Indiana Grand: Picks for the Straight Fire 6 mandatory payout Nov. 19

The 2020 race meet at Indiana Grand wraps on Thursday, with a mandatory payout of the lucrative Straight Fire 6 carryover pool expected.

Assuming the jackpot-style Pick 6 isn’t hit by a single winning bettor Wednesday, a carryover pool in excess of $130,000 should await bettors for closing day.

Want to chase a piece of the prize? Since the base bet amount is just 20 cents, we can play a deep ticket on a reasonable budget, particularly if we identify a logical single or two.

Let’s take a race-by-race look at the Straight Fire 6 sequence.

Race 5: Allowance/optional claiming (1 mile on turf, 4:05 p.m. ET)

There are plenty of directions to go on this competitive turf mile. I give a slight edge to #4 Air Turbulence (8-1), who rallied into fast closing fractions to finish second over this course and distance Sept. 14.

The daughter of English Channel will face slightly easier company Thursday for hot trainer/jockey combo Kim Hammond and Jesus Castanon, but we’ll spread deep and also include #1 Behold (6-1), #6 Over the Blues (5-1), #7 Discreet Kitty (12-1), #9 Romantic Attack (3-1), and #12 Sour Peach (7-2).

Race 6: Allowance/optional claiming (6 furlongs, 4:35 p.m. ET)

The favorites #3 West Bank Baby (5-2), #10 Madame Overserved (3-1), and #11 Magine (7-2) rank a cut above their rivals from a Brisnet Speed rating perspective, and using all three should be sufficient to survive this leg of the sequence. But we’ll toss in #2 Hoptown Honey (12-1) and #8 Hypnotizing (15-1).

The former flashed strong form at Indiana Grand during the summer, while the latter is eligible to improve in her second start for high-percentage trainer Cipriano Contreras.

Race 7: Allowance/optional claiming (6 furlongs, 5:05 p.m. ET)

#4 Boyfriend Material (7-5) enters off four straight victories at Indiana Grand for trainer Genaro Garcia, who strikes at a 33% rate when he enlists jockey Marcelino Pedroza.

Boyfriend Material is in hot form and brings competitive Brisnet Speed ratings to the mix, but #5 Impact Player (8-1) has posted slightly quicker numbers in the past for trainer Steve Asmussen. We’ll use both equally in the Straight Fire 6.

Race 8: Allowance (1 mile and 70 yards, 5:35 p.m. ET)

#11 Shy Money (5-2) threw down a promising 76 Brisnet Speed rating when she wired a 6-furlong maiden sprint at Indiana Grand by 5 3/4 lengths.

She is bred to stretch out and should be a factor on the front end for trainer Aaron West (a 22% winner this year), but we’ll also use #2 Ijustwantahavefun (15-1) and #10 Bumble of Love (4-1) as backup.

The former owns the highest Brisnet Speed rating in the field, and the latter overcame a modest pace to break her maiden Nov. 3.

Race 9: $10,000 maiden claiming (5 1/2 furlongs, 6:05 p.m. ET)

We’ll single #2 Valiant Vinny (9-5), who finished second for a $25,000 tag over this distance at Hawthorne last month.

Valiant Vinny boasts the highest Brisnet Speed rating in Thursday’s field and is dropping down the class ladder for trainer Larry Rivelli, who is winning at a 27% rate this year.

Race 10: Allowance (1 mile and 70 yards, 6:35 p.m. ET)

#10 Cash Logistics (7-5) hasn’t missed the exacta in five starts at Indiana Grand, including four stakes races.

After he finished fifth against a deep allowance field at Churchill Downs, Cash Logistics should relish the return to state-bred company at his favorite track.

We’ll single Cash Logistics to end the sequence.

20-cent Straight Fire 6:

1,4,6,7,9,12 with 2,3,8,10,11 with 4,5 with 2,10,11 with 2 with 10 ($36)

Good luck!