Santa Anita Park Pick 6 carryover video analysis for closing Sunday, November 1.
The BC Distaff will be held at Keeneland on Saturday, October 31, 2026.
Check out horse racing free picks and more at The Runaway Horse.
\Sunday, November 1, 2026
Santa Anita Mandatory Payout Pick 6 Carryover (11-1-26)
I’ve narrowed each race down to two primary contenders. My selections are based on pace, recent form, class changes, distance preferences, and the performance projections available through Today’s Racing Digest.
There are some interesting betting opportunities in this sequence. I’m particularly interested in horses returning to their preferred surfaces, runners with improving performance patterns, and first-time starters who could make an immediate impact.
Race 5: $12,500 Claiming – One Mile on Dirt
The opening leg of the Pick Six is a $12,500 claiming event for three-year-olds and up going one mile on the main track.
The Santa Anita Track Profile shows that this distance favors horses racing near the front. Across 22 races, frontrunners have won more than 45% of the time, and pace pressers have also won more than 45%. Midpack runners have not won any of those races, while rear runners have accounted for just 9.1%.
1. Doo Wop Don (5-2)
Doo-wop Don is my top choice. This is an interesting placement by trainer Jeff Mullins, who originally entered the horse in a $10,000 claiming sprint on Saturday before scratching and redirecting him into this one-mile event.
Juan Hernandez takes the mount, and Mullins has been productive recently, going six-for-15. His statistics are particularly appealing in several categories:
- 23% wins with horses moving from sprints to routes.
- 34% wins second off the claim.
- 29% wins with dirt routers.
- Almost 28% wins when moving up in class.
Doo Wop Don returned from a lengthy layoff on October 2, in an $8,000 claiming event at Santa Anita. He won that five-and-a-half-furlong race by a little more than two lengths and earned a 125 Final Time Rating.
That was his best number since Pleasanton in 2024. Now he’s stretching back out to a mile, but I don’t consider the added distance a major concern. He won a one-mile race at Santa Anita in October 2025 and previously finished third at the distance at Los Alamitos.
I like the confident class hike, the rider assignment, and the possibility of another strong performance in his second start following the layoff.
6. Whiskyginandbrandy (7-2)
Whiskyginandbrandy is my second choice. This horse has some of the strongest projected figures in the field and should appreciate a race that rewards forward positioning.
The projected numbers include:
- Fire Number: 94
- Final Time Rating: 132
The horse has a tactical running style, which is a good fit for this one-mile configuration. With frontrunners and pressers dominating the historical results, I don’t want to overlook a runner who can stay close to the early action.
Race 6: Starter Optional Claiming – Six Furlongs on Dirt
This starter optional claiming event is for fillies and mares, three-year-olds and up, going six furlongs on the main track.
Speed is important at this distance. The Santa Anita Track Profile shows that frontrunners have won 72% of the 18 races in the sample. There are several horses capable of being forwardly placed, so I want to pay attention to which runners can secure a comfortable position.
4. Shop Till You Drop (9-2)
Shop Till You Drop is my top selection. The best projected numbers in the field belong to her. She leads the field in the Fire Number, CPR, and Final Time Rating projections.
Her most recent start was a fifth-place finish in a $10,000 starter event at Los Alamitos, where she earned a 104 Final Time Rating. However, I don’t want to judge her exclusively on that performance.
She had some better efforts before that race:
- Finished second at Los Alamitos in September 2025 with a 105 Final Time Rating.
- Finished a close second at Del Mar last fall with a 96.
- Returned from a layoff at Los Alamitos and won by five lengths with a 107.
- Finished second in a $25,000 claiming event at Del Mar with a 114.
The progression from 107 to 114 was encouraging. She regressed in her most recent start, but I think she can rebound in this spot.
Read more at Today's Racing Digest
Saturday, October 31, 2026
Breeders' Cup Distaff 2026 Video Picks (10-31-26)
2026 Breeders' Cup Distaff video picks.
The BC Distaff will be held at Keeneland on Saturday, October 31, 2026.
Check out horse racing free picks and more at The Runaway Horse.
Breeders' Cup Distaff 2026 Handicapping Article
The scratches of Scottish Lassie and Splendora change the complexion of this race. Both were potential speed influences, and their departures take some potential early pressure out of the field.
Nitrogen is the deserving morning-line favorite. She has never finished outside the top three in 18 career starts and has the fastest overall final-time rating in this field. She likes to be forwardly placed, but the pace could get interesting, particularly with Super Corredora likely to show speed.
Let’s dive into the analysis and see what the Digest numbers show.
Horse-by-Horse Breeders’ Cup Distaff Analysis
1. Immersive (30-1)
Immersive has a strong overall career record, with six wins, four seconds, and two thirds from 12 starts. She is a consistent filly, but I have concerns about her current form. Her speed figures have declined sharply in her last two starts, falling to 126 and 125 after previously recording 140 and 146 when she was in better form.
She was a well-beaten third in the Locust Grove and then finished third in the three-horse Grade 1 Spinster. In that Spinster, she set the pace before weakening and finishing more than nine lengths behind Fully Subscribed.
The rail could put Immersive into the early pace picture, and she has enough speed to influence the opening stages. But I need to see a significant return to her better form before trusting her to win this championship race.
2. Nitrogen (6-5)
Nitrogen is the most accomplished horse in this field. She has nine wins, six seconds, and three thirds from 18 starts. She was second in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff and returns with another strong campaign behind her.
Her biggest performance this year came in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at Saratoga, where she won by a dozen lengths at 1 1/8 miles. She earned a 174 Final Time Rating that day, the best overall number in this field. She subsequently finished second against the boys in the Whitney, behind Sovereignty, before winning the Beldame at Belmont Park.
Her last-out Beldame performance earned a 150 Final Time Rating. That number puts her right in the mix, and she is capable of much more if she reproduces her Ogden Phipps effort.
The concern is the pace. Nitrogen is an early-pressing type who can race close to the lead, and Super Corredora figures to be aggressive. If Nitrogen gets into an early battle, Fully Subscribed could benefit. Still, Nitrogen is a major threat because she is consistently competitive and has the best overall rating, but she won’t offer much wagering value.
3. Regaled (20-1)
Regaled is an interesting longshot, particularly for bettors looking for a runner to use underneath in exactas, trifectas, and superfectas. She finished third in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff at 30-1 after producing a late rally from post 12. She returns to the race after winning the Grade 3 Delaware Handicap.
She has won twice at 1 1/8 miles, and both of those victories came in the Delaware Handicap. Her projected CPR of 153 is the best in the field, reinforcing her status as one of the strongest late-running candidates.
Regaled has also been getting back on track after facing tough competition earlier in the season. She finished second to Immersive in the Fleur de Lis before winning at Delaware. I like the fact that she has already shown she can make a late run in this race, but I am not convinced the pace will be fast enough to bring her all the way into contention for the win.
Read more at Today's Racing Digest
Friday, October 30, 2026
Breeders' Cup Classic 2026 Handicapping Article
Important Scratch Changes the Pace Scenario
Magnitude has scratched out of the Breeders’ Cup Classic after suffering an injury. He has been retired to Ashford Stud.
This is a significant development because Magnitude was one of the primary speed horses in the original field. His absence leaves fewer confirmed pace players and changes how I view the race from a tactical standpoint.
Knightsbridge and Napoleon Solo now look like the two most likely horses to establish the early pace. Forever Young should be able to track them from a comfortable position, while Sovereignty, Golden Tempo, and The Puma will look to make their moves later.
Horse-by-Horse Breeders’ Cup Classic Analysis
1. T O Password (30-1)
T O Password is the longest price on the morning line and enters this race after finishing third, beaten two lengths, in the Grade 3 Elm Stakes at a mile and a sixteenth in Japan in August.
He has won once in three attempts at a mile and a quarter. He also has experience in the United States, having competed in the 2024 Kentucky Derby.
He was 48-1 in that 20-horse Kentucky Derby, drew post nine, broke slowly, encountered trouble, and finished fifth, beaten six and a half lengths. Forever Young finished a close third that afternoon.
His overseas races do not have corresponding numbers in the last six Digest past-performance lines. The available Kentucky Derby figures were a Fire Number of 83, CPR of 115, Fast Fig of 123, and Final Time Rating of 125.
Those figures are not competitive with the leading horses in this field. He has won at the distance, but this is a substantial class test.
2. Sovereignty (5-2)
Sovereignty is a live contender from off the pace for trainer Bill Mott, with Junior Alvarado returning aboard.
He is a perfect three-for-three at a mile and a quarter, with Grade 1 victories in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Travers Stakes last year.
His first two starts this season were below expectations. He finished second in the Oaklawn Handicap and a well-beaten third in the Stephen Foster. However, he bounced back impressively in the Whitney Stakes, rallying from off the pace to win by more than four lengths.
He was scheduled to run in the Jockey Club Gold Cup but was sidelined by a foot abscess. His first few workouts after returning were slow, although he delivered a very good workout at Keeneland on October 25.
The Digest figures show how talented he can be. He earned final-time ratings of 143 and 147 before posting a huge 168 in the Travers last year. His Fire Number in that Travers was 111.
He subsequently recorded a 146 and then a 131 in his first two starts this season. The lower number came in the sloppy Stephen Foster. He then rebounded in the Whitney with a 156 Final Time Rating, his best number since that Travers performance.
There are some things to overcome. He missed his intended prep race, and he had the foot issue. His recent workout was encouraging, and the bar shoe is scheduled to be removed so he can race without it.
The other concern is pace. Magnitude’s scratch takes away some of the speed that would have helped Sovereignty’s closing style.
Still, he’s a mile-and-a-quarter specialist with multiple Grade 1 victories, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he won this race.
Read more at Today's Racing Digest
Breeders' Cup Classic 2026 Video Picks (10-31-26)
2026 Breeders' Cup Classic video picks.
The BC Classic will be held at Keeneland on Saturday, October 31, 2026.
Check out horse racing free picks and more at The Runaway Horse.
Thursday, October 29, 2026
Kentucky Derby 2027 Future Wager Pool 1 Analysis
2027 Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 1 analysis.
This pool opened on October 28 and closes on Friday, October 30 at 4PM ET.
Check out horse racing free picks and more at The Runaway Horse.
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