Litfin's preview: Double pick six carryover plays
We’re fast and firm for a nine-race card that features a two-day carryover in the pick six. The super-exotic begins with race 4 at 2:53 p.m. Eastern, which is the first of four grass races in the mix, along with races 6, 8, and 9.
The temporary rails are at 27 feet on the Widener course and way out at 35 feet on the inner turf.
Because the rails are so far out on the inner turf, race 4 will be run at the “about” distance of six furlongs. A baker’s dozen entered the $40,000 maiden claimer for fillies and mares with Benny’s Bullet and It’s Your Dime expected to vie for the early lead. The key to the race is whether Acrostic is ready first time back from a 53-week absence for owner-trainer Roy Lerman.
A brief look at the rest of the pick six races:
Race 5 – This seven-furlong maiden claimer is bookended by 2-1 favorite Ruby’s Rocketman on the rail and 5-2 second choice Chisholm on the outside in a field of eight. Complicating matters are three first-time starters – Gentrify, Indian Rain Dance, and Peanutsnpopcorn.
Race 6 – Tough race to get past with Favor Factor (5-2) a lukewarm morning line choice against seven other turf-meant $50,000 restricted claimers. Unbridled Logic, the probable pacesetter Wind of Bosphorus, and the come-backing Why Not Whiskey are threats.
Race 7 – Optional claiming sprint for New York-bred fillies and mares offers a solid-looking favorite in Run a Dubb Dubb (2-1), who seems likely to get some pace up front in the form of Bileaps and Bounds, Humorus Dilemma, and Lumineuse.
Race 8 – An overflow field of fillies and mares went in this preliminary allowance at a mile on the Widener turf. Frege is a tepid 3-1 choice over Roses for Romney (7-2), a New York-bred who was also entered in Saturday’s Mount Vernon Stakes.
Race 9 – Anyone who makes it this far still has to deal with a full field of maidens on the inner turf. The 1 1/16-mile route has one first-time starter in Day Six, along with a half-dozen others who have raced only on dirt so far.