Santa Anita Race 1: Post: 12:30 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 2-Molly Jensen; 6-Prime and Ready
Backups: none.
Forecast: Molly Jensen exits an infinitely tougher restricted straight maiden race in her debut last fall and should be far more competitive in this maiden $50,000 event for a barn that has strong stats with the second time starter angle. After flashing good speed for a half, she gradually faded to win up beaten almost 15 lengths, but the first three finishers in that race would be 1/5 against this group. If this M. Glatt-trained daughter of Ghostzapper can run at all, this would be a good place to show it. Prime and Ready also surfaces in a seller after three previous outings and should improve, but her most recent start (at Los Alamitos) was her worst, so the confidence factor is low. However, a bullet recent workout at Los Alamitos (:47 2/5) is promising, plus the addition of Lasix and F. Prat are there for all to see, so it would hardly be surprising if she went favored. Tread lightly.
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Santa Anita Race 2: Post: 1:00 PT Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 3-Bet the Chalk; 1-In Without Knockin.
Backups: 5-Mineral Rights; 2-Your Royal Flyness.
Forecast: Here’s a race carded for bottom rung Pleasanton invaders that attracted a field of only five. Bet the Chalk has figures that fit and his career spans just four starts, so he probably has more upside than the others. He lacks tactical speed, but a repeat of his maiden $8,000 win two races back probably will be sufficient. In Without Knockin is a beaten favorite is three of his last five starts, so he’s hardly one to trust, but he’ll be running on late and is guaranteed a ground-saving trip from his rail draw for a high percentage outfit. Small ticket players may try to get by using just these two, but the backups listed above are not without chance in a weak affair.
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Santa Anita Race 3: Post: 1:30 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: 3-Cowboy Mike
Backups: none.
Forecast: Cowboy Mike should be a slam dunk in this starter optional claimer, but if it isn’t him, any one of three could win and in a five runner affair and it makes no fiscal sense to spread that deeply. So, we’ll sink or swim with the Bob Baffert-trained gelding. The son of Smiling Tiger, freshened since September and looking his usual sharp self in recent workouts, turns back from a series of two turn events and should have the proper stalking style for this seven furlong trip. Strong in the speed figure department and reuniting with “win rider” J. Hernandez, he exits a pair of tougher Los Alamitos stakes events and qualifies for this condition after having raced once for $32,000 over this track last March (an easy six length romp). He’s 6/5 on the morning line and looks it on paper.
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Santa Anita Race 4: Post: 2:00 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 3-Cheeky Gal; 5-Stellar Cap; 6-Sharp Ride.
Backups: 1-Isabel Ludlow.
Forecast: Cheeky Gal should be too quick for this restricted (nw-3) $20,000 claiming group of fillies and mares, though you may have to sweat out that final sixteenth of a mile after she cleared and then surrendered in the late stages in her most recent outing at Los Alamitos. The moderate early splits that are projected for this race may make the winning difference. Stellar Cap won gamely here last month and today’s raise in class may be offset by the switch to F. Prat. She’s not as fast on numbers as our top pick but that’s assuming ‘Gal fires her best shot. Sharp Ride is a dangerous class dropper with two wins from four starts over the local main track. She’s the best of the closers and is a “must use” in you rolling exotics.
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Santa Anita Race 5: Post: 2:30 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 6-Thirty Four Coup.
Backups: 1-Anitanewmercedes; 5-Aurelian Man; 7-Bee Catcher.
Forecast: Thirty Four Coup earned a career top speed figure when a strong runner-up in his most recent outing over the Del Mar lawn couple of months ago and returns fresh and dangerous while switching to F. Prat. He’s probably most effective as the controlling speed but may be reduced to a stalk-and-pounce role today with other front running types drawn inside him. The S. Miyadi-trained gelding isn’t entirely trustworthy, but this is a field he really should beat.
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Santa Anita Race 6: Post: 3:02 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 7 Attracted; 5-Victoria’s Charge
Backups: 1-Rousing Jewel.
Forecast: Attracted won her first two career starts stylishly up north and produced an 11 point hike in speed figures. She’s a progressive sort that appears capable of extending her perfect streak to three in this first level allowance six furlong main track dash, but a slight concern is that she failed to change leads in both of those victories, and we wonder if her failure to do so again will impact her performance against these tougher rivals. She’s listed at 9/5 on the morning line, and we wouldn’t want to take anything lower than that. Victoria’s Charge finished a solid runner-up to our top pick two runs back but then caved in badly when 6/5 in her most recent outing up north. She’s been first or second in six of 11 starts and gets F. Prat, so she should be capable of bouncing back.
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Santa Anita Race 7: Post: 3:34 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 2-Stop Digging; 3-Smiling Lady.
Backups: 4-Nothing Is Forever.
Forecast: Stop Digging has burned money as the chalk in each of her last three starts, and has settled for second in six of nine career outings, so she’s hardly one to trust, but she’s drawn nicely inside and can easily draft into an ideal second flight, ground-saving position and have every chance from there. Her speed figures are solid for the level and she’s stretching out again to what might be her preferred distance. Smiling Lady remains protected after being claimed for $20,000 two races back. She’s clearly a committed front runner and if left alone early could take this field a very long way.
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Santa Anita Race 8: Post: 4:06 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: 5-Kid Azteca: 2-Player B
Backups: none.
Forecast: Kid Azteca drops for the money run in this restricted (nw-3) $30,000 claimer. In the frame in seven of 12 career outings over the local lawn (with three victories), the P. Miller-trained gelding shows the route-to-sprint angle we like and projects to settle in the second flight and then blast home. It’s been awhile since he’s won, but his numbers are solid, his pattern is sound, and this extended sprint distance appears ideal. Player B already is making his third start in the young meeting and is in good form. Second in a tougher-than-par $25,000 turf dash on New Year’s Day, the D. O’Neill-trained son of American Pharoah projects to be on or near the lead throughout in race that is likely to have soft early splits. He’s been first or second in six of 10 career starts over the Santa Anita lawn, so we know he likes the course.
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