Del Mar: Pick-six, pick-five carryover riches up for grabs Wednesday

Shigeki Kikkawa

Lakerville will try to use Wednesday's $85,000 Green Flash Stakes at Del Mar as a springboard to the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

DEL MAR, Calif. – One of the most potentially lucrative days for bettors in Del Mar history will be in the offing Wednesday, with massive carryovers in both the pick five and the pick six, both courtesy of a Sunday card in which so many longshots won that no one was alive in the pick six after just three legs.

The pick five has a carryover of $362,503 after no one hit the wager Sunday, and the entire pool, less takeout, gets carried over because there is no consolation payoff for the bet. The pick five, which has a fan-friendly 50-cent minimum and an even friendlier 14 percent takeout, begins with the first race.

[DEL MAR CARRYOVERS: PPs, Dan Illman and Mike Beer's pick six analysis]

The pick six, which has a $2 minimum, has a carryover of $240,680 and begins in race 3, making races 3, 4, and 5 pivotal as they overlap both wagers.

All that will largely overshadow the featured $85,000 Green Flash Stakes, which could prove a springboard to the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint this fall. That is where Barry Abrams believes Lakerville could be headed. Lakerville has won two turf sprints already this meet at five furlongs, the exact conditions of the Green Flash.

“If he runs like he did his last couple, he’s going to be tough to beat,” Abrams said. “He’s training great, and he loves being at the beach. This field is tougher, but hopefully he’s getting better himself.”

Lakerville has won four times in five starts and finished second in his lone loss. Abrams trains Lakerville, 4, for his main client, Madeline Auerbach, but you had to know Abrams must have had plenty to do with the colt’s name since he is a huge fan of the National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Lakers.

“He looked different than the other yearlings,” Abrams said. “He was the king.”

The Green Flash is no slam dunk for Lakerville, though. To win, he must outrun six others, including Koast, a 3-year-old who is turning back in distance after finishing third in a division of the one-mile Oceanside Stakes on opening day, July 18. Koast owns three wins and two thirds in five grass races.

The Green Flash is the seventh race on the eight-race card.

Here’s a capsule look at the other seven races on Carryover Wednesday:

* Race 1 – A one-mile grass claimer for $32,000 older horses who have not won this year, the field includes Deadly Catch, third in a similar spot July 18; Aqua Fever, who won here last summer; and Slammer Time, who is dropping from a first-level allowance and ran third on this course as a maiden two summers ago.

* Race 2 – A sprint for $20,000 maiden-claimers, there are five first-time starters in the body of the race. Of those with form, the comebacking Racy Rosa looks best, but this looks like a spread race.

* Race 3 – Hoorayforhollywood should be favored after finishing second in a similar optional claimer here July 21, and Great Warrior stretches out after a sharp third sprinting against Coil.

* Race 4 – Pedigree pundits will be trying to decipher maiden 2-year-olds going one mile on turf. Aerial Artist, by Kitten’s Joy, is intriguing. Shining Copper was second in a turf sprint at Betfair Hollywood Park. Power Broker disappointed in his debut sprinting on Polytrack but adds blinkers and gets to go long now.

* Race 5 – Older $32,000 claiming females going a mile, including My Gal Candy, who has won 12 of 25 starts and was re-claimed by Jerry Hollendorfer last time out.

* Race 6 – Class droppers Warren’s Today and Royal Capote have lukewarm appeal in a sprint for California-bred maiden-claiming older females.

* Race 8 – Givimaway drops into a $20,000 maiden claimer after finishing second against better in his two previous races, also going two turns. A Day Away was second in a similar spot July 26. Ever Alert is dropping in class and is a first-time gelding.

[Complete coverage of racing at Del Mar: News, PPs, and video]