How to bet Keeneland's $6,558 Super High 5 carryover

One of the betting highlights on the first Sunday of the Keeneland Spring Meet is a $6,558 Super High 5 carryover.

The prize pool for the $1 wager is up for grabs in Race 9, a maiden special weight for three-year-olds racing 1 3/16 miles on turf. Constructing a winning ticket won’t be easy, since the race has drawn a full field of 12 plus four also-eligible entrants. But perhaps this means a big payoff is on the horizon.

It’s hard to find a horse to key in this competitive field, but at least #11 Ridley’s Major (5-2) offers some potential for high-profile connections. Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown is renowned for his success saddling turf horses, while jockey Flavien Prat wins at a lofty 31% rate in grass races.

Ridley’s Major ran twice against maiden special weight company last season. After rallying to finish fourth (beaten just two lengths) over 1 1/16 miles at Belmont, Ridley’s Major showed improvement traveling the same distance at Gulfstream Park, charging hard to finish second by one length.

Ridley’s Major hasn’t run since, but the son of Gun Runner has been nominated to the Triple Crown, suggesting he’s held in high regard. He’ll add Lasix for his three-year-old debut and enters off an encouraging string of half-mile workouts at Palm Meadows, so he’ll have every chance to produce a competitive effort on Sunday.

Underneath Ridley’s Major, it’s hard to separate the contenders. You can make a case for pretty much anyone to crack the top five. One obvious candidate is #3 Trending (3-1), a Shug McGaughey trainee who has hit the board in both of his turf starts racing 1 1/8 miles at Gulfstream Park. He was only beaten a neck when finishing second on Feb. 12 and will be dangerous if he reproduces that level of form.

#8 Remote (6-1) is another to respect. The Christophe Clement trainee debuted with a seventh-place finish over the Gulfstream Park Tapeta track, but as a son of War Front out of a Galileo mare, he’s bred top and bottom to thrive on turf.

#7 Calloway Peak (5-1) exits a quality maiden special weight racing 1 1/16 miles over the Gulfstream lawn and can’t be dismissed in his second start off a layoff for trainer Bill Mott, who strikes at a 21% rate with such runners. Meanwhile, #2 Defensible (15-1) offers some appeal after rallying into fast closing fractions to finish fourth in his turf debut at Tampa Bay Downs, beaten only 3 1/2 lengths against maiden special weight rivals.

Here’s how we’ll bet the Super High 5:

• $1 Super High 5: 11 with 3 with 7,8 with 2,7,8 with 1,2,4,5,7,8 ($16)
• $1 Super High 5: 11 with 7,8 with 3 with 2,7,8 with 1,2,4,5,7,8 ($16)
• $1 Super High 5: 11 with 7,8 with 2,7,8 with 3 with 1,2,4,5,7,8 ($16)
• $1 Super High 5: 11 with 3 with 7,8 with 1,4,5 with 2,7,8 ($12)
• $1 Super High 5: 11 with 7,8 with 3 with 1,4,5 with 2,7,8 ($12)
  Total: $72

Good luck!