Miss America Stakes, pick six carryover close out meet

Golden Gate Fields closes its 25-day autumn meeting with its biggest card of the year, a 12-race program with above-average field sizes and a competitive running of the $50,000 Miss America Stakes for fillies and mares.

All races are on the synthetic track, and the seventh through 12th races make up the 20-cent Rainbow pick six, which has a mandatory payout.

The bet was hit for $11,667 on Dec. 4, which will leave a small carryover for Sunday’s program, provided the bet is not hit on Friday or Saturday. Still, interest will be higher than normal because of the mandatory payout.

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With such a lengthy program, first post time is 11:20 a.m. Pacific. The seventh race has a post time of 2:20 p.m.

The pick six races have minimum fields of 12, 10, 11, 10, 11, and 12. Three of the races have also-eligible lists.

The Miss America Stakes, run at 1 1/16 miles, is the 11th race, and is led by Natural Colour, winner of two stakes at 1 1/16 miles on turf earlier this year – the Luther Burbank Handicap at Santa Rosa in August and the Golden Gate Turf Distaff in September.

Trained by Manny Badilla, Natural Colour was last of seven in the restricted Swingtime Stakes at a mile on turf on Oct. 9 at Santa Anita. The Miss America Stakes will be Natural Colour’s first start on a synthetic track in the United States. She was second on synthetic tracks in England in late 2021 in her last two starts before she was sent to California.

Natural Colour, who tends to run from a tracking position, has worked quickly in the last month on the synthetic track.

Tiz an Edventure is another contender who races as a stalker. Trained by Jack Steiner, Tiz an Edventure has won 5 of 6 starts since she was claimed for $25,000 in April. A fourth-place finish in the Golden Gate Turf Distaff is her only loss since being claimed.

Tiz an Edventure won an allowance race on the synthetic track in June and a repeat of that would leave her with a strong chance in this field

The Miss America Stakes will be the Golden Gate debut for Sugar Fix, who was third in the Swingtime Stakes and fourth in the restricted Kathryn Crosby Stakes at a mile on turf on Nov. 12 at Del Mar.

A winner of 11 of 31 starts, Sugar Fix won the Claiming Crown Tiara on turf at Gulfstream Park last December, and was third in three stakes on the synthetic track at Gulfstream Park earlier this year.

Following Sunday’s program, live racing resumes at Golden Gate Fields on Dec. 26.

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