Santa Anita Race 1: Post: 12:00 PT Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 6-Bizzee Channel 1-Great King; 3-Mas Rapido (GB); 8-Time to Party.
Backups: 4-Moody Jim; 7-Megayacht.
Forecast: The Sunday opener is a grass grab bag requiring considerable coverage in rolling exotic play. Bizzee Channel is a senior citizen with nine career wins and performed well in his California debut when a close third in a similar $25,000 claimer over this course and distance last month. Frankie rides him back and should have the nine year old gelding in an ideal second flight, stalking position and then have every chance from the quarter pole home. Great King, beaten a neck in the same race ‘Channel exits, lands the good rail and is guaranteed an ideal ground-saving trip while close up throughout. The concern is he’s always preferred to run second or third (10 times) rather than win (three times) but still must be used on the top line. Mas Rapido (GB) stretches out again and drops to his lowest level ever. He’s a solid fit on numbers and shows three previous victories over the local lawn, making him a “must use” despite his lack of success at this one mile distance that indicates he’s more comfortable sprinting. Time to Party picks up F. Prat in his first start for P. Miller following a six month layoff while showing the always intriguing blinkers off angle. It’s entirely possible he’ll return a better type this time around.
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Santa Anita Race 2: Post: 12:30 PT Grade: C
Main Ticket: Beskar ; 6-Contrary Chieftain; 2-Midnight Metal
Backups: 8-Sugar Beets; 4-Hot Journey
Forecast: Here’s another tough race – a restricted (nw-4) $5,000 claimer - that demands a spread. Beskar shows a good runner-up outing over this track last month for this price tag that if repeated today might be sufficient. He’s solid on numbers and projects to draft into a second flight, stalking position. Contrary Chieftain was no factor against a much stronger $8,000 open field in late December but this Pleasanton-based shipper has back numbers that make him quite dangerous in this league. Midnight Metal has been away almost 18 months but if he returns as well as he left he’ll be a major player. These are the three we’ll put on the top line but feel free to go deeper if you feel the need.
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Santa Anita Race 3: Post: 12:59 PT Grade: X
Main Ticket: Tenma
Backups: none.
Forecast: Tenma was the Del Mar Debutante-G1 winner last summer but did so with a modest speed figure, then did little when a distant third (beaten 10 lengths) in the subsequent Oak Leaf S.-G2. At that stage we were ready to write her off, but in her most recent outing, a powerful score in the Starlet S.-G2 at Los Alamitos in December, she looked like the real deal. Subsequent breezes leading up to today’s Virgenes S.-G3 have been quite sharp, so we’re expecting the B. Baffert-trained daughter of Nyquist to justify her 3/5 morning line as a logical rolling exotic single in this field of five.
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Santa Anita Race 4: Post: 1:30 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: Starts Now; 5-Ms Brightside-Ire
Backups: none.
Forecast: The two fillies listed on our top line are tough to separate, so we’ll include both equally in our rolling exotics and pretty much expect the winner to be one or the other. Starts Now draws the coveted rail, retains top rider J. Hernandez, and is a genuine and consistent filly with numbers that are good enough to handle this starter’s allowance field. She’s likely to enjoy an ideal ground-saving trip and then have her chance when the pressure is turned on. Ms Brightside was a clever winner over this course and distance on New Year’s Day and remains protected while moving up to the non-winners of three starter level. The P. D’Amato-trained Irish-bred filly shows three nice recent breezes to tick her over and seems likely to produce another forward move.
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Santa Anita Race 5: Post: 2:00 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: 4-Brother o’ Brien; 3-Warrens World.
Backups: 10-Supermazel; 9-Hey Mate.
Forecast: In this split of the second race, Brother o’ Brien looks capable of snapping back after being overmatched in a much tougher starter’s allowance race here last week (beat one horse, always far back). This is a much more realistic spot, and the Pleasanton-based plater should greatly appreciate the class drop to his lowest level ever. Anything close to the numbers he was earning up north should make him hard to beat. Warren’s World has a big look, especially if our top pick fails to fire again. He stretches out after fading in a hot sprint and should find today’s pace projection much more to his liking. He wired the field going long two races back with a competitive number and similar front running strategy almost certainly will be employed today.
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Santa Anita Race 6: Post: 2:33 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: 5-Tamino; 4-Cajun Gold
Backups: 3-Broski (Ire); 7-Kakosan.
Forecast: 5-Tamino ran a winning race in defeat when a strong runner-up in his debut (well clear of the rest) over the local lawn last month against similar straight maiden 3-year-old rivals. F. Prat stays aboard the son of Candy Ride, who projects to be on or near the lead throughout and won’t likely have any issue with today’s extra half furlong. Cajun Gold is steadily improving and should fire another good shot, though on numbers he’s got some ground to make up compared to our top pick. Several of these have plenty of room to improve with experience, a change of surface, and/or distance, but we feel reasonably safe using just the two listed above on our top line while pressing with Tamino on top.
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Santa Anita Race 7: Post: 3:06 PT Grade: X
Main Ticket: Eagles Flight
Backups: 1-New King.
Forecast: Flightline’s half-brother Eagles Flight had a right to be a tad short in his comeback in his first start since last May, his first around two turns, and just his second career outing, so we’ll forgive him for weakening in the final furlong when winding up a distant second behind Big ‘Cap bound Mirahmadi in a fast, highly rated first level allowance main track miler last month. He’ll be much fitter today, so the son of Curlin should have no excuses, especially with the return of F. Prat, who rode him in his debut win. The workouts in the interim looks typically sharp, but at 4/5 on the morning line he’ll probably be too short to play other than as a no value rolling exotic single.
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Santa Anita Race 8: Post: 3:37 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: Man Among Men
Backups: 5-Sarwar; 2-Irish Prophet.
Forecast: We thought Man Among Men was on the verge of developing into a very nice horse after looking smart in an entry level allowance victory over the local lawn last year, but he subsequently finished off the board in a second level affair and then was turned out. The son of War Front returns with a series of impressive workouts that should have him plenty fit, so we’ll give him a reasonable chance to fulfill his potential this time around. The R. Mandella-trained six-year-old has run well fresh in the past, attracts F. Prat, and is worth a gamble in the win pool and in the various rolling exotics, though we’ll also have tickets on a two backups listed above for protection.
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Santa Anita Race 9: Post: 4:08 PT Grade: C
Main Ticket: 1-Just Deal; 12-Toppers At Seaside; 14-Matt Dillin.
Backups: 11-Chasin a Dollar.
Forecast: This $32,000 maiden claimer for sophomores looks extremely treacherous, so tread lightly or maybe even pass the race. Just DealTopper’s At Seaside has numbers that can win and may not need more than what he earned when second in a similar race as the favorite in early January. He’s already had six chances, though.Matt Dillin is stuck out in the 14-hole and has low profile connections, but his Laurel Park form was solid and earned figures that put him right there with this bunch. Toss him in.
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Santa Anita Race 10: Post: 4:39 PT Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 11-Piper’s Causeway; 10-Chromeflash; 6-Desert Rocket.
Backups: 1-Refocus; 3-Havoc; 8-Rodrigoknows.
Forecast: The finale is an inscrutable slalom event for state-bred first level allowance older horses. You should anticipate a cavalry charge from the dirt crossing to the wire. Piper’s Causeway has plenty of speed and should be prominent – or maybe even in front – for at least most of the way. Bred strictly for grass on both sides of his pedigree, the Los Alamitos-based sprinter has been victimized by blistering early heat in each of his three prior turf outings, so if catches a more favorable pace flow today he could stick around long enough to hang on. Chromeflash outran his odds (32-1) considerably when a narrow runner-up (beaten a half-length) against similar foes on the flat course last month. He was an even fifth in his only prior attempt down the Hillside Course but probably is a better type now. Desert Rocket just broke his maiden over a mile but shortens up, adds blinkers, and switches to F. Prat, all strong angles that could produce a significant forward move.
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