Santa Anita: How to bet the mandatory-payout $275,877 Pick 6 carryover

Saturday is California Cup Day at Santa Anita. All 10 races (including five stakes) are restricted to horses bred or sired in California.

The card is exciting from a betting perspective because there’s a $275,877 Rainbow Pick 6 carryover slated for mandatory dispersal. The final pool is expected to reach the $3 million range.

The 20-cent wager gets underway in Race 5 (post time 5:00 p.m. ET), and we’re playing along for less than $100. Let’s take a race-by-race look at the sequence:

Race 5: $50,000 Maiden Claiming (six furlongs)

#6 King Zog (9-5) is a logical favorite after finishing second in his last two starts over this class level, earning solid Brisnet Speed ratings of 73 and 74. But he didn’t finish far ahead of #4 Stay in the Game (5-2) last time out.

Meanwhile, #3 Big Drinker (6-1) is eligible to improve after finishing a troubled third in his debut over this track, distance and class level. First-time starter #2 Soul of Midnight (5-1) can’t be dismissed either for trainer Dean Pederson, a 27% winner with horses debuting in maiden claimers. And #1 Doradus (5-1) also has a chance to factor after running fourth in a $32,000 maiden claimer against non-state-restricted company. We’ll use all five of these horses to start the Pick 6.

Race 6: Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint S. (about 6 1/2 furlongs on turf)

#3 Alice Marble (5-2) ran second in this race last year and later finished second in the Monrovia (G2) sprinting down the hill at Santa Anita. #5 Eddie’s New Dream (7-2) has likewise shown an affinity for this course and warrants inclusion while dropping in class and distance out of the one-mile Matriarch (G1).

Race 7: California Cup Derby (1 1/16 miles)

#4 Giver Not a Taker (9-5) and #6 Crypto Ride (5-1) are obvious contenders after finishing a head apart when 1-2 in the King Glorious S. at Los Alamitos last month. But two-time stakes winner #2 Passarando (2-1) defeated Giver Not a Taker in the seven-furlong Golden State Juvenile S. at Santa Anita during the fall, and he may well repeat the feat on Saturday.

Race 8: California Cup Oaks (one mile on turf)

#8 Sell the Dream (2-1) has repeatedly proven her worth against non-stakes restricted competition on turf, finishing second in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf S., second in the Surfer Girl (G3), and third in the Jimmy Durante (G3). She looms as a logical single while facing California-breds on Saturday.

Race 9: $20,000 Allowance Optional Claiming (one mile)

#6 Big Talker (7-2) smashed a $20,000 claimer against non-state-restricted competition at Los Alamitos last month, and three starts back he ran second over the precise track, distance, and class level of Saturday’s test. He’s in with a winning shot against #7 Holiday Arousal (4-1) and #8 Leyas Candy (9-5), who have likewise placed over this class level.

Race 10: Unusual Heat Turf Classic S. (1 1/8 miles on turf)

#1 Aligato (5-2) won this race last year, but hasn’t been quite as sharp in a couple of starts since returning from a nine-month layoff. On the bright side, this is his first try running long against California-breds since the 2022 Unusual Heat Turf Classic.

For backup, we’ll use the red-hot #2 Doc Adams (6-1), the multiple stakes winner #8 Carmelita’s Man (2-1), the Northern California raider #5 Kings River Knight (6-1), and the stakes-placed #6 Bang for Your Buck (15-1).

• 20-cent Pick 6: 1,2,3,4,6 with 3,5 with 2,4,6 with 8 with 6,7,8 with 1,2,5,6,8 ($90)

Good luck!