Pick six pool could top $300,000
ARCADIA, Calif. – A $62,473 pick six carryover is likely to attract more than $300,000 in new wagers Thursday at Santa Anita. The sequence includes a pair of midlevel claiming races, a puzzling turf route for older maidens, a route for 2-year-old maiden fillies, a turf sprint for first-level allowance fillies and mares, and a starter-allowance/optional-claiming sprint for 2-year-old fillies.
First post Thursday is 1 p.m. Pacific, with the first race of the pick six, race 3, set to go off at 2.
RACE 3
Celebrity Status figures to be loose on the lead in this $25,000 claiming race at seven furlongs as he seeks his first win since the summer of 2013. Trained by Ron Ellis, the gelding shortens from a route to a sprint.
His rivals include Chief Lion, claimed four months ago for $62,500 and gelded since. Ray Bell trains Chief Lion, likely to be positioned closest to the pacesetter. Out of Patience wheels back in seven days for trainer A.C. Avila, whose last three runners turning around in a week or less produced two wins and a second.
RACE 4
Tulira Castle is the likely favorite in this $20,000 claiming race at 1 1/16 miles. He dominated a $25,000 claiming race in his most recent start, winning by more than four lengths in his first start for Ellis. If he runs two alike, he should win again. Over the past five years on the Santa Anita main track, Ellis is 35 for 68 with favorites.
RACE 5
This 1 1/8-mile turf race, a maiden special weight, is the most puzzling in the pick six. There is no pace, and likely favorite Big Discovery is a closer with a history of falling short. He has finished in the money in all six of his starts.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Boone Docks. Trainer Eric Guillot is 25-1-1-0 with a $0.30 ROI over the past two years in turf races in Southern California. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Broken Up finished second by a nose last out at Golden Gate; Fishel improved in his most recent start two months ago; Boone Docks could inherit the lead; Y’s Passion and Radio Silent are well-bred Candy Ride colts stretching out and switching to turf.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Broken Up. Trainer Richard Mandella is 24-9-3-1 with a $2.83 ROI over the past five years in turf routes with Gary Stevens aboard. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
RACE 6
A promising runner-up debut by the 2-year-old filly Bellamentary makes her the favorite in this one-mile maiden special weight. In her sprint debut, Bellamentary broke slowly from the rail, rushed up to midfield, loomed at the top of the lane, and went evenly to finish more than five clear of third. Phil D’Amato trains; leading jockey Rafael Bejarano rides her back.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Bellamentary. Trainer Phil D’Amato is 14-1-1-0 with a $0.61 ROI over the past five years going sprint to route in the second career start. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
The horse to catch is Escapee, a Bob Baffert-trained filly who dueled on fast fractions and tired in both of her sprints at Del Mar. She is bred to run long. Martin Garcia rides.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 6 Structure. Trainer Bob Baffert is 7-6-0-0 with a $3.62 ROI over the past five years going sprint to route on dirt and taking blinkers off in the second career start. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
RACE 7
Glory and Thundering Gale are the principals in this filly-mare allowance sprint on the hill. Glory is a stakes-placed Tapit filly trying turf after a better-than-it-looked fourth-place comeback. She broke slowly from the rail, recovered, sped forward to chase, and tired. In the second start back, the Jerry Hollendorfer trainee should be tough under Mike Smith.
Thundering Gale, however, is a must-use. She shortens to a sprint first off the claim by Richard Baltas. A five-time winner, she will be rolling late under Fernando Perez. Other contenders include Lost Bus, Queenofthepalace, and Codacious.
RACE 8
Sharp Holiday drops from a restricted stakes in which she was compromised by the extreme pace. She also shortens from 6 1/2 furlongs to 5 1/2. Her maiden win two back is good enough to win this starter-allowance/optional-claiming sprint.