Pick 6 fever

There's a Pick 6 carryover of more than $236,000 Wednesday at Aqueduct, and you're wondering whether you should chase it. I never play the Pick 6, and for some strange reason even I'm interested. Must be the coming of spring, when aging cynics' thoughts turn to seeking life-changing scores.

Complicating matters (or does it simplify them?) is the virtual certainty of a wet track, because rain was forecast to begin in late afternoon Tuesday and continue for at least 24 hours. At noon Tuesday, the Weather Channel estimated a 70- to 80-percent chance of rain for New York Wednesday afternoon. So let's assume the track will be sloppy and speed-favoring and try to find some mudders.

The pool should approach $500,000 by the time the fourth race kicks off the sequence, so even a chalky string of winners would be most rewarding. I went through the past performances for about 90 minutes in the wee hours Tuesday, when my "include any reasonable contender" ticket came to $5,400, a ridiculous outlay even for a mind bet. Only the biggest syndicates would go that deep, and certainly not with only one ticket. I pared it down quite a bit Tuesday afternoon, and undoubtedly weather-related scratches will make it cheaper to play.

Here are my best guesses. If I help you change your life, a 10-percent tip would be appreciated. I'd settle for $20.

4th race: Explosive Count, Raceland/Kong's Revenge entry, My Apology (3)
5th race: Charming Mandate, E. Judith (2)
6th race: Gullible Gal, Ambidaxtrous (2)
7th race: Untopable, Mithaal (2)
8th race: Blew Me Away, City By Sea, Violent Behavior (3)
9th race: Evaluator, Shirley Law, Citifiesta (3)

Let's see, what would that cost: $2x3x2x2x2x3x3= $432. Not cheap, but scratches will knock out some plays, and if you could find a partner or two, failure wouldn't be too expensive and you could share the pain. And if you won, ah, that would be glorious. My pal Craig the Red Sox fan is flying to Vegas Wednesday morning to play the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. He's concerned he might not be able to get to his phone account before the Pick 6 starts. Maybe I can help him there. Excuse me while I give him a call and see if he wants to go in with me.