Quality Start to Racing Week

If the pick six carry-over of more than $194,000 weren’t enough to spice up today’s card at Hollywood Park, there is the added bonus of a high-quality allowance race.

The seventh, which goes at 1 1/8 miles on the turf and carries a purse of $62,000, drew a field of seven -- six betting interests because two of the runners with common ownership are coupled -- and five of the seven have won either a Group I or Grade I race.

Sarafan, a 6-year-old Lear Fan gelding, is the most accomplished of the bunch. A seven-time winner, he has banked more than $2.2 million and upset Beat Hollow in last summer’s Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar.

Sarafan will be making his first start since he finished a close fourth in the Hong Kong Cup Dec. 15.

The other Group or Grade I winners in the lineup are Chiselling, a half-brother of Empire Maker, Decarchy, Chester House and Honest Lady; Gigli, a Brazilian-bred making his first start in this country; Mister Acpen and the veteran Cagney.

Race of the day: The most wide-open race in the Hollywood Park pick six might be the sixth, a 1 1/16-mile affair for $25,000 maidens. In a field where nobody can run much, many pick six players will be spreading on their tickets.

One for the road: Lebontempsroulet, a hard knocker around here for the last few years, will make his first start at Belmont Park in today’s fifth, a $50,000 claimer at six furlongs. He will be debuting for owner Roddy Valente and trainer Bruce Levine, who have done well with California shippers in New York.

Exotically speaking: A pick three singling Sabalucious in the fifth, using Triptronic, Beckham, Kilgarten and Ive Got The Rhythm in the sixth and Chiselling, Sarafan and Mister Acpen in the seventh.

Winners: Previous day/meet total: 2/51. Money: Previous day/meet total: $6.40/$274.40. Total money bet: $346.