Pick 6 carryover of $75K bolsters Wednesday's card

by Brian Bohl

Triggered by 39-1 Heartstring's come-from-behind win in the 12th-race finale, Wednesday's Pick 6 will be boosted by a $75,727.22 carryover as the multi-race wager went unsolved on Sunday at Saratoga Race Course.

New and Improved started the sequence by capturing Race 7 for trainer Chad Brown. Ridden by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, New and Improved won at one mile on the inner turf, returning $9.20 on a $2 win bet.

Gilda Marie ($6.80) won a six-furlong dirt sprint in Race 8. The Chris Englehart trainee bested a nine-horse field by a half-length.

The Linda Rice-trained Pagliacci followed with a half-length score in Race 9, returning $14.80. The trend of big-priced winners continued in Race 10 when Romantic Pursuit, off at 17-1 for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, edged Cap de Creus by a head, paying $37.20.

Shancelot, the favorite in the Grade 2, $200,000 Amsterdam for 3-year-olds, set a blistering pace in the 6 ½-furlong sprint, burning up the main track under jockey Emisael Jaramillo with fractions of 21.79 seconds, 43.94 and 1:07.63 before hitting the wire in 1:14.01, completing a 12 ½-length romp for trainer Jorge Navarro.

A dramatic finish in the final race saw Heartstrings, trailing in the stretch, aggressively moving from the outside, besting favorite Fusi to win the maiden claiming race for New York-bred fillies. Heartstrings' debut win paid $81.50 as the second career victory for trainer Cherie DeVaux, who had won her first race in March at Gulfstream Park. Jockey Jose Lezcano notched his third win on the day.

Five of six winners returned $25,242.

Wednesday's Pick 6 sequence at Saratoga will get underway in Race 5 with a post time of 3:28 p.m. Eastern, with the sequence including the $100,000 Shine Again in the penultimate contest in Race 9.

Wagering on the Pick 6 is available through NYRA Bets, on-track, and at simulcast facilities across the country.