San Simeon featured on mandatory pick six payout card

Turf sprints have boosted the career of Barraza, who can win his fourth consecutive start in Sunday’s Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita.

Barraza won allowance races at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course last October, in his debut at the distance, and again on Jan. 2, when he overcame traffic in the stretch to win by a nose.

“I thought that was his most impressive race,” trainer Vladimir Cerin said of the Jan. 2 victory. “He was sixth or seventh at the sixteenth pole and bottled up. I don’t know how he got up.”

The hard-fought win Jan. 2 was followed by a front-running win in the restricted Clocker’s Corner Stakes at six furlongs on the flat turf course Jan. 22. Barraza took command quickly and was never bothered, winning by 2 1/4 lengths as the 8-5 favorite.

Kent Desormeaux was aboard for those wins, but is currently banned from riding at Santa Anita by track management following an arrest on domestic abuse charges in Louisiana in January.

John Velazquez is named to ride Barraza in the $100,000 San Simeon, but will not ride at Santa Anita on Sunday and Monday to attend a family funeral.

Cerin said he will wait as long as he can this weekend before finalizing a rider for Barraza, who races for David and Holly Wilson.

“I want to use a jockey who has a clock in his head and can feel the horse,” Cerin said.

Cerin’s decision will catch the attention of bettors. The San Simeon is the eighth race on a nine-race program that begins at 12:30 p.m. Pacific. The fourth through ninth races comprise the 20-cent Rainbow pick six, which will have a mandatory payout Sunday.

Barraza is part of a solid field of eight that includes the graded stakes winners Beer Can Man, Bombard, and Guildsman, and the graded stakes-placed runners Bran, Chaos Theory, Commander, and Indian Peak.

Beer Can Man is a nose away from being on a four-race winning streak. He was second in the Grade 3 Turf Monster Stakes at Parx Racing last September, but promoted to first when 108-1 winner Hollywood Talent was disqualified for a medication violation. After winning an allowance on Nov. 7 at Del Mar, Beer Can Man was second by a nose as the even-money favorite in the Grade 2 Joe Hernandez Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs on the flat turf course Jan. 1.

In the weeks following that race, Beer Can Man was switched from trainer Mark Glatt to Phil D’Amato after a dispute arose between Glatt and the Little Red Feather syndicate that co-owns the 4-year-old colt.

“Mark was kind enough to give me some insight when I got him,” D’Amato said.

“He’s as advertised. He trains like a solid veteran, very steady. Give him a target in a breeze and he wants to run them down. He does everything right.”

The San Simeon will be the first start for Bombard since a third in the Grade 3, $1 million FanDuel Turf Sprint Stakes at Kentucky Downs in September. Bombard set the pace, but was caught late, finishing 2 1/2 lengths behind Gear Jockey.

Trained by Richard Mandella, Bombard was out of training last fall with a foot ailment.

“It took a little while to get better,” Mandella said.

“I think he’s pretty ready.”

Bombard will be ridden for the first time by Juan Hernandez, who is expected to have the 9-year-old gelding near the front.

– Steve Andersen

Pick six mandatory payout

A mandatory payout in the 20-cent pick six Sunday at Santa Anita covers races 4-9 and would begin with a jackpot much higher than the $592,337 already in the pool as of Friday. Assuming no single-ticket winner Friday or Saturday, the gross pick six pool Sunday could flirt with $5 million.

The sequence begins in race 4, a turf sprint for California-bred maiden fillies and mares in which the principals include comebacker Thrive and second-time starter Limited Heatwave. Race 5 is an inscrutable $10,000 claiming sprint for fillies and mares in which class dropper Rain Diva is the likely favorite.

Race 6, a $62,500 maiden-claiming turf mile, includes dropper Hollywoodhellraisr and World Cruiser.

Race 7, a California-bred allowance sprint for fillies and mares, is led by potential single Smitten by Kitten, runner-up at the level last out and one of the shortest prices on the card.

Race 8 is the San Simeon with Barraza and Beer Can Man; race 9 is a maiden turf sprint in which European import Countess Rosina appears well meant.

– Brad Free