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 features a low 15% takeout and will be comprised of the final three races from both Santa Anita Park and Gulfstream Park 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. 11, 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 5 Strategy for Saturday, Oct. 11

Gulfstream Park, Race 9, $27,000 claiming race, post time 5:07 p.m. ET

Learn more about the Sunset Pick 6

Saturday’s Sunset Pick 6 begins with this claiming race that has drawn a nine-horse field ready to go 1 mile and 70 yards on Gulfstream’s all-weather surface. Let’s begin the sequence by using two horses on our tickets in this race starting with the top pick, #5 Bet Stormy, who already owns two route wins on this surface so far this year and exits a solid third-place finish last time when she lost by a length. We’ll see if the form holds up for a new trainer off the claim. If not, the other horse in the field with the best chance is #1 Sals Dream Girl, who finished second in a similar race last time out after breaking from the far outside in an 11-horse field. She won on this track and at this class level three races ago.

Sunset Pick 6 Play: The pick is #5 Bet Stormy (5-2) to win. Start your Pick 6 with two horses in this race also including #1 Sals Dream Girl (3-1).

Gulfstream Park, Race 10, $43,000 allowance optional claiming, post time 5:38 p.m. ET

Florida-bred allowance optional claiming horses are set to race seven furlongs in the second leg of the Sunset Pick 6 and this race gives us our best chance to play a single, so let’s go for it. #3 Lou the Body is the horse to beat and seems to lay over the competition in this race despite his loss last time which brought his four-race winning streak to an end. He finished a competitive second even in defeat in a race where he faded late at one mile, but his recent victories included two races at Saturday’s seven-furlong distance which looks like is squarely in his wheelhouse.

Sunset Pick 6 Play: We’ll play a single in the Sunset Pick 6 with our pick in the race, #3 Lou the Body (3-1).

Gulfstream Park, Race 11, $29,000 maiden claiming, post time 6:11 p.m. ET

The Gulfstream portion of Saturday’s Sunset Pick 6 finishes with this turf mile for maiden claimers that has drawn a nine-horse field. The horse with the most upside is #6 Reproche from high-profile trainer Todd Pletcher with Edgard Zayas aboard. Reproche rebooted his career last time after a nine-month break and should benefit from that return race where he stretched his legs for a mid-pack finish on Gulfstream’s all-weather Tapeta track. He should be able to handle this switch to the turf, and looms large over this competition if he does. If not, the horse in the field with the most established turf form is #4 Six Fortyfive, who exits a very solid second-place turf route effort at this level last time when he just missed winning the race by a neck after fading a bit late in the race at a longer distance. He fits just right here in this one-mile assignment.

Sunset Pick 6 Play: The pick is #6 Reproche (7-2), and we will also use #4 Six Fortyfive (3-1) in the Pick 6.

Santa Anita Park, Race 7, $100,000 California Flag Handicap presented by City National Bank, post time 7:08 p.m. ET

The fourth leg of the Sunset Pick 6 starts the Santa Anita portion of the bet with the California Flag Handicap. An eight-horse field of turf sprinters is ready to run 6 ½ furlongs down the hill and #2 Lovesick Blues looks good after posting the biggest win of his career last time when he switched to the dirt and scored an upset in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Stakes. All of the other races this year for Lovesick Blues were on the turf, including a win three races ago in Santa Anita’s $98,000 Siren Lure Stakes. A repeat of any of his 2025 efforts should make him the horse to beat against this field. The biggest threat amongst the challengers will come from #6 Man O Rose, who also switches from dirt to turf after returning from a layoff last time with a one-mile dirt win in the $75,000 E. B. Johnston Stakes at Los Alamitos, which raised his career win tally to eight victories in 15 lifetime starts. Three of his wins have come on the grass including when he earned a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure in a Santa Anita turf sprint last year.

Sunset Pick 6 Play: The pick in the race is #2 Lovesick Blues (5-2) and you can use him on your Pick 6 tickets along with #6 Man O Rose (7-2).

Santa Anita Park, Race 8, $33,000 maiden claiming, post time 7:38 p.m. ET

The fifth leg of Saturday’s Sunset Pick 6 is a Cal-bred maiden claiming race for 2-year-old fillies going 5 ½ furlongs on the dirt. #4 Blame It On Abby has finished in the money in two of three dirt sprints so far in her career and now takes the big drop from the maiden special weight level down vs. maiden claimers. The maiden class drop angle is a 30% winning move for trainer Peter Miller who has won with six of his last 20. Blame It On Abby has found a winnable spot but is not the only contender in this race. #7 Final Table Lady is another speedy class dropper who can get the lead vs. these and has a better chance to hold on at 5 ½ furlongs at this level than she did last time at six furlongs against tougher. #1 Kiss Me Coco is an example of how the drop from maiden special weights to maiden claimers can bring immediate results as she rallied for second at this level last time when finishing ahead of a couple of these same rivals.

Sunset Pick 6 Play: The pick in the race is #4 Blame It On Abby (4-1), and we’ll also use #1 Kiss Me Coco and #7 Final Table Lady in the Sunset Pick 6.

Santa Anita Park, Race 9, $63,000 allowance optional claiming, post time 8:08 p.m. ET

The final and deciding leg in Saturday’s Sunset Pick 6 will be this allowance optional claiming race that has drawn a 10-horse field set to race 1 1/8 miles on the turf. This is a wide-open race so you’ll probably want to cover as many horses as you can afford. Let’s start with #2 Aligato who runs well fresh and came back from a long layoff last time with a solid second-place stakes finish at Del Mar. He’s a late runner that should benefit from getting some more distance to work with. #6 City Exile is in the opposite position as a horse that should benefit from a shorter distance after tiring last time going two furlongs further at 1 3/8 miles in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap Presented by the Japan Racing Association. Now he drops in class to a more winnable spot. The last time City Exile raced at this level two starts ago he didn’t miss by much with a solid second-place finish and a good speed figure. The final contender we’ll use to round out the Pick 6 will be #5 Lammas, who is a 13-time winner in his career that posted a victory at this same class level three races ago. He exits a competitive effort in a loss last time out at a higher class level and a more demanding distance but has a very good chance to rebound in this more suitable race.

Sunset Pick 6 Play: The pick in the race is #2 Aligato (8-1). Go ahead and use a total of three horses in the Sunset Pick 6 anchor leg along with #5 Lammas (6-1) and #6 City Exile (7-2).

Sunset Pick 6 ticket ($72 budget):

1,5 with 3 with 4,6 with 2,6 with 1,4,7 with 2,5,6 (2 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 3) x $1 = $72