Breeders' Cup moves Marathon to Friday

The Breeders' Cup has moved the $500,000 Marathon to the Friday, Nov. 6, card at Santa Anita Park in Southern California so that a pick six offered that day will include six Breeders' Cup races, the organization said Monday.

Under the new schedule, the Marathon will be the first Breeders' Cup race offered on Nov. 6 and will be followed by the five Breeders' Cup races restricted to female runners. Last year, the Breeders' Cup offered the five races for female horses on the Friday card for the first time, but the pick six on that card included an overnight stakes that was not one of the 14 races offered by the Breeders' Cup over its two-day event.

A stakes schedule published by Santa Anita had already indicated that the Marathon was scheduled for the Friday card.

Under the new schedule, the Friday pick six will include, in order, the Marathon, the Juvenile Fillies Turf, the Filly and Mare Sprint, the Juvenile Fillies, the Filly and Mare Turf, and the Ladies' Classic. The Saturday pick six will include, in order, the Dirt Mile, the Juvenile, the Mile, the Sprint, the Turf, and the Classic. The Juvenile Turf and the Turf Sprint will be the first two Breeders' Cup races offered on Saturday, but they will not be included in the pick six.

If no pick six ticket includes all six winners on Friday, 75 percent of the pool will carry over to Saturday.