Singles for Santa Anita’s $48,870 Pick 6 carryover

The Saturday card at Santa Anita is highlighted by a non-jackpot carryover worth $48,870 in the $2 Pick 6.

Planning to play along, but not sure where to begin? We’re here to help with a pair of suggested singles to build tickets around:

Race 5: #7 Power Play (5-2)

The opening leg of the Pick 5 is a $20,000 maiden claimer taking place over one mile on dirt. Triple Crown nominee Power Play might be a 0-for-4 maiden, but he’s competed exclusively against maiden special weight competition, and three of his defeats have come on turf. Many of the horses he’s finished behind have turned into next-out winners.

Power Play’s only previous dirt start came in his debut sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar last August. Although Power Play finished last, he was facing tough company; the victorious Citizen Bull went on to be voted champion two-year-old male of 2024, while runner-up Smash It has since won the Zia Park Juvenile S.

Dropping into a $20,000 maiden claimer for his second start of the season should make Power Play difficult to beat, especially if adding blinkers sharpens his early speed. Since his rivals bring largely uninspiring form to the table, we feel confident recommending Power Play as a Pick 6 single.

Race 7: #2 Nysos (3-5)

The feature event on the card is the $100,000 Triple Bend (G3), a seven-furlong dirt dash. The once-beaten Nysos figures to be a single on many Pick 6 tickets, including ours. He’s only facing four rivals, and his credentials are formidable.

Nysos dominated his first three starts by a minimum of 7 1/2 lengths, including an 8 3/4-length drubbing of future Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Stronghold in the seven-furlong Bob Hope (G3). And while Nysos was defeated when returning from a long layoff in the May 3 Churchill Downs (G1), he was beaten only a neck while finishing in a dead-heat for second in the seven-furlong sprint.

Nysos owns a quartet of triple-digit Brisnet Speed ratings and should be mighty tough to beat while dropping down to the Grade 3 ranks for the hot jockey/trainer duo of Juan Hernandez and Bob Baffert.

Good luck!