Los Alamitos: Single for the $28,317 Pick 6 carryover

The September meet of Thoroughbred racing at Los Alamitos concludes on Sunday with the mandatory payout of a $28,317 carryover in the $2 Pick 6.

Los Alamitos: Race 5: $28,317 Pick 6 carryover mandatory payout

Winning a share won’t be easy. Los Alamitos has assembled a strong closing-day card with plenty of large fields. The Pick 6 gets underway in Race 5 (post time 6:06 p.m. ET), and the six races contain a total of 54 horses, averaging nine per race. Every race contains at least eight horses, and there are 518,400 possible outcomes before scratches.

If you’re looking for a single to build tickets around, let us recommend #7 Opus Uno (5-2) in Race 6, a $50,000 starter optional claimer for two-year-olds dashing 5 1/2 furlongs on dirt.

Opus Uno brings solid form lines into Race 6. He debuted back on June 1 in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Churchill Downs, in which he broke slowly on his way to finishing sixth behind Comport. The latter subsequently sandwiched a win in the Ellis Park Juvenile S. in between runner-up finishes in the Iroquois (G3) and Bashford Manor S. 

Opus Uno went a different route. He took three months off from racing, a time during which he was gelded. When Opus Uno returned to action in a Sept. 5 $50,000 maiden claimer sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar, he was a different horse, carving out the pace before kicking away to dominate by 4 1/2 lengths. His decisive victory earned a respectable 78 Brisnet Speed rating.

Notably, Opus Uno is one of only three horses in Race 6 who managed to record a maiden victory at Del Mar, California’s premier summer racetrack. Many of the other entrants secured their maiden wins at Los Alamitos before or after faltering in starts at Del Mar.

Opus Uno has upside for improvement in his second start off the layoff. It’s encouraging to note he’s picking up hot jockey Ricardo Gonzalez, who has gone 3-for-10 (30%) at Los Alamitos this meet.

For all these reasons, Opus Uno looks like a great fit for this $50,000 starter optional claimer at Los Alamitos, and we’re confident he’ll deliver victory.

Good luck!