The autumn 2025 betting menu at Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita Park includes a new wager, the $1 Sunset Pick 6. The Sunset Pick 6 will feature a low 15% takeout and will be comprised of the final three races from both Santa Anita and Gulfstream on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays this season.

Let’s take a closer look at handicapping all six of the races involved in Sunset Pick 6 this Saturday, Oct. 4, with picks for each race individually and tips for which horses to include in the various legs of the Pick 6. The first leg of the sequence goes off at 5:07 Eastern or 2:07 Pacific Time on Saturday. Enjoy racing and wagering at Gulfstream and Santa Anita. Best of luck!

Sunset Pick 6 Strategy for Saturday, Oct. 4

Gulfstream Park, Race 9, $70,000 Handicap, post time 5:07 p.m. ET

Learn more about the Sunset Pick 6

Saturday’s Sunset Pick 6 begins with this nine-horse overnight handicap race going 1 1/16 miles on the turf. Let’s try to narrow the races in this sequence down to just the prime contenders so we can play a reasonably-priced ticket. #5 Private Thoughts has won both races since his return from a nine-month layoff including a turf race two starts ago and a win on the all-weather track last time. A repeat of either of those efforts makes him the horse to beat yet again. #7 Lorenz returns to Gulfstream Park for leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. after a loss in a tough $500,000 spot at Kentucky Downs. When last seen in Florida two races ago, he won the $75,000 Mr. Steele Stakes versus a bunch much more closely resembling this race’s competition. The 9-5 morning-line favorite is #4 Steal Sunshine, who is not worth a win bet at those odds but still is worth including in Pick 6 tickets based on his solid second-place finish behind only Beach Gold at this course and distance back in June. Beach Gold came back to win his next race, placed third in Kentucky Downs’ FanDuel TV Mint Millions Invitational Stakes, and is entered in Saturday’s Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes at Keeneland.

Sunset Pick 6 Play: The pick is #5 Private Thoughts (8-1) to win. Start your Pick 6 with three horses in this race including Private Thoughts as well as #4 Steal Sunshine (9-5) and #7 Lorenz (7-2).

Gulfstream Park, Race 10, $27,000 claiming, post time 5:38 p.m. ET

Claimers take center stage in the second leg of the Sunset Pick 6 as a field of 11 races 1 1/16 miles on Gulfstream’s all-weather Tapeta track. You’ll need to narrow this down if you hope to play an affordable ticket. The pick is #5 Cosmic Speculation who got claimed at this level last time when seemingly mismatched in a five-furlong sprint. Now he stretches back out for the new connections, and he scored a wire-to-wire win when last entered in a two-turn Gulfstream all-weather route at this claiming level three races ago. The next-best contender is #4 Light Fury, a seven-time winner on Gulfstream’s all-weather track that has been claimed at this tag in all three of his recent races. His last race was not his best, but he can beat these with an outing similar to his efforts from two and three races ago.

Sunset Pick 6 Play: The win bet is #5 Cosmic Speculation (9-2). We’ll also use #4 Light Fury (7-2) in the Pick 6.

Gulfstream Park, Race 11, $40,000 starter optional claiming, post time 6:11 p.m. ET

Gulfstream’s finale on Saturday is this one-mile turf race that has drawn a 10-horse field. Let’s try to stay alive in the Pick 6 with three horses starting with the top pick, #3 Shrug, who outran long odds with back-to-back competitive third-place finishes in his last two outings which were turf stakes races at Monmouth Park. He should find this competition much more to his liking. #10 Mister Abarrio comes in off back-to-back turf wins at Colonial Downs and returns to Gulfstream for Saffie Joseph Jr. after showing good form on this turf course back in April and May. The third major contender is #1 Hot Blooded, who will be very difficult to leave off your Pick 6 tickets based on his big come-from-behind win at Gulfstream last time in his only recent race.

Sunset Pick 6 Play: The pick is #3 Shrug (5-2) but in the Pick 6 we will also use #1 Hot Blooded (8-1), and #10 Mister Abarrio (8-1).

Santa Anita Park, Race 8, $200,000 Rodeo Drive Stakes, post time 7:38 p.m. ET

The Grade 2 Rodeo Drive Stakes has drawn a competitive eight-horse field set to run 1 ¼ miles on the turf and it’s a difficult race to narrow down to just a few contenders so you should try to use as many horses as possible to lock-up the race in the Sunset Pick 6. #7 Amber Cascade ships to California for trainer Mike Maker and has been knocking on the door since switching to the turf with back-to-back seconds including last time in Saratoga’s Grade 2 Flower Bowl Stakes. She’s got a good chance to get over the hump. #4 Long Ago is another contender and gets Mike Smith aboard. She exits a loss in the Flower Bowl but shortens up in distance from her last two races and seems to fit perfectly at this 1 ¼-mile test, which is probably why she’s here. #5 Mission of Joy has been competitive at the Grade 1 level in her career at ages 3 and 4 and she exits her best race of her 5-year-old season so far when she was third last time in Del Mar’s John C. Mabee Stakes where she was finishing fastest at 1 1/8 miles.

Sunset Pick 6 Play: The pick in the race is #7 Amber Cascade (5-2) and she is one of three horses in this field to include in your Sunset Pick 6 tickets along with #4 Long Ago (3-1) and #5 Mission of Joy (6-1).

Santa Anita Park, Race 9, $200,000 Oak Leaf Stakes presented by Oak Tree Racing Association, post time 8:08 p.m. ET

The fifth leg of the Sunset Pick 6 will be the Grade 2 Oak Leaf Stakes with a field of six 2-year-old fillies hoping to punch their tickets to the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Oct. 31. There are not a lot of “single” opportunities in the other races in Saturday’s Sunset Pick 6 sequence, so this race is going to be it. #6 Explora is the heavy favorite for trainer Bob Baffert and comes into this race off a big maiden win two races ago and a second-place finish by a length last time in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante Stakes going seven furlongs. Can she get the 1 1/16-mile distance in this race? She’s unproven going long, it’s true, but so is every horse in this field. Based on the ability Explora has shown so far, she has a chance to stand tall against this group.

Sunset Pick 6 Play: The pick in the race is #6 Explora (4-5), and for our tickets she is a single in the Sunset Pick 6.

Santa Anita Park, Race 10, $100,000 Speakeasy Stakes, post time 8:38 p.m. ET

The Speakeasy Stakes is a five-furlong turf sprint that has drawn a 13-horse field. #2 Twilight Delight has been based at Keeneland and is cross-entered in an extraordinarily tough turf stakes at that track on Sunday, but honestly his chances of winning would be far greater here. He opened his career with a fast wire-to-wire 5 ½-furlong turf sprint win at Ellis Park and then ran fourth at Kentucky Downs last time in the $946,000 Juvenile Sprint Stakes where he faded late at a longer distance. This five-furlong spot suits him better. If Twilight Delight doesn’t show up, the horse to beat will be #6 Ventry Strand, who looked exceptionally talented in his career debut win last time out when he bobbled at the break but then weaved through traffic from near the rear of a 10-horse field to get up in time to win at this five-furlong distance. That’s a difficult off-the-pace feat for any horse to pull off in a short turf dash, let alone for a first-time starter. #11 Brigante was unsuccessful in very tough dirt stakes spot at Del Mar but has a good second-place debut in a key turf sprint maiden race back in June to his credit and returns to a turf sprint for the first time since then.

Sunset Pick 6 Play: The pick in the race is #2 Twilight Delight (3-1) if he makes the trip to California; if not, bet #6 Ventry Strand (9-2) to win. Use both of those in the Sunset Pick 6 anchor leg along with #11 Brigante (8-1).

Sunset Pick 6 ticket ($162 budget):

4,5,7 with 4,5 with 1,3,10 with 4,5,7 with 6 with 2,6,11 (3 x 2 x 3 x 3 x 1 x 3) x $1 = $162

Note: The cost of this ticket drops to $108 if #2 scratches out of Santa Anita race 10.