Photo:

Alex Evers / Eclipse Sportswire

The popular traditional $2 Pick 6 and several low-takeout wagers highlight what will be a comprehensive betting menu on offer for Santa Anita’s 90th year of world-class Thoroughbred racing, which begins with the winter Meet on Thursday, Dec. 26.

Santa Anita made several changes to its wagering menu including raising the minimum bet for the Pick Six and adding low-takeout wagers prior to the most recent Santa Anita autumn meet, which ended Oct. 27. Each remain in place for both the winter meet, which ends April 6, and the spring meet which runs from April 18 to June 15.

The return of the traditional $2 Pick 6, offered on the last six races each race day, remains extremely popular with horse players, offering exceptional value.  It will continue to pay out 70% of the total pool to tickets that have all six winners with the remaining 30% going to consolation payouts. If there are no tickets with six winners, 70% of the pool will then carry over to the next race day with the remainder paid out in consolations.

Santa Anita will again offer a $5 minimum late Daily Double, $3 late Pick 3 and $3 all-turf Pick 3, each of which has a player-friendly, low 15% takeout rate. The late Daily Double covers the final two races of the day, the late Pick 3 the final three races of the day and the all-turf Pick 3 will consist of the final three turf races on the card. Santa Anita will also continue to offer rolling $2 Daily Doubles and $1 Pick 3’s throughout each day’s card.

Big pools await horse players with the return of the late and early Pick 5.  The 50-cent Early Pick 5 with player-friendly 14% takeout saw an average pool size of $430,000, while the 50-cent Late Pick 5 pushed the average pool size above $500,000.

The $1 coast-to-coast Pick 5 also returns featuring the low 15% takeout rate. The coast-to-coast Pick 5, which combines races from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park, is offered every Saturday and Sunday through the end of the spring meet. Since its inception, the coast-to-coast Pick 5 has had an average payout of $13,000.

Santa Anita will also offer a $1 Super High 5 on the final race each day. The Super High 5 requires players to pick the first five finishers in a race in exact order. If there are no perfect tickets, the entire pool will carry over to the following day’s Super High 5.

The 10-cent superfecta will be offered on all races with a minimum of six runners, along with $1 exactas and 50-cent early and late Pick 4 wagers.