Single for Ellis Park’s $57,317 Pick 6 mandatory payout

A $57,317 Pick 6 mandatory payout at Ellis Park and an $8,140 Pick 6 prize pool at Colonial Downs are among the carryovers worth pursuing on Sunday.

Here are horses to play in three different carryovers:

Ellis Park: Race 1: $7,820 Super High 5 carryover (12:50 p.m. ET)

The first race on Sunday’s card at Ellis Park features a $7,820 carryover in the $1 Super High 5.

Race 1 is a $30,000 claimer for horses who have never won two races. Eight horses have entered the 1 1/16-mile grass contest, and #3 Executor (2-1) is a logical favorite worth emphasizing on Super High 5 tickets.

Executor recently returned from a long layoff to finish third in a one-mile allowance at Horseshoe Indianapolis. He gobbled up ground through the final furlong to finish only a neck behind the winner. In the process, he earned an 86 Brisnet Speed rating, the highest number belonging to any horse entered in Race 1.

Trainer Chris Block wins at a 25% rate with horses running back for the second time following a claim, so don’t leave Executor off the top of your Super High 5 tickets.

Colonial Downs: Race 3: $8,140 Pick 6 carryover (1:28 p.m. ET)

The 50-cent “Old Dominion 6” Pick 6 at Colonial Downs eluded bettors on Saturday, triggering an $8,140 carryover into Sunday’s card.

If you want to win a share of Sunday’s Pick 6 prize pool, finding a reliable single to build tickets around is a good place to start. Fortunately, heavy favorite #5 Celtic Contender (4-5) appears to fit the bill in Race 7, the penultimate leg of the sequence.

Race 7 is a $75,000 allowance optional claimer taking place over six furlongs on dirt. The conditions should be perfect for Celtic Contender, who has competed extensively—and with solid results—against stakes competition in recent years. He’s cracked the trifecta in 12 of his last 13 starts and exits back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash S. and Reigh Count S.

The last time Celtic Contender tackled a non-stakes event was on March 28. He wired a six-furlong allowance at Laurel Park by 3 1/4 lengths, earning a career-best 107 Brisnet Speed rating. Dropping back down in class at Colonial Downs stamps Celtic Contender as a strong favorite worth singling in the Pick 6.

Ellis Park: Race 4: $57,317 Pick 6 mandatory payout (2:16 p.m. ET)

Sunday is closing day of the Ellis Park meet, which means the $57,317 jackpot carryover in the 20-cent Dade Park Pick 6 is slated for mandatory payout. All bettors who assemble a winning ticket will earn a share.

Need a single to build tickets around? Look no further than #6 Lush Lips (2-5) in Race 8, the Ellis Park Turf S. for fillies and mares racing 1 1/16 miles on grass.

RELATED: How to bet the 2026 Ellis Park Turf Stakes

As a three-year-old in 2025, Lush Lips reached her peak late in the year, winning the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) and Mrs. Revere (G2) in succession. Then in February, she picked up right where she left off, opening her four-year-old season with a triumph over future Grade 1 winner Classic Q in the Honey Fox (G3).

Lush Lips hasn’t raced since, but trainer Brendan Walsh wins at a respectable 17% rate with horses returning from layoffs of 90 days or more, and dropping down sharply in class cements Lush Lips as the horse to beat in the Ellis Park Turf.

Good luck!