No
one tabbed all six winners in Santa Anita’s popular Pick Six on Friday,
creating a carryover to Saturday of $65,372 and the prospect of a total Pick
Six pool of $500,000.
Saturday’s Pick Six will cover races five through 10,
with two of those, the Robert B. Lewis (sixth) and the Strub (eighth) Grade II
stakes.
With 63 horses scheduled to run in Saturday’s Pick
Six, average field size is 10.5 horses per race, barring any late scratches.
Saturday’s fifth race looks to be a very competitive
maiden special weight for 3-year-old fillies at 6 ½ furlongs down Santa Anita’s
hillside turf course. Peter Eurton has the 5-2 morning line favorite, Belle
Passe, who will be making her U.S. debut after finishing second, beaten a nose
in a 16-horse maiden race at the Curragh in Ireland on May 21 of last year.
She’ll be ridden in her second career start by Joel Rosario for owners
Always Believe, Inc.
The 1 1/16 miles, $200,000 Lewis marks the 3-year-old debut
of highly regarded Liaison, who comes off a big win in the Grade I CashCall
Futurity at Hollywood
Park on Dec. 17. The Kentucky-bred
colt by Indian Charlie has been installed as the 9-5 favorite. Trained by Bob
Baffert and ridden back by Rafael Bejarano for owner Arnold Zetcher, Liaison
will face seven rivals, including California-bred Rousing Sermon, who was
second, beaten a neck, in the CashCall.
The $200,000 Strub will be contested at 1 1/8 miles and the
Steve Asmussen-conditioned Tapizar figures to pose an elusive target with Corey
Nakatani again at the controls. The 4-year-old colt by Tapit comes off a
scintillating gate to wire score in the mile and one sixteenth San Fernando on Jan. 14.
Owned and bred in Kentucky
by Winchell Thoroughbreds, Tapizar is the solid 6-5 favorite on Jon
White’s morning line. He’ll face seven rivals in the prestigious
Strub, which will be run for the 65th time.