How to bet Santa Anita's mandatory-payout $395,500 Rainbow Pick 6 carryover

Have you heard the news? Saturday is mandatory payout day for the Rainbow Pick 6 at Santa Anita, which boasts a carryover worth $395,500. And two cents, if you're counting to the penny.

The final pool for the 20-cent wager could certainly reach into the multimillions, so let’s analyze the sequence in race-by-race fashion and assemble a ticket on a $72 budget:

Race 4: Maiden Special Weight (six furlongs on turf)

#5 Rosie Forecast (3-1) ran second in her debut over this course, distance, and class level, beaten only 2 1/4 lengths by next-out allowance winner Increase Stakes. Trainer Ben Cecil has gone 0-for-16 with first-time starters since 2019, but his win rate with second-time starters is a lofty 21%, stamping Rosie Forecast as a viable single.

Race 5: $50,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (one mile)

#6 Disco Ball (7-2) crossed the wire first in a seven-furlong sprint over this class level on Feb. 5, only to be disqualified and placed second for drifting out down the homestretch. This technicality aside, Disco Ball is on the rise and looms as a win threat on Saturday, with #1 Phantom Dance (4-1) and #3 Fore Left (6-1) the other two we’ll include.

Race 6: $50,000 Starter Allowance (one mile on turf)

#2 Jimmyssmokedcarrot (6-1), #6 Freedom Lass (7-2), and #7 Agreetodisagree (3-1) have all run well over this course, distance, and class level, while #5 Gallovie (6-1) dominated a $50,000 allowance optional claimer at Del Mar last fall. One of the four should be able to claim top honors on Saturday.

Race 7: $50,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (one mile)

#1 Back Ring Luck (4-1) has won five of his last six starts against easier competition. Stepping up in class is a question mark, but Back Ring Luck brings pacesetting speed and competitive Brisnet Speed ratings to the table, stamping him as a logical win threat. #3 Parnelli (6-1) and #5 There Goes Harvard (7-2) are the ones we’ll use as backup.

Race 8: Irish O’Brien S. (about 6 1/2 furlongs on turf)

#2 Becca Taylor (4-5) is undefeated in six starts, including a pair of Santa Anita stakes. She’s a winner on dirt, turf, and synthetic, so tackling Santa Anita’s downhill turf course should be within her wheelhouse. Nevertheless, there’s some appeal to using #5 Sensible Cat (3-1) as backup, since she recently won an $80,000 allowance optional claimer over this course and distance over next-out winner Royal Address.

Race 9: $25,000 Starter Allowance (one mile on turf)

#2 Fly the Sky (8-1) won a 1 1/8-mile event over this course and class level one month ago, but some of his key rivals ran into traffic trouble. We’ll use #5 Exultation (4-1), #9 Liberal (8-1), #10 Irish Heatwave (6-1), and #12 Keystone Field (7-2) for good measure.

• 20-cent Rainbow Pick 6: 5 with 1,3,6 with 2,5,6,7 with 1,3,5 with 2,5 with 2,5,9,10,12 ($72)

Good luck!