Carryover in pick six tops $104K

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Just when you thought things might have been getting a little humdrum at the Churchill Downs spring meet, along comes a pick six to liven things up.

No one hit the pick six during any of the five racing days here last week, so as a six-day week starts Wednesday, the carryover is at $104,494, a number that could triple by the time pick six wagering closes at about 3:15 p.m.

The Churchill pick six, a $2 minimum wager, comprises races 5 through 10. Here is a brief rundown of those races:

Race 5: surely will be favored after missing by a nose a month ago as a 3-2 favorite at this same $20,000 maiden-claiming level, but first-time starters Recuse and Straight Country might make her work hard for the money.

Race 6: A full field of bottom-level claiming routers will have Perfect Call, taking the patented drop for Billy Hays and Joe Woodard, as a clear-cut favorite. has been in excellent form, and after being claimed for $10,000 in late May, he drops in for $5,000. Top challengers could be Heat of Dixie, London Lord, or Clem Sky.

Race 7: All kinds of unknowns make this five-furlong turf allowance one of the toughest legs. Can get another triple-digit Beyer Speed Figure when switching to turf? Will the Southern California transfer Lucky Pulpit run big off the lengthy layoff? Does Montstar have enough gas to last against this kind?

Race 8: Few trainers have had a more productive meet than Eddie Kenneally, and no jockey has had a better meet than Rafael Bejarano. Those two get together with , who is favorably drawn inside and fits the nonwinners-of-three claiming conditions very well, assuming he can make the transition from turf to dirt. Top threats are Cabos and Roger Wilco.

Race 9: Bill Mott holds a strong hand with the uncoupled duo of , but this is one of those well-matched turf allowance routes that could produce almost any result. Many of the larger tickets in play probably will go five or six deep here.

Race 10: Kenneally and Bejarano look live with first-timer , but this is a full and extremely deep maiden-claiming sprint that has the potential to carry the pick six over to Thursday.