Churchill Downs: Week kicks off with $69,258 Single 6 carryover

Can’t wait for the Nov. 6-7 Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland? Looking for some betting action to help pass the time? Then you definitely want to check out the $69,258 Single 6 carryover up for grabs Wednesday at Churchill Downs.

The jackpot-style Pick 6 wager has produced enticing payoffs all meet, so if you want to build your bankroll for the Breeders’ Cup, the Single 6 is a great place to focus your attention.

Sunday recap

In a sense, Sunday’s Single 6 sequence was unpredictable. Not a single favorite managed to prevail, and 7-10 favorite Fugitive faltered badly in the finale.

But with a 6-1 winner serving as the biggest “surprise” of the sequence, the results weren’t shocking, either. Multiple bettors hit the sequence for a payout of $5,386.26 (well above the theoretical $2 win parlay payoff of $3,646.05), which leaves the jackpot pool unclaimed for Wednesday’s card.

Wednesday insights

Wednesday’s Single 6 kicks off in Race 4, a $15,000 maiden claiming race for fillies and mares.

At first glance, the 6-furlong sprint seems straightforward to handicap. Isn’t #4 Further Lane (8-5) a shoo-in to prevail? Conditioned by high-percentage trainer Brad Cox, the dark bay 3-year-old debuted over this distance at Keeneland in October of 2019 and ran a big race to finish second against maiden special weight company.

This encouraging effort produced a 90 Brisnet Speed rating, well above the par rating (74) for Wednesday’s class and distance. But Further Lane hasn’t run since, which means she will race off a 13-month layoff. Her work tab looks light, and the fact that she is dropping sharply in class might be reason enough to oppose Further Lane at a short price.

Certainly she seems like a risky runner to single, which is why we’re fortunate to have #7 Cabo Dorado (3-1) as a logical backup contender. The daughter of City Zip has run twice this season. She finished seventh for a $30,000 claiming tag, then dropped to the $15,000 level to finish second at Keeneland.

Cabo Dorado flashed tactical speed in her second start and posted a 74 Brisnet Speed rating, so if Further Lane falters, Cabo Dorado can pick up the pieces and save the day for multi-race bettors.

Good luck!