Irish O'Brien Stakes has possible single on Rainbow pick six payout card

There’s a pot expected to be in excess of $4 million at the end of the Rainbow pick six on Saturday at Santa Anita, and the luck of the featured Irish O’Brien will play a significant role in who’s stuffing green into their pockets at day’s end.

The Rainbow pick six has a carryover of $395,500 and track officials are estimating fresh money of approximately $4 million on Saturday.

The $100,000 Irish O’Brien, for California-bred female turf sprinters going about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside course, is the penultimate race in the sequence. It figures to have one of the most popular selections amongst players in Becca Taylor, who will be favored to keep her perfect record intact while hoping to make career start No. 7 as lucky as her previous six.

Becca Taylor, a Nick Alexander homebred trained by Steve Miyadi, will be trying the downhill course for the first time, but she does own a victory on Santa Anita turf, going six furlongs on the flat 14 months ago in a first-level allowance in her second start. Since then, she has won four more times, on dirt and synthetic, at Santa Anita and Golden Gate, usually employing a stalk-and-pounce style that should translate well to this course.

Her biggest rival should be Sensible Cat, who drops back into California-bred company for trainer Carla Gaines after two sharp races on this course in January, including a victory in a second-level allowance. She is making her third start following a lengthy vacation.

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Eddie’s New Dream exits the highly rated Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint, in which she finished third on this course behind Leggs Galore and Alice Marble, both of whom were next-out stakes winners. Both Sensible Cat and Eddie’s New Dream will have to run down Becca Taylor, who figures to get a first-over trip off the speedy Maybe I Will, who is drawn just to her inside.

The Irish O’Brien is race 8 on a nine-race card that begins at 1 p.m. Pacific. Only seven are entered, but there is depth to much of the sequence, including full fields of 12 bookending the bet, in races 4 and 9.

The Rainbow pick six begins at approximately 2:30 p.m. Here’s a look at the other five races:

Race 4: Rosie Forecast, a solid second on debut in a similar statebred turf sprint on the flat, is clearly the one to beat, exiting a race in which the winner returned to capture a first-level allowance.

Kitten’s Kid likes to settle for minor awards, but could be dangerous on the turn back; her lone turf sprint was her career best. Trainer Edward Freeman’s strike rate in these races is exemplary, so returnee Summer Pudding bears scrutiny, and considering Neil Drysdale’s sneaky-good meet so far, his firsters Current Mood and Sugar Apple could be used at least as backups.

Race 5: With Disco Ball, Fore Left, Noble Reflection, and the returning Affable, the pace should be legit. Phantom Dance, back with his friends and back on Lasix after trying the San Carlos, should get an ideal trip from the rail and by using rallying tactics. Disco Ball was unjustly disqualified last time; had he won he wouldn’t have this condition.

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Race 6: Pace-dependent Rose’s Crystal gets subtle but significant class relief from her recent starts and may get a lively pace up front. Gallovie might be the speed of the speed on the stretch out in her second start following an 11-month hiatus.

Freedom Lass usually settles for minor awards, but trainer Bill Spawr is white hot. Sky On Ice ran well setting a hot pace last time, but can sit and finish and would be well-served by those tactics here.

Race 7: This split of race 5 marks the local debut of Queen’s Plate participant Dance Some Mo, the latest Sam-Son homebred to wind up in Phil D’Amato’s barn. His lone dirt race was ugly, but he was gelded right after it. Was his subsequent improved form owing to that, or a surface switch? With Flavien Prat riding, he has to be used.

Back Ring Luck is up in class, but is a multi-race winner facing rivals who are often allergic to the winner’s circle.

Race 9: Exultation faces far softer than in his two starts this year. Frontier Market cleverly became eligible for this with a big class drop in his return.

Fly the Sky was a 25-1 upset winner against similar last time, beating troubled Irish Heatwave, Keystone Field, and Liberal. Move Over, winner of 3 of his first 34, is a resurgent 2 for 3 since November.