Record Pick Six Pool Tops $7.3 Million at Santa Anita

(from Santa Anita report)
An all-time North American record Pick Six gross pool of $7,302,848 was reached at Santa Anita Park Wednesday. Three winning tickets were worth more than $1.5 million apiece.

The gross pool – which included a three-day carryover of $1,413,136 – broke the mark of $6,657,311 set at Santa Anita on Jan. 23, 1991, when there was a five-day carryover in the Pick Six.

A massive $5,889,712 was bet into Wednesday's Pick Six pool. It was the second biggest single-day pool ever, topped only by the $6,494,349 wagered on the 1998 Breeders' Cup Pick Six at Churchill Downs.

Wednesday's Pick Six was held on races three through eight, and the winning combination of 2-2-6-5-2-1 returned $1,567,984. There were three tickets with six correct, all sold off-track at New York OTB, the Kentucky Hub, and Viejas Casino in Alpine, Calif.

There were 445 consolation tickets with five correct worth $3,169 apiece.

The Pick Six payoff was a record for a Santa Anita Winter/Spring meeting. The all-time track record is $2,687,611 set Oct. 25, 2003, on Breeders' Cup Day at Oak Tree.

Betting favorites prevailed in three of the first four Pick Six races: River Lights ($7.60, third race), Rave Party ($5.20, fifth race) and Ditch Digger ($4.20, sixth race).

Trainer Paddy Gallagher threw a monkey wrench into the tickets of many of the Pick Six players. The veteran conditioner saddled Deputy Tombe to a $20 upset in the fourth leg, and sent out Ran for the Dough for a $24.40 surprise in the next race. Both Gallagher winners were in turf races.

The biggest fireworks were saved for the eighth race. Houston Astro, a 32-1 shot ridden by Frank Olivares, came from the clouds to nail 7-5 favorite Memo House and 5-2 second choice Really Suspect at the wire.

Flying Kegan, a 70-1 rank outsider, appeared headed to victory in the eighth, but suffered a leg injury in the final furlong and did not finish the race. There would have been one winning ticket in the Pick Six if Flying Kegan had won.