A pick-six carryover of nearly $200,000 at Santa Anita has generated excitement among horseplayers, marking the largest Southern California racetrack carryover in almost a year. This Friday’s pick-six pool is expected to reach about $1.3 million, fueled by two consecutive days without a perfect ticket and a 30% payout to five-winner bettors. While the pick-six wager once drew huge crowds and multi-million-dollar payoffs in the 1980s and 1990s, changes such as smaller race fields, computer-assisted bettors, and alternative multi-race bets have diminished its impact. Still, the carryover injects “dead money” into the pool, reducing the takeout and making the wager more attractive.
Elsewhere, the California Horse Racing Board rejected proposals to revive thoroughbred racing in Northern California, citing concerns about purse money dilution and economic viability. Meanwhile, trainer Bob Baffert lost a Kentucky Derby contender, Plutarch, due to injury, but still has promising horses like Litmus Test aiming for upcoming Derby prep races. Safety remains a concern at Santa Anita, which has seen six horse deaths so far this year, the highest since 2020. Internationally, Hong Kong’s Ka Ying Rising set a new record with his 18th consecutive win at Sha Tin Racecourse.
