Churchill Downs: A single and a longshot for the mandatory-payout $33,734 Pick 6 carryover

The Churchill Downs September meet wraps up on Sunday with a 10-race card featuring the mandatory payout of a $33,734 Pick 6 carryover.

The 20-cent “Derby City 6” gets underway in Race 5 at 2:45 p.m. ET. A competitive sequence is on tap, but we’ve gone through the entries to identify a viable single and a live longshot worth building tickets around:

Best single

Race 6: $10,000 Starter Allowance (1 1/8 miles): #1 Family Man (8-5)

Family Man has been red-hot in three starts running long this year. During the spring and summer at Churchill Downs, Family Man won a pair of $10,000 starter allowances racing 1 1/8 miles and 1 1/16 miles. Then he tackled a 1 1/4-mile allowance at Ellis Park and closed ground gamely to finish second by one length.

Family Man is versatile in terms of running style and brings a bevy of competitive Brisnet Speed ratings to the table. He’s already defeated the majority of the rivals he’ll face on Sunday, so returning to the $10,000 starter allowance ranks figures to send Family Man to the winner’s circle under Churchill’s co-leading jockey Tyler Gaffalione.

Live longshot

Race 10: Maiden Special Weight (six furlongs): #8 Touch Code (20-1)

A competitive maiden heat closes out the meet, and while #7 Skelly (3-1) is a logical threat after finishing a strong second on debut for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, we wouldn’t want to play a ticket without #8 Touch Code (20-1) in the mix.

Touch Code showed flashes of promise last winter at Gulfstream Park. Competing in a series of one-mile maiden special weights, Touch Code cracked the trifecta three times while competing against future graded stakes winners Charge It and Emmanuel.

Touch Code’s form subsequently deteriorated, but he’s been freshened since May and has been training steadily at Churchill Downs for his comeback. The three-year-old son of Honor Code is bred to improve with maturity and is adding blinkers for his first start as a gelding, so Sunday’s race (his first sprint) looks like a complete career reset. All these changes might be sufficient to trigger a big form turnaround from Touch Code, putting him in the hunt for victory at 20-1.

Good luck!