Scott Shapiro's Sunset Six Tickets
I absolutely love the two track, player friendly wagers that 1ST/RACING has made available for horseplayers over the last few years. I have written about the Coast-to-Coast Pick 5 multiple times and was fortunate enough to connect on a good one last week. I also introduced the Sunset Six last fall, but wanted to dive back in because I found the Saturday sequence quite compelling. Remember, the Sunset Six comprises the final three races at both Gulfstream and Santa Anita and like the Coast-to-Coast, it is a $1 minimum, 15% takeout, retail only wager. Saturday’s sequence kicks off with four stakes races and concludes with an allowance sprint and MSW on the turf at the Great Race Place. Let’s dive in!
Gulfstream Park Race 10: Forward Gal (G3)
Main Ticket: 8 Imperatrice; 2 Tesselate; 6 On Time Girl
Backups: None
Forecast: #6 On Time Girl makes her 3YO debut for Brad Cox after taking a huge step forward in her final start of 2025. The daughter of Not This Time is the one to beat in this 7-furlong dash over the main track for 3YO fillies, but she might have to work early on, which could soften her up late. If so, #2 Tesselate and #8 Imperatrice are the ones likely to be in the spot to take advantage. Tesselate is the more proven commodity. She comes in with 3 wins already under her belt and could be tough to hold off if she relaxes kindly along the inside on the backstretch. #8 Imperatrice is not likely to be too far off the pace, but the move to an outside post for the first time could lead to a career best effort in her first stakes try. Johnny V should have options out of the gate.
Gulfstream Park Race 11: Sweetest Chant
Main Ticket: 3 Brat Pack; 10 Aggressive Lime
Backups: 7 Bert Knoty’s Girl
Forecast: I am going to take a swing against 2-1-ML favorite #8 Sister Troienne in this 8.5-furlong test over the grass for 3YO fillies. She obviously has been impressive since stretching out to two-turns and switching surfaces, but faces the toughest encounter of her career making her likely off odds tough to swallow. The lack of early speed should benefit her, but it also should benefit a pair of rivals that will play much bigger in the Sunset Six sequence. #3 Brat Pack is lightly raced, but proven over this surface. She moves to an inside draw and should be in a prominent spot early at a nice price for a barn having a great start to the Championship Meet. #10 Aggressive Lime is more obvious, but likely to also find a good spot early close to the lead. The presence of Irad Ortiz should ensure a decent voyage despite the outside draw.
Gulfstream Park Race 12: Holy Bull (G3)
Main Ticket: 5 Cannoneer
Backups: None
Forecast: I am all in with #5 Cannoneer as the Road to the Florida and Kentucky Derby’s continue. The pace is unlikely to be overly chaotic in this 1 1/16-mile excursion over the main track, which should have this $1.75M son of Into Mischief on or right off the lead on the backstretch. He has to pass his first two-turn test and prove he can handle this racetrack, but he comes into the race training forwardly and should be very tough to get by late.
Santa Anita Park Race 7: Megahertz (G3)
Main Ticket: 5 Going Lucky; 3 Princesa Moche
Backups: None
Forecast: The West Coast portion of the wager kicks off with one of two graded stakes races on the Saturday Santa Anita agenda. I am taking on the likely favorites #2 Public Assembly and #4 Will Then in this year’s Megahertz with a pair of less proven commodities. #5 Going Lucky is my top pick. The stablemate of Will Then made her first start for trainer Jonathan Thomas against a much softer group on January 16, but handled that field with ease. The fact Thomas wheels her back quickly suggests she came out of the race quite well. She should get a great trip again and is likely to get overlooked in the sequence. I will also include #3 Princesa Moche. Doug O’Neill stretches this 6YO mare back out to two-turns after giving Queen Maxima all she could handle in the Las Cinnegas (G3). She is 3 for 7 at the one-mile distance and should get a great trip along the inside.
Santa Anita Park Race 8:
Main Ticket: 7 Simple Song; 2 Red Flag
Backups: 5 Cornucopian
Forecast: I expect lots of horseplayers to lean on #5 Cornucopian in a challenging sequence, but I am less enthused. Sure, the Bob Baffert trainee has shown an extremely high ceiling, but he has gone the wrong way since his eye-popping debut win. He was scratched out of the Malibu (G1) on Opening Day for flipping in the paddock, but seems no worse for wear. That said, I prefer two runners exiting a similar spot on January 2. #2 Red Flag won that race, but #7 Simple Song ran best. Hopefully, one of them has a career best run in them on Saturday afternoon. Late separation in the Sunset Six could put us in a position for a big day.
Santa Anita Park Race 9:
Main Ticket: 1 Silkie Sevei; 10 Getting Closer; 11 Counterbalance
Backups: None
Forecast: I am not in love with the first-time starters’ chances in this 6.5-furlong affair over the grass for 3YO fillies yet to win a race, so I will lean on those with experience. This includes international invader #1 Silike Sevei. Trainer Phil D’Amato is 5 for 12 in turf sprints over the last two years with foreign shippers he has given 60-180 days after arriving in the States. I know that seems a bit convoluted, but to me it suggests he has these runners ready to roll when he lets them run in the afternoons for the first time in North America. The inside draw is a challenge, but this filly has as a good a chance as anyone.
Tickets:
$1 Sunset Six
2+6+8 with 3+7+10 with 5 with 3+5 with 2+5+7 with 1+10+11
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