King's preview: Single 6 an appealing wager on closing day

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Closing day of the September meet is upon us, and that means mandatory payoffs in the traditional carryover wagers. In Churchill’s case, that is in the 20-cent-minimum Single 6 and the last-race $1 Super Hi Five.

The Single 6 is by far the more appealing of the two wagers, due to have a carryover of $15,783 and a low minimum wager. There is no carryover in the Super Hi 5.

Let’s take a look at the Single 6 races, focusing on the main contenders.

Race 5, Leg 1

Almost English (#4, 2-1), Wagson (#1, 4-1), and Grey by You (#6, 7-2) are the top selections of this handicapper.

Almost English is the most probable winner but tough to single, given a layoff going back to May.

Those looking to go more than three deep may wish to consider Platitude (#2, 4-1), who comes off a near-bullet work for trainer Tim Glyshaw.

Race 6, Leg 2

Bottom-level maiden $10,000 runners are in this race, and usually the smart move is to take the lightly raced class dropper. That’s Guilietta (#10, 3-1) in this case, though lessening the confidence level with him is the fact he has yet to run on dirt, having made his two starts on the Poly at Arlington.

If he doesn’t handle the dirt, the horse most likely to capitalize is Little Stevie Girl (#9, 5-2) or the speedy but stamina-challenged Miz Minnie Moon (#3, 8-1).

Race 7, Leg 3

Mesona (#10, 3-1) is favorably drawn as the outside speed in this allowance, an advantage in what looks like a race with plenty of pace. Coming off a blowout win at Ellis Park with a 91 Beyer Speed Figure, he has plenty of appeal, even facing winners for the first time.

Lesser players are Marsh Creek (#6, 5-1) and the comebacking Gambler’s Ghost (#2, 7-2).

Race 8, Leg 4

With trainer Brad Cox currently winning at a 30 percent clip with first-after-claim runners, the nod in this $40,000 claimer goes to Madd Exchange (#4, 5-1), who narrowly won a maiden $35,000 claiming race at Saratoga last out.

The Ken and Sarah Ramsey-owned entry of Big Blue Talent (#1A, 7-2) and Scrumpdilicious (#1, 7-2) both have shots.

The former appears the superior of the two but is more accustomed to racing six furlongs or so, and this race is a mile.

Race 9, Leg 5

Racing shifts to the Churchill turf for race 9, which I heard one witty fella refer to as “durf” yesterday – in reference to all the dirt kickback that was noticeable during the running of a couple grass races.

Red Strike (#6, 5-1) is a horse I fancy quite a bit, dropping from stakes company and returning to the optional-claiming ranks. And the price, at least on the morning line, certainly is right.

Tiz Sardonic Joe (#12, 7-2) also has a strong chance at victory, and being a frontrunner and drawn outside, he likely won’t have to deal with any of the dirt kickback from all the divots in the turf course.

Race 10, Leg 6

Last up is a $7,500 non-winners of two claiming race in which horseplayers are advised to go deep. Geometry (#8, 3-1) is the most likely winner, but beyond him, the picture for this race is rather murky.

Mysterious Circle (#2, 4-1) and Catchifyoucan (#9, 4-1) are logical horses to use, though they come with strikes against them, with the former returning from a layoff and the latter running poorly in his one dirt start.

Paden (#10, 9-2) also might warrant being used, making his third start off a layoff and dropping to his lowest level. His lone win also came over this track in the spring, albeit for different connections.

Early changes

Race 1
Jockey change – #5 Maybelle Slew, Jon Court

Race 2 (1:14 p.m.)
Jockey change – #5 Marveilleuse, Calvin Borel

Race 3 (1:43 p.m.)
Jockey change – #6 Is Silver Good, Calvin Borel

Race 4
Jockey change – #3 Candy Crush, Jon Court

Race 5
Equipment change – #3 Good Tickled will wear bar shoes in front

Race 6
Scratch – AE #13 Don't Maker Mad

Race 7
Jockey change: #3 Alpha Dude, TBA

Race 8
Scratch – #8 Jinx the Cat

Race 9
Scratch – AE #1A Lifes Reward (entered for main track only - part of entry, #1 Highball will run)
Scratch – AE #13 Magical Moment (entered for main track only)
Scratch – AE #14 Klisz

Race 10
Scratch – #12 Red Harley
Scratch – AE #13 Will It Thunder