Fair Grounds carryovers: $25,902 Pick 5, $2,847 Pick 6

The Saturday card at Fair Grounds just got even better. In addition to a trio of stakes, there are two non-jackpot carryovers up for grabs: a $25,902 prize pool in the 50-cent Late Pick 5 and a $2,847 carryover in the $1 Pick 6.

The two sequences overlap, with the Pick 6 getting underway in Race 5 (post time 3:45 p.m. ET) and the Pick 5 following in Race 6 (post time 4:15 p.m. ET). All three stakes are contained within both wagers.

The first stakes is Race 6, the Gary P. Palmisano Memorial for older Louisiana-breds sprinting six furlongs on dirt. Only half a dozen horses have entered, including #1 Mangum (5-2), #3 Bron and Brow (8-5), and #4 Mike J (7-2), who were separated by one length when finishing 1-2-3 in the Louisiana Champions Day Sprint over this track and distance last month.

Despite the close margins between those three, we’re confident Mangum will emerge victorious again on Saturday. The Louisiana Champions Day Sprint unfolded with modest early fractions (:22.23 and :45.72) and strong closing fractions (:12.22 and :12.89). Nevertheless, Mangum managed to rally from 13th place and gain 3 1/4 lengths through the final furlong alone to prevail over Bron and Brow and Mike J, who raced significantly closer to the early pace.

That triumph marked Mangum’s fifth consecutive victory and his second straight at Fair Grounds, following a gritty triumph in the one-mile and 70-yard Jacob V. Morreale Memorial. With his red-hot form and finishing power, Mangum looms as a viable single for high-percentage trainer Jeff Delhomme, a 43% winner in ungraded stakes.

Pick 5 and Pick 6 bettors can also keep things simple in Race 8, the Bob F. Wright Memorial for older Louisiana-bred fillies and mares sprinting six furlongs on dirt. #2 Ova Charged (7-5), fresh off victory in the six-furlong Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Sprint at Fair Grounds, is a logical favorite in her second start back from a layoff. Keep in mind, she’s 5-for-6 over the Fair Grounds main track.

But #3 Free Like a Girl (9-5) is a viable challenger after wiring the 1 1/16-mile Louisiana Champions Day Ladies Distaff at Fair Grounds by 4 1/4 lengths. Her 8-4-3-0 lifetime tally at Fair Grounds includes a triumph in the six-furlong Doris Hebert Memorial two starts back, and her 8-4-2-0 record sprinting six furlongs suggests Free Like a Girl can challenge Ova Charged while cutting back in distance under hot jockey Vicente Del-Cid.

Good luck!