How to play Pimlico's Rainbow 6 on Preakness day
The Pick 6 is a bet I target every year in the Triple Crown series, and I have cashed on a few occasions recently. Pimlico is my home track and the Preakness is always my favorite stakes race. Let’s dive in and handicap the all-stakes Rainbow 6 at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday.
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Race 6 (Grade 2 Dinner Party)
The race formerly known as the Dixie Stakes kicks off the Pick 6, with an approximate post time of 2:01 p.m. ET. I will go three-deep in the opening leg. #1 True Valour (12-1) won a couple of graded turf routes at Santa Anita last year, and there is a reasonable chance that he improves in his second start for Graham Motion. #2 Somelikeithotbrown (5-1) has a shot if he can establish a clear early lead and deserving favorite #7 Factor This (1-1) is always in the mix throughout and might be classier than these.
Race 7 (Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash)
This six-panel dash might be a match race between #1 Admiral Lynch (7-2) and #5 Landeskog (5-2). The former is a consistent sprinter with tactical speed, and the latter is fast early and might not look back.
Race 8 (Laurel Futurity)
I am going with two maidens and an overseas shipper in this juvenile turf route stakes affair. #1 Pivotal Mission (3-1) ran well without winning in his last pair and should save all the ground for Graham Motion, and his new stablemate #3 Wootton Asset (9-2) is the only two-time winner in the field. #8 Hidden Enemy (4-1) earned a quality speed rating second time out for Steve Asmussen, and his pedigree is outstanding.
Race 9 (James W. Murphy)
This flat mile turf affair for sophomore males might be the toughest race on the entire card. I ended up using four horses in this leg. #1 Chocolate Bar (6-1) is sharp and versatile, and #7 Vanzzy (8-1) seemingly hated soft turf in the Saranac (G3) and fits in this context if he rediscovers his sharp Jersey Derby form. #10 Don Juan Kitten (9-2) is a quality shipper from New York with early-pressing versatility, and #11 Buy Land and See (8-1) won all three of his turf starts at or very near this one mile distance.
Race 10 (Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan)
#5 Bonny South (5-1) is my lone single in the sequence. She won the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) earlier this year and exits a strong runner-up finish behind Swiss Skydiver in the Alabama (G1). The mile-and-an-eighth distance of this race should be right up her alley.
Race 11 (Grade 1 Preakness)
I will have three shots to cash if I am still alive heading into the final leg of a very unique Triple Crown series. #3 Art Collector (5-2) is a versatile win machine and looks like the most likely winner on paper. #8 Max Player (15-1) has been knocking heads and holding his own with the top sophomores in the land all year. He is the best late threat. Finally, #9 Authentic (9-5) will try to duplicate his front running feat in the Kentucky Derby, but that scenario does not seem as likely in a race with more quality speed.
20 cent Rainbow Pick 6 Ticket (Races 6-11): 1-2-7/1-5/1-3-8/1-7-10-11/5/3-8-9 ($43.20)