Carryover Perks Up the Card

Besides enriching her connections and those who bet on her at 17-1, Ragin T Rex’s upset victory in the Manhattan Beach Stakes on Sunday proved beneficial in another way.

The third consecutive win by the daughter of Cat’s Career helped guarantee a pick-six carryover for today, so $200,095 awaits players this afternoon.

If not for the carryover, there would have been little to get excited about on the program except for the seventh race, a $62,000 allowance at 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

Nearly half of the nine entrants in the contest have won either a Grade I or a Group I race and four others have won a graded stakes of some kind.

Riviera, who won the Grade I Atto Mile at Woodbine in 2000, is the likely favorite. After losing twice down the hill at Santa Anita, a course he has adored in the past, the 8-year-old son of Kris rebounded nicely when he moved to Hollywood Park.

After tracking the pace, Riviera and jockey Kent Desormeaux finished well and won by two lengths over Little Ghazi, who is in the field again today.

Besides Riviera, the other horses with a Grade I or Group I victory are Straight Flush, who won two Group I races in his native Brazil; Tapatio, who won the Group I Gran Premio Nacional in Argentina, and Big Board, who won the Group I Gran Premio San Isidro in Argentina.

Race of the day: The fifth is a good allowance sprint (6 1/2 furlongs) that attracted nine fillies and mares.

Who’s hot: Doug O’Neill. The trainer has won with eight of 37 starters at Hollywood Park.

Who’s not: John Morrison. The New York-based trainer is 0 for 30 in 2002.

Exotically speaking: A pick three singling Nicky’s Intuition in the fifth, using Road Test, Chin Gone and Rasty in the sixth and Riviera, Dr. Park and Straight Flush in the seventh.

Winners: Previous day/meet total: 2/95. Money: Previous day/meet total: $8.40/$543. Total money bet: $604.