Wesley Ward trainees worth singling in Turfway's $40,607 Pick 6 carryover

Ah… another day, another competitive Pick 6 at Turfway Park with 2,642,640 possible outcomes.

If any track puts out more competitive Pick 6 sequences on a regular basis than Turfway, I don’t know which it would be. Large fields are par for the course at Turfway, where a synthetic Tapeta track further complicates the handicapping picture.

The Friday card at Turfway features a $40,607 carryover in the Single 6, a jackpot-style Pick 6 featuring a 20-cent minimum bet amount. With 70 entries in the mix (averaging 11.7 per race), Friday’s sequence is actually more manageable than usual—it’s not uncommon to see Turfway’s Single 6 attract 80+ entries before scratches.

Sweeping the whole carryover requires constructing a unique winning ticket, which is easier said than done. But even when multiple bettors enjoy success, the consolation payoffs are well worth pursuing. Thursday’s Single 6 produced six winners at 5-1 or less, yet the payoff was a lofty $2,275.64, right on par with the theoretical $2,266.90 payoff generated by a $2 win parlay.

Friday’s Single 6 kicks off in Race 3 (post time 7:16 p.m. ET), a $15,000 maiden claiming race for three-year-olds sprinting six furlongs. #2 Orb of the Boro (4-1) and #3 Military Force (5-1) already have experience over the Turfway Tapeta and are dropping in class out of tougher races, stamping both as logical contenders. But the horse to beat is surely the Wesley Ward-trained first-time starter #11 Pettinari (3-1), considering Ward has gone 14-for-27 (52%) debuting three-year-olds in Turfway sprints since 2016.

This same angle applies (only more so) in Race 6, a $30,000 maiden claiming race for sophomore fillies. Ward conditions the coupled entrymates #1 Gold for Kitten and #1A Smiling Kitten (5-2), and while it’s possible one will scratch, the other should be tough to beat. After all, they’re both daughters of two-time leading sire Kitten’s Joy, and Ward has gone 8-for-14 (57%) specifically debuting three-year-old fillies in Turfway sprints since 2016.

Singling the Ward trainees might be a wise strategy since the remaining four Single 6 races look tough to decipher. Race 8, for example, is a $7,500 claiming sprint for older runners. No fewer than 14 horses (including two also-eligibles) have been entered, and while #10 No Nay Now (5-2) holds an edge in terms of recent Brisnet Speed ratings, his advantage is surely tenuous.

Formerly trained by Ward, No Nay Now was claimed for $5,000 when finishing second by a neck at Turfway last month. Now he’s taking a step up the class ladder for new trainer Ethan West, making No Nay Now tough to trust at a short price. Spreading deep with as many runners as you can afford might be the best way to survive the final leg of the Single 6.

Good luck!