Litfin's preview: Pick six carryover of $98,669

Thursday, Oct. 16, preview

Five scheduled turf races are in jeopardy as racing resumes following a two-day break. According to weather.com, there is a 100 percent chance of rain on Long Island on Wednesday night and into Thursday, with locally heavy rain, especially in the morning; rainfall totals could exceed one inch.

PICK SIX CARRYOVER IS $98,669

It was tough sledding in the pick six last week, which produced a carryover on five of six racing days. After a three-day carryover was hit Saturday, no one solved the puzzle Sunday or Monday, resulting in a two-day carryover of $98,669.

Four of the races in Thursday’s sequence are scheduled for turf, including both preliminary allowance races at seven furlongs. The pick six begins with race 4 at 2:23 p.m. Eastern.

CASTELLANO, BROWN OPEN CLEAR LEADS

With nine days remaining at the 38-day fall meet, Javier Castellano and Chad Brown widened their leads to seven wins over their closest pursuers in the jockey and trainer standings last week.

Castellano opened a 35-28 lead on Joel Rosario, who has shuttled between Belmont and Keeneland. Rosario, the leading rider by percentage at 28 for 103 (27 percent), also was tied for second in the Keeneland standings with John Velazquez entering the week, just one victory behind meet leader Corey Lanerie.

Brown, who tied with David Jacobson for the 2012 fall crown and won it outright last year, has moved out to a 23-16 lead over Jacobson, with 17 of his wins coming on turf. Rudy Rodriguez is third, and his 14-for-46 record makes him the top conditioner by percentage at 30 percent.

Jacobson could narrow the gap Thursday, however, as he has six horses entered in four races, including dirt-only Indian Nobility (1st race), morning-line favorite Tiz May West (3rd, 2-1), and the uncoupled duo of Royal Currier and Joan’s Choice (7th), who are the first two betting choices.

HORSE TO WATCH

DREAMING AS ALWAYS
Trainer: Christophe Clement
Last race: Oct. 12, 10th
Finish: 2nd by 1/2
Beyer: 73
Broke from the far-outside post, raced wide into the backstretch, and fought it out gamely through the lane to narrowly miss, improving her Beyer Speed Figure by a dozen points the second time out.