Oaklawn Park: Single for the $49,889 Pick 6 carryover

The elusive $1 Classix Pick 6 at Oaklawn Park has tossed up a $49,889 carryover for Saturday’s card.

Oaklawn Park: Race 6: $49,889 Pick 6 carryover (3:34 p.m. ET)

Huge fields abound throughout the card. Five of the six legs of the Pick 6 have drawn between 12 and 14 entries, though a maximum of 12 will be allowed to start in any given race. All told, before scratches, there are 2,996,448 possible Pick 6 outcomes.

There is, however, one fairly straightforward Pick 6 leg to handicap. Race 9, the $250,000 Bayakoa (G3) for fillies and mares racing 1 1/16 miles, has drawn only seven entries. The field includes standout favorite #7 Nitrogen (4-5), a logical single candidate for budget-conscious Pick 6 bettors.

Nitrogen started her career on turf and has enjoyed abundant success on grass, winning four stakes and recording top-three finishes in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) and Belmont Oaks (G1). But after she won an off-the-turf edition of the Wonder Again (G3) by 17 lengths, it became clear Nitrogen was a multi-surface threat capable of starring on dirt as well.

Indeed, Nitrogen performed admirably on dirt during the second half of her 2025 campaign. She won the Alabama (G1) by 1 1/2 lengths over Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Good Cheer, then finished second against older rivals in the Spinster (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1). Those three efforts yielded strong Brisnet Speed ratings of 103, 104, and 103.

None of Nitrogen’s rivals in the Bayakoa have posted a Brisnet Speed rating higher than 95, so if Nitrogen brings her A game to her 2026 debut, she’ll be mighty tough to beat. Her work tab leading up to the Bayakoa is a bit light, but it’s worth noting trainer Mark Casse has been absolutely on fire at Oaklawn, going 15-for-30 (50%) since Dec. 12. Nitrogen’s last workout was a bullet five furlongs in 1:00, so chances are Casse will have her sharp enough to deliver on expectations in the Bayakoa.

Bonus: $3,500 Oaklawn Horseplayers Championship

The Saturday card at Oaklawn is the focus of the $3,500 Oaklawn Horseplayers Championship tournament, available to play on TwinSpires.

Players must wager their entire $2,500 bankroll across at least seven races at Oaklawn (minimum $250 per race), with potential prizes including entries into the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC), Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC), Kentucky Derby Betting Challenger (KDBC), and Ultimate Betting Challenge (UBC).

Exacta wagers are eligible for tournament play, so why not bet an exacta in the Bayakoa keying Nitrogen on top of her Casse-trained stablemate #1 Nerazurri (7-2)? The latter exits a gate-to-wire win in the 1 1/16-mile Oaklawn Sports S., and since there isn’t much pace in the Bayakoa field, Nerazurri has a chance to hang on for a top-two finish.

Good luck!