Racing returns to Santa Anita Park later this afternoon for the start of a 4-day racing week with a holiday card on Monday afternoon. Today’s card at the Great Race Place includes a $33k carryover in the Sunset Six. Remember, the Sunset Six consists of the last three races at both Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita Park, has a $1 minimum, 15% takeout rate, and is for retail players only. My colleague Frank Carulli has analysis of the sequence already up on the blog, but I included a potential contrarian single within my spot plays in Arcadia for the 8-race card that kicks off at 3:30 PM eastern/12:30 PM local time.
Race 4:
My first play of the day happens to kick off the first All-Turf Pick 3 of the week at Santa Anita Park and comes in this $50k maiden claimer over the grass where I like #1 Lorenzo Bernini. The son of Authentic makes his second start of the meet after battling early and tiring late in a similar spot on January 8. The George Papaprodromou trainee finds a spot this afternoon where he not only draws favorably along the inside on the stretch out to 9-furlongs, but also a group that lacks early zip. This should bode well for the 4YO gelding who attracts Florent Geroux with regular rider Umberto Rispoli sidelined due to injury. With a clean break, Lorenzo Bernini should have no issue taking them all the way on the engine.
Play: #1 Lorenzo Bernini (5-2 ML)
Race 5:
This open $10k claimer at 5.5-furlongs over the main track is one of the more attractive wagering events on the Friday slate. I landed on #11 Outrageous. The daughter of Mor Spirit makes her third start of the form cycle after chasing a gate-to-wire winner while 3-wide early in a starter allowance at this same distance in late January. The 6-time winner competed over this surface for the initial time in the third-place effort last month and should be primed for her best third off the bench. The far outside post could lead to a wide trip early, but I like the fact jockey Cristobal Herrera has options out of the gate. With a clean break, he shouldn’t be too far off the early pace in search of his seventh lifetime score.
Play: #11 Outrageous (6-1 ML)
Race 6:
I will search for the natural hat trick in what is the fourth leg of the aforementioned Sunset Six. Based on the morning line, #1 Latitude is expected to take the most money in this MSW at one mile over the Santa Anita sod, but I prefer stablemate #5 Midway Lane. Trainer John Sadler has not had a strong start to the Classic Meet, but one of his best runs came from this son of Quality Road back on January 8. The Hronis Racing gelding did not get to the wire first, but relaxed nicely in the early going before being barely out finished at odds of nearly 4-1. Sadler moves Midway Lane up out of the high-level maiden claimer, which often is a pass for me, but this is just not the strongest group from top-to-bottom. Hopefully, he proves worthy of the move back into the MSW ranks with an off-the-pace victory under veteran jockey Kyle Frey.
Play: #5 Midway Lane (9-2 ML)
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