ARCADIA, Calif. – A pick six carryover and a seven-figure pool are reasons enough for bettors to cope with a dreadful race that starts an otherwise appealing $2 pick six Friday at Santa Anita. The $198,741 carryover is expected to attract $1 million in new money on races 4 through 9, a sequence with deep and competitive races – with one notable exception. The opening leg is a California-bred maiden-claiming mile with five runners and a favorite dropping off the worst race of his career. Quality picks up as the sequence unfolds. California-bred allowance fillies and mares go a mile on turf in race 5; claiming fillies and mares sprint 5 1/2 furlongs in race 6; second-level allowance sprinters meet at six furlongs on turf in race 7; maidens race a mile on dirt in the eighth; and a $50,000 maiden-claiming turf mile is race 9. It is a challenging sequence without an obvious single, and without the meet’s leading rider. Juan Hernandez was suspended by the New Mexico Racing Commission for “careless riding” Feb. 15 on Sunland Oaks winner Bottle of Rouge. Hernandez’s suspension runs through March 1. :: Santa Anita Classic Meet! Get DRF Past Performances, Clocker Reports, and more. The pick six begins with the most heavily favored runner in the sequence. Race 4: Bandolero is the 7-5 morning-line favorite in this California-bred $20,000 maiden-claiming mile, despite finishing last in his most recent start and off the board in all five of his races. But the likely pacesetter goes sprint to route, drops from California-bred maiden $50,000, and makes his first start since moving to trainer Steve Knapp. Bandolero also adds Lasix, and his route figures are the highest in the field. Knapp has won with three of his last four favorites in maiden-claiming routes. Other entrants include Turf Paradise runner-up Oswald, stretch-out dropper Bossing Mo, and second-time starter Itsnotrocket. Race 5: Mayacama, runner-up in a similar California-bred allowance turf mile, is the 5-2 program favorite. Jockey Emisael Jaramillo takes over for the suspended Hernandez. Jeff Mullins trains front-runner/pace-presser Mayacama and late-runner Quantum Innergy. She’s a Joker enters in decent form, but her most recent win was in August 2024. Vicente Del-Cid, the leading rider at Delta Downs, was named as an “alternate” rider. She’s a Joker will rally late. Race 6: Here’s a chance to single a non-favorite. The $10,000 claiming sprint for fillies and mares, non-winners of three, sets up for late-runner Maniae. Claimed from a bad-trip third by trainer Gary Stute two back, Maniae subsequently ran well to finish fifth in a California-bred allowance, and returns Friday to her claim level. Is 5 1/2 furlongs too short for a late-runner? “I don’t think so,” Stute said. “It’s better, because there is more speed in there.” Maniae, listed at 3-1, meets a speed-filled field that includes program favorite Tiger Fire, last-out runner-up Toulouse Detrac, and Coralgableskaylin. If the race unfolds as expected, Maniae can mow them down under Giovanni Franco. Race 7: Comebacker Cuban Confusion earned route figures last year that rank among the highest in the field for this second-level allowance at six furlongs on the main turf oval. Trainer Phil D’Amato said Cuban Confusion is cranked for his first start since he won a highly rated first-level allowance nearly five months ago. “He’s really sharp,” D’Amato said. “He’s coming off the bench sharp and fresh.” Kazushi Kimura rides Cuban Confusion, listed at 5-1. Others include first-level allowance winner Proof He Rides and dropper Nesso’s Lastharrah. The 7-2 program favorite is Son of a Birch, third last out in a four-horse field and winless since the summer of 2024. Cuban Confusion, if he runs like he works, can spring an upset. Race 8: This maiden dirt mile goes through trainer Bob Baffert, who starts 9-5 program favorite Winston Ave and second choice Cherokee Nation. Winston Ave ran well finishing second to subsequent stakes winner So Happy in his his debut, then regressed second out when he got bogged down on the rail and finished fourth at 3-10. Baffert said Winston Ave “will be better going two turns.” Moments after the colt worked a sharp three furlongs Monday morning, Baffert radioed exercise rider Juan Ochoa: “Is he ready to go long?” Ochoa replied, “Yes, he’s ready.” Winston Ave has faced top company in morning works, including team works with Baffert-trained Kentucky Derby prospects Litmus Test and Plutarch. Winston Ave will be ridden by Florent Geroux. He and Baffert are 8 for 19 together the past five years, according to DRF Formulator. The main rival for Winston Ave is Cherokee Nation, fifth last out in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis. Emisael Jaramillo is named on Cherokee Nation. Winston Ave, Cherokee Nation, and first-time gelding Eruption are 3-year-olds; the others are 4 and 5. Race 9: In the finale, a $50,000 maiden-claiming turf mile, late-runner Biggiebiggiebiggie is favored off a runner-up finish against similar. However, the Friday race is tricky due to a conspicuous lack of pace. Stretch-out sprinter Like and Subscribe is a potential pacesetter; also-eligible Sands of Time would influence the fractions. Others in the field include second-start droppers Nezha and Azario. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.