Feb/101
Santa Anita Pick 6 – Feb 5th
Friday’s pick six from Santa Anita Park includes a pair of allowance races. There is a 70% chance of rain with a high temperature of 61. The 3rd race is scheduled for the turf but could be moved to the Pro-Ride surface. Lady Alex looms a solid fav to kick off the sequence regardless of footing.
Degree of Difficulty: Moderate. On a scale of 1 to 10, the Friday pick six from Santa Anita rates a 5.
Possible Singles: Lady Alex (3rd race), Bilo (5th race), Delago (8th race)
Jarrod Horak’s Santa Anita Pick 6 analysis – Friday, February 5, 2010
Santa Anita Race 3 (Alw-1x, f&m 4up, 8T) #4 Lady Alex (2-1) has been part of exacta in 6 straight, and she handles turf and synthetic. #7 Woman Warrior (3-1) also handles any footing, and she’s a prominent throughout threat on either surface.
Santa Anita Race 4 (Mcl-25k, 4up, 8.5f) #7 Big Jay (3-1) hails from the hot Cerin barn, and he’s a profitable 20% first route. A repeat of his solid Oct 24th extended sprint effort would put him squarely in the mix. #3 Licoricewhip (5-2) ran well from outside post in a local route last time.
Santa Anita Race 5 (Clm-8k, 4up, 6f) #7 Bilo (7-5) drops off the shelf for Marty Jones, and he figures all over an expected tepid early pace. Reunites with winning pilot Talamo. #4 Abalanche (7-2) ran well off the shelf here in Oct. Barn enjoying fine meet, and Espinoza/Becerra 43% together recently. #5 Swiss Ski (3-1) raced wide off the shelf last time. Best efforts put him in the mix.
Santa Anita Race 6 (MSW, 3yo, 8.5f) #10 Matamor (8-1) got no pace help in a similar route across town. Attracts Bejarano and has a chance to move forward in 3rd lifetime start. #11 Ziggy’s Stardust (7-2) earned triple digit speed rating in local sprint last time, and place finisher came back to graduate. Bred to route. #5 Brace Yourselves (5-1) disappointed over a route of ground last time. Showed some talent in two previous outings and deserves another chance. Aggressive handling could be in the cards.
Santa Anita Race 7 (Alw-1x, 4up, 7f) #2 Mobilized (8-1) is best in synthetic sprints, and he’s capable of uncorking strong triple digit late pace figs. Bejarano strings along. #8 Total Bull (8-5) fired in both outings, and he’s an obvious early-pressing threat 2nd off the shelf for Gomez/Baffert. Bullet work for this. #7 Fantasy Free (6-1) earned best last race speed rating at 6.5f here on Jan 23rd.
Santa Anita Race 8 (Mcl-25k, 4up, 7f) #13 Delago (4-1) ran well at this distance off the shelf across town, and he could not handle a route of ground in regression race last time. Back in preferred sprint 3rd off the shelf, and Espinoza strings along. #1 Tale The Truth (7-2) ran well off a lengthy layoff last time. Inside speed threat must avoid a bounce. #14 Candy Coat (5-1) hails from a 25% lengthy layoff barn, and he showed some ability in a trio of starts last year.
Friday Pick 6 Tickets
Budget Play: $2 Pick Six 4/3-7/7/10-11/2-7-8/1-13-14 ($72)
The Big Ticket: $2 Pick Six 4-7/3-7/4-5-7/5-10-11/2-7-8/13 ($216)
7:51 pm on February 5th, 2010
I get a little paranoid when I see a horse like Delago not even getting in the High 5. I get a little suspicious. I mean, I believe Santa Anita lives and dies on pick 6 carryovers. It seems every Friday results in a carryover to Saturday. It wouldn’t hurt anyone in the lower claimers to tilt the odds. That low claim circuit is a merry-go-round anyway. It’s like I’ll win this time and you can win next time. It would only take one or two key jockeys to mess up the tickets. The top jockeys practically own the track anyway; they run the place. And it benefits the entire southern Cal race industry. It’s a fact that a struggling track would benefit noone. The high carryovers turn into a lottery phenomenon and the track’s takeout multiplies. I know it’s only a suspicion, but there have been jockeys caught before. All it takes is for key jockies to recognize that everyone connected to the track depends on a healthy Handle. By the way, I had both Candy Coat(9/2) and Delago to win, but Delago didn’t even get 5th. Guess what? High 5 carryover. Surprise?