Kentucky Oaks, Kentucky Derby Pick 6 wagers offer high value

The three Pick 6 wagers at Churchill Downs across Friday and Saturday will offer some of the best values for such sequences in all of horse racing. Churchill Downs is offering the 20-cent Single 6 Jackpot wager on both Oaks and Derby days, plus a special $2 Oaks-Derby Pick 6 -- all at a 15% takeout rate.

20-cent Single 6 Jackpot - 15% Takeout, Low Carryover Provision The 20-cent Single 6 Jackpot wager is available every day of the Churchill Downs meet. But this has never been offered before on Oaks and Derby. The Single 6 Jackpot has three advantages: - Only 20 cents to play - Low 15% takeout - Only 10% goes to the jackpot for a single winner With the 15% takeout and 10% jackpot provision, this means the wager has a net effective takeout of only 25%, returning 75% to players.  And there is no consolation for five of six winners. If for some reason it is not hit, then everything is rolled over to the next day. With the big fields on Oaks and Derby days, the 20-cent wager provides a great opportunity to cover dozens of combinations for low cost.   Rainbow Six takeout high by comparison If you are playing the popular Rainbow 6 at Gulfstream Park or Santa Anita, 30% of the wager is carried over for the jackpot. This is in addition to the 20%+ takeout on the wager. So if you don't win the jackpot, you're facing an effective takeout over 50%, which is more than double the Single Six at Churchill Downs. New this year: Oaks-Derby $2 Pick 6 at 15% Even better, a new Pick 6 offering this year is the two-day Oaks-Derby Pick 6, which comprises the six Grade 1 races on Friday and Saturday at a 15% takeout level. Two races are Friday, and four races are on Saturday. This starts on Friday at 2:50 p.m. ET and includes: - Friday: La Troienne, Oaks - Saturday: Humana Distaff, Churchill Downs, Turf Classic, Derby With the addition of the Single 6 Jackpot wagers on Oaks and Derby, this is the only $2 Pick 6 wager Kentucky Derby weekend. What will the new wagers handle? Because all three Pick 6 wagers are new this year, it is difficult to project what they will handle.  For comparison, here are the Pick 6, Pick 5 and Pick 4 pool sizes from last year.

Race 7 - #6 Precieuse for trainer Chad Brown will be on many tickets, and rightfully so, but don’t forget Brown’s other entrant, #9 Environs. The latter rolled to a big optional claiming win at Keeneland in her U.S. bow under Jose Ortiz on April 5. She probably won’t get as much pace help this time, and the condition of the ground does not matter.  

Race 8 - #6 Promises Fulfilled, #8 Mitole, and #12 Whitmore should get you through this race. If you are looking to add a longshot, consider #7 Warrior’s Club. The D. Wayne Lukas trainee is a seven-panel specialist exiting back-to-back place finishes to begin his 5-year-old campaign. He missed by a head at 23-1 in this event last year over a wet track, and will probably stalk the pace under Joel Rosario.

Race 9 - This is probably a spread race. One horse worth considering at a price is #2 Social Paranoia. He ran well in all six starts and aired in his maiden turf route return at Gulfstream March 30. The Todd Pletcher trainee might be in for a decent tactical trip under Manny Franco and could easily be this good. 

Race 10 - Instagrand will probably be a popular single, but if you want to go deeper, consider adding longshot #5 Dunph to your pick six tickets. He returns to the scene of his biggest win last year, and I have been waiting patiently for him to show up in a one-turn event. He reconnects with his winning rider Tyler Gaffalione.

Race 11 - Chad Brown probably has this race surrounded with three solid contenders. If you want to go deeper, look no further than #8 Breaking the Rules. He ran well in all four turf starts and ran out of ground in the Canadian Turf (G3) at one mile March 2. Jose Ortiz string along and he won his lone turf start at this distance on good ground last fall.

Race 12 - The Kentucky Derby ends the Pick 6 sequence. Using all three Bob Baffert runners is probably a good idea, but don’t forget about #8 Tacitus. The Bill Mott runner is 2-for-2 in graded routes this year, and he drew a favorable post position. He owns a strong pedigree and could run past them if the pace heats up a bit.