Pick Six, Deep-Sixed Earlier by Santa Anita, Is Coming Back

Responding to pressure from bettors, Santa Anita will bring back the Pick Six bet, starting next Wednesday.

The Pick Six, a fixture at Southern California tracks since it was introduced by Hollywood Park in 1980, was discontinued by Santa Anita when the track opened its season Dec. 26. Track officials added a second daily triple, explaining that they were hoping to distribute payoffs among a larger number of bettors.

Starting Wednesday, Santa Anita will have a Pick Six on the second through the seventh races, and the daily triple on the second through the fourth races will be dropped. Remaining are the daily triple on races 6-7-8 and the Pick Nine, which asks bettors to select the winners of all nine races.

“We’re acknowledging the wishes of many fans in bringing back the Pick Six,” said Cliff Goodrich, Santa Anita’s general manager. “It has become obvious that the Pick Six was sorely missed.”

The Pick Six will have no carry-over if no one picks all six winners. Santa Anita will pay out 60% of the pool daily on the tickets with the most winners. The remaining 40% will be paid on tickets with next highest number of winners.

Santa Anita previously used races 4 through 9 for the Pick Six. Races 2 through 7 will now be used to avoid the eighth race, which can lead to late scratches when it’s a stakes race.