Multiple carryovers on tap for Dec. 30 card at Gulfstream Park

The racing week at Gulfstream Park kicks off in a big way on Wednesday with a couple of hefty carryovers to chase.

Upsets were the theme of the day at Gulfstream last Sunday, with multiple double-digit longshots visiting the winner’s circle while favorites went just 2-for-10. The Super Hi 5—which carries over on a race-by-race basis—went unclaimed in the final four events of the day, allowing a carryover pool of $23,108 to accumulate for the Wednesday opener.

However, the sequence of longshots that befuddled Super Hi 5 bettors wasn’t quite sufficient to generate a single winning ticket in the Rainbow Pick 6. Multiple bettors hit the $0.20-cent wager to the tune of $23,888.54 (right on par with the $23,162.39 generated by a theoretical $2 win parlay), but the full jackpot went unclaimed, leaving a Rainbow 6 carryover of $339,222 for Wednesday’s card.

The Super Hi 5 is the first carryover up for grabs; the $1 wager is available in Race 1, a $25,000-$20,000 maiden claiming race for 2-year-olds. But with 16 entries (including four also-eligibles) in the mix, the Wednesday opener looks almost impossible to handicap. Unless the first-time starter #9 Marion B (3-1) delivers at a short price for ultra-hot trainer Danny Gargan (7-for-12 at Gulfstream this meet), there’s a very real chance the Super Hi 5 will carry over again to Race 2, a $6,250 claiming race featuring a more manageable eight-horse field.

On the bright side, the Rainbow 6 sequence (spanning Race 5 through Race 10) contains just 52 runners, an average of 8.7 per race. While the small fields will make it difficult to construct a unique winning ticket and claim the full jackpot, bettors keen to take aim at the typically solid consolation win payoff will be happy to see a budget-friendly sequence on tap.

In particular, they’ll be delighted to examine the field for Race 9, a starter optional claiming race in which #8 Avant Garde (2-1) looms as a logical single. The son of Tonalist has gone 6-for-7 since being claimed in the spring by trainer Jesus Lander, with his lone defeat coming against much tougher competition in the Oklahoma Derby (G3).

Avant Garde recently rallied to a gutsy victory in the 7-furlong Claiming Crown Rapid Transit S. at Gulfstream, a solid effort considering the distance was likely shorter than his best. Avant Garde boasts a 4-3-1-0 record over Wednesday’s mile trip and brings a bevy of triple-digit Brisnet Late Pace ratings to the equation, a positive since he’s contesting a race with several speed horses in the mix.

Granted, Avant Garde will be a short price. But if he brings his A-game, he can rally and win for fun, giving budget-conscious bettors a chance to save some money and spread deeper in more competitive legs of the sequence.

Good luck!