Pick-6 Preview: Santa Anita $101,931 Carryover - January 21, 2013
The first leg is a maiden claiming race for four-year-olds and upward at one mile on the main track. The field of ten features a lukewarm 7-2 morning line favorite in Mind the Master so it looks like the spot to spread. Of the ten runners in the field, nine are single digit odds.
Big Wags and Max Cooper are tough to separate in race five, a low level claiming race for older horses. Big Wags exits a dominating win at the level last month while Max Cooper drops in half and stretches out after running in sprints.
On the turf for race six with ten Cal-bred horses running down the hill. Cayambe loves the course, but drew poor in post one. Raetodandty looks to take them wire-to-wire, but must deal with Pulpit’s Express, who is making his first start on the turf after six dirt races to begin his career. Tamarack Smarty will be running late as will Red Defense, Blue Jay Attach and Intuitive Nature.
Race seven is the feature, the Grade 2 Santa Ynez for three-year-old fillies and most will single Beholder. The Henny Hughes-filly makes her first start this year after capping off her two-year-old season with a win in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. She is the class of the field, but there is a ton of speed in the race. From post eight her jockey will have plenty of options.
Back on the hillside for race eight, an allowance race for Cal-breds. Dixieland Blues broke her maiden over the course against state-breds and is making her second start off a long layoff. On speed figures, it is a match race between her and Zuboff, who may be the swami play with the NHL dropping the pack this past weekend.
The finale is a maiden claiming race with a full field of ten California-bred or sired three-year-olds. Cosmic Heat and Judge Carr are the ones to beat. Cosmic Heat drops from an open maiden special weight in his first start on the dirt after a pair on the turf. Judge Carr was third, beaten three-quarters of a length, at this level in his last start on New Year’s day. First-time-starters to watch are Get Moving and Mywayorthecauseway with second-time-starters Tribal Dude, Whimsical Heat and Cut to the Front making the play on deeper tickets. Talk the Walk may be ranked too low, but his race in December at Hollywood Park was awfully slow.
First post at Santa Anita on Monday is 3:30 ET with the pick-6 going to post at 5:02.