Who to single in Churchill's $23,662 mandatory-payout Pick 6 carryover

The Churchill Downs fall meet wraps up on Sunday with a 12-race card, the second half of which features the mandatory payout of a $23,662 Pick 6 carryover.

The 20-cent “Derby City 6” kicks off in Race 7 (post time 3:57 p.m. ET), and a massively difficult sequence awaits. Counting seven also-eligible entrants, the six races have drawn 73 horses, averaging more than 12 per field. That equates to a staggering 2,910,600 possible outcomes, although once the overflow fields are reduced to their maximum sizes, that number drops to “only” 1,710,720.

It’s hard to find a single in such a competitive sequence, but we’ll give it our best shot. Race 7, a $100,000 allowance optional claimer for two-year-old fillies racing one mile on dirt, looks like a perfect spot for #4 Peacock Lass (5-2) to strut her stuff.

Peacock Lass showed little in her debut sprinting six furlongs at Ellis Park, but the daughter of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah improved dramatically when stretching out for a one-mile maiden special weight on Sept. 17 at Churchill Downs. Leading all the way through solid fractions, Peacock Lass drew off down the homestretch to defeat a next-out winner by four lengths.

Peacock Lass subsequently stretched out around two turns for the 1 1/16-mile Rags to Riches S. over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs, Once again, the bay filly carved out the pace, only to weaken down the homestretch and finish fourth behind runaway winner Hoosier Philly. The form of the Rags to Riches was flattered when Hoosier Philly came back to dominate the Golden Rod (G2) by five lengths.

Cutting back to a one-turn mile should suit Peacock Lass just fine. With back-to-back 83 Brisnet Speed ratings under her belt, she’s already fast enough to challenge for victory against Sunday’s field. Trainer Rodolphe Brisset has been hot at Churchill this meet, going 2-for-5 (40%), and accomplished Churchill jockey Tyler Gaffalione has gone 3-for-9 (33%) teaming up with Brisset over the last two months.

In short, what’s not to like about Peacock Lass? In an ultra-competitive Pick 6, she’s as logical a single as any.

Good luck!