Pick six hit for $1.1M

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A pick-six payoff of more than $1.1 million was returned Wednesday to one winning bettor after a 49-1 shot won the ninth and last race of the day at Churchill Downs. The payoff of $1,127,774 narrowly missed the Churchill record of $1,168,136, set on June 25, 2003.

Future Prospect, trained by D.H. Skaggs and ridden by James Lopez, won the final race at a $100.80 mutuel. From 11 starters, he was one of eight with live pick-six tickets on him going into the race. The winning ticket was sold through a Nevada wagering hub, according to Churchill officials, who had no more detailed information.

From the fourth race on, the winning pick-six horses were Adhrhythm ($18.40), Segal ($4.20), Trainee ($8.80), Appellate ($29), Sprung ($6.40), and Future Prospect. The winning numbers were 5-6-1-5-1-6. Consolation tickets with five of six winners paid $3,065.60.

The Wednesday program, the first at Churchill following the Kentucky Derby, began with huge carryover pools in both the pick six and Super High Five, which is offered on the last race. The victory by Future Prospect led to a carryover of $866,712 for Thursday in the Super High Five.

Wednesday handle on the pick six (the carryover had been $410,599) was $1,180,759, while the Super High Five (carryover $331,928) handled an additional $661,201. There is no consolation provision in the Super High Five.

The pick six is a $2 minimum, and the Super High Five is $1.

Marchfield heads allowance feature

Marchfield, winner of a Canadian Triple Crown race last summer, will make his second start off a layoff as the horse to beat in the Friday feature at Churchill, a $53,800, second-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

Bred and owned by Eugene Melnyk and trained by Mark Casse, Marchfield won the Breeders' Stakes last June at Woodbine, then was off more than eight months before returning to action last month in a tough allowance race on the Keeneland turf. He finished a close fifth after severe traffic trouble down the stretch.

Besides Marchfield, contenders in the ninth-race Friday feature include Xela, seeking a third straight win, and Budge Man, a 3-year-old facing older horses after recently finishing third in the Transylvania Stakes at Keeneland.

The 11-race Friday card is the first twilight program of the meet, with first post set for 2:45 p.m. Eastern.

Elite Squadron headed to Aristides

Elite Squadron, a 4 1/2-length winner of the Churchill Downs Handicap on the Derby undercard, will be pointed to the Grade 3, $125,000 Aristides Stakes, said trainer Jimmy Baker. The six-furlong Aristides is set for May 31.

Baker said he and owner Tom Walters have been approached by several would-be suitors regarding a possible sale of Elite Squadron, but "so far nobody's even had him vetted out," said Baker.

Elite Squadron, a 4-year-old colt by Officer, posted a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 105 in winning the Grade 2 CD Cap. He was coming off a narrow defeat in the Grade 2 Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland.

* Change Up, scratched as half of a Steve Margolis entry that was listed as the morning-line favorite in the fourth race Wednesday, is being pointed to the $100,000 Winning Colors Stakes on May 26, said owner Richard Klein. The other half of the Klein-Margolis entry, Vote Early, was nipped by Adhrhythm in the final stride of the Wednesday race, a $60,000 allowance.