Bettors target $42K carryover at Los Alamitos

CYPRESS, Calif. – A pick six carryover of $42,460 will be the focus for many bettors Thursday at Los Alamitos, the start of the final week of the track’s two-week meeting.

Los Alamitos concludes its eight-day summer season Sunday before Del Mar opens July 17.

For Thursday, the Los Alamitos pick six covers the third through eight races, all for claimers. Unlike Sunday, when fields were small, there are fields of 10, 7, 9, 8, 9, and 10 runners in the pick six races Thursday. There are two races at 5 1/2 furlongs, two races at six furlongs, and two at a mile.

The first three races are for maidens, beginning with a $20,000 claimer at six furlongs.

Eleven Zip, winless in four starts in the last year, all at Del Mar or Santa Anita, drew the rail in the third race. The gelding is trained by Sean McCarthy, who won the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita last month. Eleven Zip is a closer and must catch Warren’s Sunny Boy, who has shown speed in his three starts. Horses racing near the pace did well in the first week at Los Alamitos.

The closers Fast Mast and Marv race for the first time since 2013, and either can win with his best race.

Papa’s Dancing, winless in six starts, might have an advantage in the fourth race, a $30,000 claiming race for female maidens going 5 1/2 furlongs. Papa’s Dancing has shown speed and has trained at Los Alamitos this year with Brian Koriner.

Bold Decision, ninth and 10th in maiden races last summer, starts from the outside post among seven in the fourth race and races for a claiming price for the first time. Trainer Mike Harrington, whose stable has struggled in recent months, runs the 3-year-old filly Swiss Perfect, who was fourth at Santa Anita on June 15.

Harrington has two runners in the fifth, a $50,000 claiming race for 2-year-old California-bred maiden fillies at 5 1/2 furlongs. Harrington runs the first-time starter Feisty Swiss and Don’t Tell Abbey, who was fifth in her debut June 8 at Santa Anita. Feisty Swiss, by Lucky Pulpit, is a half-sister to the stakes winner Alpenfest and is out of Yolo Lady, a stakes winner who earned $349,240.

Overall, the field of nine is weak, with several runners well beaten at Santa Anita in May and June.

Musical Arts figures to be strongly backed in the sixth race at six furlongs, a $12,500 claimer for fillies and mares who have not won twice. Musical Arts has won six races, but her wins against maidens and in claiming races worth $10,000 or less do not count against the race conditions. Trained by Ron Ellis, Musical Arts was second in a $12,500 claimer at Santa Anita on April 25.

A similar loophole in conditions allows Tenkiller Kid to run in the seventh race over a mile, which is for $16,000 claimers who have not won twice. Tenkiller Kid won for the second time in a $12,500 claimer at Santa Anita on June 20, the day he was claimed by current trainer Jack Carava. The conditions of Thursday’s seventh race state that races for $12,500 or less do not count toward career win totals.

Goyan might set the pace in the seventh. Goyan was third behind Tenkiller Kid on June 20, the day he was claimed by current trainer Carl O’Callaghan.

The eighth race, for $8,000 claimers at 5 1/2 furlongs, has 12 entrants but will have 10 starters. Senator Bob, who won a $9,000 claimer at Santa Anita on June 22, may go favored over Youonlyliveonce, a 10-year-old gelding who has won three consecutive races at 4 1/2 furlongs at Los Alamitos in May and June.