Specifically designed for the rolling exotic player, Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” isolates those horses that should be included in daily doubles, pick-3s, pick-4s, pick-5s, and the pick-6.
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Grade Descriptions: Grade A=Highest degree of confidence; Grade B=Solid Play. Grade C=Least preferred or pass; Grade X=probable winner but likely at odds too short to play.
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Santa Anita Race 1: Post: 1:00 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: 6-Queen Bay
Backups: 5-Copper Luna.
Forecast: Queen Bay, from the first crop of the brilliant Charlatan, breezed a furlong in :10 flat at the OBS March sale and looked terrific doing it, after which she brought $350,000 through the ring. She’s definitely acts like a win-early type and from her cozy outside draw should be capable of dominating from gate to wire. The S. Callaghan-trained juvenile is listed at 2-1 on the morning line but we suspect she’ll go quite a bit lower.
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Santa Anita Race 2: Post: 1:30 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: 2-Auditory.
Backups: 4-Rose of Jericho.
Forecast: Auditory crushed an outclassed $5,000 claiming field by more than seven lengths earlier this month, was promptly claimed, and is wheeled back by her new connections protected in this starter’s allowance dash for fillies and mares. Based strictly on speed figures the A. Harris-trained filly looks very much like a repeat winner.
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Santa Anita Race 3: Post: 1:59 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: 2-Baldoro; 1-Kawazaki (Ire).
Backups: 3-Smooth Salute.
Forecast: Baldoro, just missed at this level in his first start since being claimed by L. Powell and a similar performance today should be good enough for a win. In the frame in nine of 11 career starts over the local lawn, this thoroughly genuine and consistent gelding is drawn nicely inside and can be tough on the front end or from a stalking position. In a five runner affair, the veteran gelding looks like the logical top pick. Kawazaki (Ire), a beaten choice in the same race our top pick exits, is another consistent sort who projects to have every chance from his favorable rail draw. His best puts him right there.
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Santa Anita Race 4: Post: 2:29 PT Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 2-Charmed Dream; 1-Cooling Off.
Backups: 5-Oscar Night.
Forecast: Charmed Dream, second in her last pair, is overdue for a win and may have found a field she can outrun in this low level maiden $12,500 claimer. This shortened trip of five and one half furlongs will be appreciated. Cooling Off got no play in her debut (35-1) but didn’t run badly after a slow start, closing some ground with interest but much too late. She adds Lasix today and seems likely to produce a forward move but needs to leave cleanly from the rail.
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Santa Anita Race 5: Post: 2:59 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: 5-La Ville Lumiere; 6-Cara Rose.
Backups: none.
Forecast: La Ville Lumiere ran a winning race in her debut but settled for second in a fast affair while well clear of the rest. She switches to grass today – the surface change shouldn’t be a problem – and appears ready to graduate at what surely will be a very short price. Cara Rose might be worth using on a ticket or two. A closing second in her debut, she has a right to step forward with that bit of experience behind her and her pedigree suggests she should be much more comfortable on grass. Numbers-wise, though, she has considerable ground to make up.
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Santa Anita Race 6: Post: 3:30 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 8-Pratchett; 6-Cupid’s Crusader.
Backups: none.
Forecast: Pratchett lands the cozy outside draw and projects to enjoy a soft pace stalking/pressing trip outside. His numbers are fast enough to win at this level and after a couple of months off should be primed to produce another forward move. Cupid’s Crusader is a one-paced grinder and may lack a winning punch, though he does have a few races in his chart that make him dangerous. We’ll include him on a few tickets while preferring Pratchett on top.
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Santa Anita Race 7: Post: 4:00 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 3-Zombo Bombo; 4-Magic Account.
Backups: 9-Havoc.
Forecast: Zombo Bombo won from a lesser field in game style earlier this month and did so with a strong, vastly improved speed figure. If he doesn’t go backwards today, the son of Munnings can handle this one level step up in class. Magic Account is a solid fit on numbers and shows a healthy wok tab for his first start since February. He could easily be a better type off the bench.
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Santa Anita Race 8: Post: 4:30 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: 6-Margarita Girl; 7-Sugar Hi.
Backups: 4-Wishtheyallcouldbe.
Forecast: Margarita Girl is a maiden who didn’t live up to expectations in a pair of outings last fall as a 2-year-old. She returns in an allowance race – not by choice but simply because she can’t get a maiden race to fill – and if she runs to her ability she can win despite being above her conditions. Sugar Hi won her debut at Saratoga back in 2023 but then went south. She has trained like she’s fit and ready for new trainer P. D’Amato so it wouldn’t be a surprise if she regains her best from for this red hot outfit. At 8-1 on the morning line, she’s a “must use.”
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Santa Anita Race 9: Post: 5:00 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: 1-Sexzie; 7-Inner Fury (Ire).
Backups: 4-Ready to Dare; 9-Nakota (Ire).
Forecast: Let’s try a gamble with Sexzie in this maiden $50,000 turf miler for older fillies and mares. With the classic two-sprints-and-a-stretch out pattern, the M. Glatt-trained daughter of McKinzie certainly can be the controlling speed from the rail if they want her to be, and if she can shake looks early without undue pressure she can take this field a very long way. She is listed at 6-1 on the morning line and is quite intriguing at that number. Inner Fury may be the most dangerous of the closers. She switches to A. Fresu, who may decide to take her back early and then produce one late kick.
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