Santa Anita Race 1: Post: 11:30 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 9-Day Dawning; 5-Holly Goquickly.
Backups: Fire Ban.
Forecast: Tough opener. Day Dawning has a few angles in her chart that catch the eye, so we’ll lean on her as the top pick despite her poor outside draw. She shows the straight maiden to maiden claiming class drop, adds blinkers, switches to Frankie, and has better than par speed figures for this maiden $50,000 affair. We suspect she’ll flash early speed against this group and if she can get over and make the running – or at least settle into a stalking position = the J. Thomas-trained daughter of Classic Empire should be quite dangerous in a grass grab bag. Holly Goquickly also makes her first start for a tag, adds blinkers, and picks up F. Prat. She’s slower on numbers than our top pick and hasn’t shown any real style yet (no early speed, no real punch) but against this group we’ll be surprised if she doesn’t produce a forward move. We’ll double the race on the top line and hope to survive and advance while not really getting too involved.
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Santa Anita Race 2: Post: 12:02 PT Grade: X
Main Ticket: 6-Grubaur.
Backups: none.
Forecast: Pleasanton invader Grubauer finds a soft first level allowance sprint restricted to Bay area shippers and looks like an odds-on favorite on paper. Not only is he fast enough on numbers to beat this field, but he’s displayed the versatility in his six race career that produced three wins by either by withstanding heat on the front end or settling in the second flight before taking control late. From a high percentage outfit and under his regular NorCal jockey, the son of Frosted won’t offer any value on the tote but can be used as short-priced rolling exotic single.
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Santa Anita Race 3: Post: 12:33 PT Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 5-Sugar Beets; 1-Fantastic Dream; 3-Beskar.
Backups: 9-Lord Wimborne
Forecast: Bottom-rung platers from Northern California traverse a mile in this modest affair that requires a spread in rolling exotic play. Sugar Beets is an old pro with eight career wins and reasonably consistent recent speed figures. He’s pretty much a grinder type at this stage of his career, so it would behoove his connections to have him within striking range of the lead from the get-go. Fantastic Dream is another that lacks a solid closing kick but from his inside draw the veteran gelding could draft into a ground-saving, stalking trip and have every chance from there. He hit the board in eight of 12 starts in 2024 with three wins, so he’s a trier, at the very least. Beskar was a troubled third at Pleasanton last month with a career top speed figure that if repeated today makes him competitive.
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Santa Anita Race 4: Post: 1:03 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 5-Tamino; 7-Freedom’s Not Free; 8-Unbreakable Trust.
Backups: 3-Flaubert.
Forecast: Tamino has done some decent work in the morning leading up to his debut, and while we doubt he’s any kind of world beater the son of Candy Ride won’t have to be in this six furlong grass dash for juvenile that came up fairly light. The R. Mandella-trained colt lands F. Prat and based on video of his morning drills might be quick enough to be on or near the lead throughout. Freedom’s Not Free shows the route to sprint angle and didn’t run badly going short in his debut when a distant third behind the good colt Bullard. He may be the best of those with a prior outing and as a son of Omaha Beach, he should be able to handle the switch to grass. Unbreakable Trust earned a solid figure when a close fourth over this course and distance two races back. He’ll be running on late and could at least get a piece of it.
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Santa Anita Race 5: Post: 1:34 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 5-Over Attracted; 1-Wishtheyallcouldbe.
Backups:7-Safa.
Forecast: Over Attracted gets a very slight edge on top while recognizing that her lack of gate speed may put her at a bit of a disadvantage. She has a prior win over the local main track and numbers that fit, plus an extremely positive jockey switch to F. Prat, so perhaps she’ll produce a winning late kick, but given the projected pace flow her main rival Wishtheyallcouldbe could be hard to run down. A thoroughly genuine and consistent sprinter, the daughter of Grazen has hit the board in seven of eight career starts over the local dirt strip (with three wins) and with little speed signed on other than the long layoff longshot Dolce Ghost, the H. Palma-trained mare has much in her favor. Safa has a good look as well but for economic purposes we’ll use her only in a backup role.
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Santa Anita Race 6: Post: 2:05 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: 10-Unique Power; 5-Springs; 6-Supersonic Blue.
Backups: 3-Cajun Gold; 2-Toughness.
Forecast: Unique Power (Into Mischief x Unique Bella) finished a well-beaten fourth behind subsequent BC Juvenile S.-G1 winner Citizen Bull in his debut last summer at Del Mar but has trained like a better type now and could produce a major forward move despite his outside draw and the change to grass. He’s a quick-actioned colt switching to Frankie and adding Lasix. Bred like he is, this is a maiden field he should be able to outrun. Springs had nothing but trouble in a promising turf debut over five furlongs at Del Mar in mid-November and like our top pick has every right to step forward. The son of Outwork broke slowly, ran into a roadblock on turn, then finished eagerly when clear to wind up a much-better-than-looked fourth. He gets Lasix, blinkers, and extra furlong to work with and if in fact he proves to be most effective as a late-running sprinter there should be enough pace to aid his cause. Supersonic Blue stayed on nicely when a solid runner-up in his debut for a barn that hardly ever wins with a first timer, so improvement is quite likely for him, as well. The son of Air Force One gelding gets a better draw today and projects to settle in the second flight and have his chance in the closing stages.
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Santa Anita Race 7: Post: 2:36 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: 5-Look Forward; 3-A. Z. Wildcat.
Backups: 7-Silent Law.
Forecast: Look Forward (pictured) laid her body down when second (nine lengths clear of the rest) behind the much more experienced Tenma in the Starlet S.-G2 two turning at Los Alamitos in just her second career start and if that effort didn’t sap her strength she certainly should have the class and quality win this year’s edition of the seven furlong Santa Ynez S. for sophomore fillies. However, she’s being wheeled back in just 22 days ago, and this relatively quick turnaround does her no favors. A. Z. Wildcat was highly impressive breaking her maiden at first asking last summer at Los Alamitos but then came up with some issues and had to be stopped on. She has trained like she’s fit and ready for her comeback and appears to be a filly with enormous raw talent and potential. She lands F. Prat and could easily be this good. There are others in the field with credentials – including the speedy Silent Law, who we’ll use as a backup - but the two on the top line will receive the bulk of our action.
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Santa Anita Race 8: Post: 3:07 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: 4-Sareeha
Backups: 1-Real Fire; 2-Royal Charter (GB).
Forecast: Sareeha, first or second in 17 of 25 career starts, always gives her best and her best should be good enough to return her to the winner’s circle in this second level allowance turf miler for fillies and mares. Tough to catch when she makes the lead and just as dangerous when she settles into a stalker’s role, the Irish-bred mare won from a slightly lesser field at this distance at Del Mar in November and shows three nice breezes in the interim to tick her over for the high percentage M. Glatt barn. There are a couple of other front-running types in the field, so F. Prat can opt for whatever strategy he prefers before the field hits the clubhouse turn.
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Santa Anita Race 9: Post: 3:40 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 13-Red On Sunday
Backups: 12-Constant Conflict; 9-Running Tiger; 11-Teeddy’s Triumph.
Forecast: This restricted (nw-2) $16,000 claiming sprint is loaded with suspect speed, so preference goes to Red On Sunday, drawn nicely outside and with the ability to stalk, pounce, and go if his connections commit to such a strategy. The Smiling Tiger gelding is a first-off-the-claim play for S. Knapp, retains bug boy S. Carmona, and looks capable of regaining his winning form with the type of trip he seems to prefer. Two runs back over the local main track the four year old gelding was always within range to the head or the lane before responding in the drive to win going away with a career top number, one that should be good enough to beat this group if repeated. We’ll protect with three logical backups just in case.
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Santa Anita Race 10: Post: 4:14 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: Dealers Special
Backups: none.
Forecast: Dealers Special found five furlongs too sharp when finishing eighth (beaten less than four lengths) against similar entry level allowance opposition but today he stretches out again to a much more favorable trip and looks solid with anything close to his best race. The R. Baltas-trained gelding has recent numbers that make him strictly the one to beat and his effective second flight, stalking style should have him where he needs to be when the field hits the head of the lane. It’s a fairly deep and competitive full field for the level, but he’ll be a playable number at or near his morning line of 3-1.
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