When
4-5 favorite Sanagas finished last in Santa Anita’s ninth and featured
Grade II San Marcos Stakes, punters began looking ahead to Sunday as no one
tabbed all six winners in Saturday’s Pick Six, resulting in a carryover
of $135,446 and the prospect of a total Sunday Pick Six pool of more than
$750,000.
Santa Anita will offer a nine-race program on Sunday, with
the Pick Six covering races four through nine. Sunday’s main event is
the $70,000 Sweet Life Stakes, for 3-year-old fillies at 6 ½ furlongs
down the hillside turf course.
The Sweet Life attracted a field of eight and trainer Paddy
Gallagher will send out the 5-2 morning line favorite, English-bred Dijarvo,
who will be making her U.S.
debut. Owned by Harlequin Ranches, she’ll be ridden by Brice Blanc. Dijarvo
has been idle since June 9, when she checked in first in a 5 ½ furlong turf
stakes at Maisons-Laffitte in France.
She has a 2-2-0 record, with all four of her starts coming on turf. She has
five Cushion Track drills on her work tab for Gallagher at Hollywood Park.
The second choice at 3-1 in the Sweet Life is the Jeff Mullins-conditioned
Indigo River,
who was victorious in her U.S.
debut coming down the hillside course on Jan. 13. Owned by Michael House, the
Irish-bred will again be ridden by Joel Rosario.
The shortest prospective price in Sunday’s Pick Six
is Melissa Rose, who is 2-1 on Jon White’s morning line in race seven, a
first condition allowance for California-bred older fillies and mares at six
furlongs. Melissa Rose is one of two runners in a field of seven who is entered
for an optional claiming tag of $25,000.
Trained by Mike Mitchell, Melissa Rose has been idle since
running last at 9-2 in an open first condition allowance at Santa Anita on Nov.
4. Owned and bred by Nick Alexander, she’ll be handled by Joe Talamo,
who won on her two starts back on Oct. 21 for a $40,000 claiming tag at six
furlongs.
Barring any late scratches, 53 horses are engaged to
compete in Sunday’s Pick Six, for an average of 8.5 runners per race.