Oaklawn Park: Single for the $22,375 Classix Pick 6 carryover

The first two days of the Oaklawn Park meet have gone by without anyone hitting the $1 Classix Pick 6. That’s triggered a $22,375 carryover into Sunday’s card.

Oaklawn Park: Race 5: $22,375 Pick 6 carryover (3:24 p.m. ET)

Huge fields abound in the Pick 6 sequence. Each race has drawn a minimum of 10 entries, and the six races contain a total of 73 horses (averaging nearly 12.2 per race), which works out to a staggering 3,144,960 possible Pick 6 outcomes.

To keep costs down, we’ll need a reliable single to build tickets around. Our best recommendation is #5 Bright Spark (7-5) in Race 6.

Best single: Race 6: #5 Bright Spark (7-5)

Race 6 is a $10,000 claimer for three-year-olds and older horses racing one mile on dirt. Although 13 horses have entered (including one also-eligible), Bright Spark looks like a standout.

The six-year-old gelding has won each of his last four starts on fast dirt. At the end of 2024, he smashed a $7,500 claimer at Horseshoe Indianapolis by 11 1/2 lengths and a $10,000 starter allowance at Oaklawn Park by 5 3/4 lengths.

After finishing a close third in another $10,000 starter allowance over a sloppy track at Oaklawn, Bright Spark tackled an Oaklawn $12,500 starter allowance, which he won by a head over Keen Cat, who nabbed his next start in a $30,000 starter allowance by six lengths.

Bright Spark spent 7 1/2 months on the sidelines before returning to action in a $5,000 claimer at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Picking up right where he left off, Bright Spark rallied to win easily by 4 1/2 lengths over a pair of next-out winners.

This streak of success has produced a strong series of Brisnet Speed ratings. Bright Spark’s last five starts have yielded numbers of 86, 91, 87, 94, and 87. For comparison, 11 of his 12 rivals in Race 6 have posted ratings no higher than 83 in their last five starts apiece. The only exception is #9 K P Kwest (5-1), who boasts ratings of 90 and 85, but those were earned in March 2024. His lone start this year yielded an 82.

Throw in the fact Bright Spark is getting a seven-pound weight allowance courtesy of apprentice jockey Amir Mendoza, and he’s a compelling choice to single in the Classix Pick 6.

Good luck!