Santa Anita Race 1: Post: 11:30 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 4-Baldoro; 5-Hot Legs Romolo.
Backups: 6-Cupid’s Crusader; 3-Anreadytorumble.
Forecast: This restricted (nw-2) $25,000 claimer over nine furlongs on grass most likely will offer soft early splits, so the race flow should favor Baldoro and Hot Legs Romolo, both of whom project to be forwardly placed throughout. The former takes a drop in class from tougher starter’s allowance company, has the edge in the speed figure department, and makes a major switch to J. Hernandez, while ‘Romolo, now in the D. O’Neill stable, picks up Frankie and earned a career top number when a narrowly beaten runner-up over this course and distance at this level last fall. He returns with a healthy recent work tab to have him fit and ready. These two will receive the bulk of the play in our rolling exotics.
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Santa Anita Race 2: Post: 12:01 PT Grade: X
Main Ticket: 1-Rodriguez
Backups: none.
Forecast: Rodriguez ran quite well in his debut when second sprinting to stablemate Romanesque while finishing more than nine lengths clear of the rest, has returned to breeze extremely well, and seems certain to step forward in this maiden main track miler for sophomores that sets him up perfectly as the controlling speed from the rail. Simply put, with the switch to J. Hernandez, the B. Baffert-trained son of Authentic should have no excuses at a short price. We’ll make him a rolling exotic single and then move on.
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Santa Anita Race 3: Post: 12:32 PT Grade: C
Main Ticket: 2-Duran; 5-Be Punctual; 7-Light the Beam.
Backups: none.
Forecast: We’ll go three deep in the third race, a restricted (nw-2) $16,000 seller over a mile for older horses. None of these are trustworthy, so we’ll tread lightly and simply hope that we can survive and advance with one of them. Duran has back numbers that can win but his lack of tactical speed makes him hard to count on. The good news is that his dirt track form has produced better figures, so this return to the main track and the drop to his lowest level ever could wake him up. Be Punctual is re-equipped with blinkers and projects to be prominent throughout in a race without much zip. He lacks acceleration, so the closer to the pace he can be, the better chance he has. Light the Beamis a Pleasanton shipper with competitive figures, so we’ll toss him in. His best race was his only try two turning on dirt two runs back and a repeat of that outing puts him squarely in the hunt.
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Santa Anita Race 4: Post: 1:02 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: 1-Annie’s Joy; 6-Tirupati; 2-Starts Now.
Backups: 7- Katerini.
Forecast: Annie’s Joy was no match when a sharp runner-up for loose-on-the-lead Rashmi – who returned to finish an excellent fourth in the infinitely tougher American Oaks-G1 – and has nothing even remotely that good to worry about today in this starter’s allowance turf miler for fillies and mares. Solid on numbers and with the benefit of her rail draw that ensures a ground-saving, pace pressing trip, the M. Glatt-trained daughter of Kitten’s Joy shows a healthy work pattern and looks primed for a career top effort. She’s won over this course and distance and M. Smith knows her well. Tirupati was out of her element in the Matriarch S.-G1 in her first local outing after being claimed for $50,000 two runs back at Woodbine but certainly isn’t today. She’ll be on or near the lead throughout, and if she can shake loose early without pressure she could take this field a long way. New York invader Starts Now joins the R. Baltas barn fresh from a stalk-the-leader win with a career top mark at Aqueduct in mid-November, a race that charts quite well this level on this circuit. With J. Hernandez picking up the mount, she’ll get plenty or play and deservedly so.
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Santa Anita Race 5: Post: 1:33 PT Grade: X
Main Ticket: 5-Bullard; 2-Barnes.
Backups: none.
Forecast: Bullard is the proven stakes winner but the hype surrounding Barnes may be justified, so we’ll use both on the top line in our rolling exotics without trying to separate them. The former should trail early and blast home, while the latter seems likely to find himself up front pressing a pace that may turn out to be softer than projected. The $3.2 million purchase made some mistakes but still managed to win at first asking in Kentucky with a sharp number and could improve a ton with that bit of experience behind him. It’s a tough call, so we’ll pass the race and just enjoy the show.
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Santa Anita Race 6: Post: 2:04 PT Grade: X
Main Ticket: 9-Miso Phansy
Backups: none,
Forecast: Unless one of the first timers are better than decent – and quite frankly we’re not particularly enamored with any of them – Miso Phansy should graduate at second asking as a logical rolling exotic single. The well regarded daughter of Karakontie tipped her hand when narrowly missing over five furlongs on grass in a similar maiden special weight dash for fillies and can only improve with that outing behind her and with today’s extra furlong to work with. She makes a positive jockey switch to U. Rispoli, shows four easy breezes in the interim to tick her over, and at 6/5 on the morning line projects to be a very short price.
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Santa Anita Race 7: Post: 2:36 PT Grade: X
Main Ticket: Eagles Flight
Backups: none.
Forecast: Flightline’s half-brother Eagles Flight won like a terrific prospect in his debut here last May but then was forced to the sidelines. A return to the Malibu S.-G1 was being talked about but this is the more reasonable path of less resistance for a colt that that could develop into a major stakes performer as he develops through his four year old season. We’re not quite sure what affect the addition of blinkers will have and these more seasoned rivals might prove to be a bit of a challenge in the stretch out to a mile, but his last two breezes have been spectacular, so we’re going to assume the J. Sadler-trained colt will return as well as he left. Is he worth any kind of gamble on the tote at even money? Probably not, but you can use him as a rolling exotic single or simply pass the race.
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Santa Anita Race 8: Post: 3:07 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: 1-Double Jab; 4-Refocus; 6-Afternoon Nap; 13-Jetavator.
Backups: 8-Piper’s Causeway.
Forecast: Double Jab is racing in good form and is clearly the one to beat in this turf sprint for first level allowance older runners. He actually registered a clever score over the local lawn two runs back but was disqualified, then earned a career top number when narrowly missing in a five furlong dash against a similar field at Del Mar in late November. A repeat of either one of those performance today should be good enough, especially if he can avoid getting shuffled back from the rail. Refocus, a fast-finishing third in the same race our top pick exits, gets an extra furlong to work with today and has run well over the local lawn (with a prior win) in the past. With good racing luck, he’ll definitely be heard from late. Afternoon Nap is lightly raced with room to improve and retains J. Hernandez while returning to his preferred surface. He projects to enjoy an ideal second flight stalking journey. We’ll include course specialist Jetavator on the ticket as well if he’s lucky enough to draw into the race off the also eligible list at scratch time on race day morning.
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Santa Anita Race 9: Post: 3:40 PT Grade: X
Main Ticket: 6-Pleasant; 3-Richi (Chi).
Backups: none.
Forecast: Pleasant may be the more accomplished of the two based on her powerful third place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint-G1 in her most recent outing, but don’t underestimate stablemate Richie (Chi), who was top class in her native Chile in 2003 and displayed plenty of talent in her U.S. debut (and in her only 2024 outing) when second in the Desert Stormer S. over this track and distance last summer. Her recent workouts while gearing up for this year’s renewal of the Las Flores S.-G3 have been nothing short of spectacular. Much like the San Vicente S.-G3 earlier in the today’s program, we’ll double the race with the two logical contenders in rolling exotic play but otherwise sit it out.
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Santa Anita Race 10: Post: 4:14 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: 5-Call Me Harry; 11-El Potente.
Backups: 8-Eye On Rye; 1-Siennois (Ire); 2-Sarwar.
Forecast: The nightcap is a competitive and challenging turf miler for second level allowance older horses with a number of possibilities to consider. New York shipper Call Me Harry is a veteran gelding with recent form and speed figures that make him a major player on this circuit and perhaps a reasonable gamble at 7/2 on the morning line. The son of Street Sense employs a good stalking style that should keep him free of trouble. The logical top pick, El Potente, might be most effective on the front end, but he has won from a stalking position, too, and truly qualifies as a horse-for-course with three wins and a third from five starts over the local lawn. Consistently fast on speed figures, he may have to drop over and settle in the second flight with plenty of speed drawn inside but regular pilot H. Berrios knows him well and should be able to assess the race flow and pick a spot. Smaller ticket players may try to get by using just these two, but we have three suggested backups listed above in case your budget allows.
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