) stays aboard. For good measure, Aloha West has assembled a flashy work tab, stamping the son of Hard Spun as the horse to beat.

Pimlico: Rainbow Pick 6

Carryover amount: $625,566
Base bet: 20 cents
Sequence starts: Race 4, 2:08 p.m. ET
Number of entries: 72 (12 per race)

At first glance, Pimlico’s Rainbow Pick 6 sequence looks incredibly formidable with 72 entries to consider. But 19 of those are also-eligibles, so the maximum number of horses able to start is a more manageable 53, or 8.8 per race.

The sequence kicks off in Race 4, a $5,000 claiming event in which #3 Walk It Out Nanny (7-5) looms a logical single. Whereas only one of his rivals has ever surpassed the 70 Brisnet Speed rating plateau, Walk It Out Nanny has exceeded the mark on three occasions, including when defeating next-out winners #4 Moonlight Miss (6-1) and #6 Do I Ever (20-1) by 14 1/2 lengths in a $10,000/$8,000 maiden claiming race.

If you draw a line through Walk It Out Nanny’s no-show turf debut at Pimlico two weeks ago, his form looks rock-solid. He’s been competing against $16,000 claiming company, and should be very difficult to beat while dropping down to the $5,000 claiming level.

Good luck!