Nicoletti: How I'm betting Saturday's Gulfstream Park Pick 6

With a guaranteed pool in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 of $1.1 million awaiting bettors Saturday at Gulfstream Park, host and analyst Ron Nicoletti is investing $145.80 to take down the pool.

Nicoletti uses three horses in each leg of Saturday’s sequence and includes a few price plays that could thin out the number of live tickets as the afternoon goes on.

“The races are very competitive,” Nicoletti said. “I really felt I needed maximum coverage in each of the races in the sequence. I would have liked to have added maybe another horse or two, but I wanted to keep the ticket affordable.”

First race post Saturday is 12:30 p.m. The Rainbow 6 will begin with the eighth race, a maiden event for 3-year-olds and up at a mile. The sequence also includes three turf races.

Race 8: 1-2-10

I went three deep in the opening leg. PER CAPITA is making his 4-year-old debut for trainer Chad Brown, who is 28% with the 180 days-plus layoff. CORNBREAD KINGDOM sports a pair of half-mile bullet workouts after returning from the layoff to finish fourth behind impressive winner Extraordinary. I also included FUGITIVE, who is stretching out after finishing fourth in his promising 6-furlong debut. 

RACE 9: 9-5-7

Three deep again in Race 9 with MIAMI CROCKETT, who is 2-for-2 sprinting on the local turf for trainer Steve Klesaris. BAHAMIAN PRINCE will try to turn the tables on Miami Crockett after rallying along the inside to finish third behind him last out. And I also included ZANNO, who makes his sophomore debut for trainer Wesley Ward after showing speed and finishing second in an allowance at Colonial Downs. The gelding, firing bullets on the Palm Meadows turf, will race with blinkers off.

RACE 10: 7-1-6

LASTCHANCEFORLOVE debuts locally for trainer Brendan Walsh after an impressive victory at the Fair Grounds in which she used her speed to dominate four rivals. BOERNE is cutting back to three-quarters of a mile after returning from the layoff to break her maiden impressively at 6 ½ furlongs. And I added CHART, who showed she could stalk the pacesetters and win in her Tampa debut. She can sit in the catbird seat behind what looks like a torrid early pace scenario.

RACE 11: 10-11-1

BATTLE OF BLENHEIM drops to the $35,000 level after posting back-to-back turf victories here during January &=and February, including the last versus $50,000 claimers. HONEY WON’T makes his first start since using his speed to wallop a field of $35,000 starter allowance runners for trainer Bill Mott. And longshot SUBLIME APPEAL, who always runs his race, and just needs little racing luck to score.

RACE 12: 2-9-4

I’m leading with J P’S DELIGHT, who is back in form after following her disappointing effort in the Inside Information (G2) with an impressive $40,000 handicap score going seven furlongs at Tampa. PACIFIC GALE, a multiple Grade 3-placed performer locally, makes her return with the ideal stalking style needed to sit the trip behind what should be a solid early pace scenario. And horse-for-course play LIZA STAR, a nine-time local winner, is stepping up the after putting it into overdrive when defeating $62,500 optional claimers in impressive fashion.

RACE 13: 9-4-3

I’m using three again in the final leg with TWENTY FOUR SEVEN, who moves the Saffie Joseph Jr. barn after responding in its local debut with a hard-fought nose victory over this familiar competition. Note the barn is 40% with new claims. FLYOFF, beaten a nose by the top choice at this level and distance two starts back, drops after fading to finish sixth as the favorite in a $25,000 starter optional claimer at the distance. And KING OF SPADES, who has his claiming tag carved in half after finishing a troubled sixth, lacking room in the stretch but beaten less than two lengths versus $30,000 claimers.