HORSE RACING
TODAY AT SANTA ANITA PARK
By Richard Eng
Post Time 1 p.m.
Race 1 – 1 1/8th miles (turf, rail at 30 feet), Purse $54,000, Maiden special weights, 4-year-olds and up
2 One Nation – Beaten favorite is bred top and bottom to adore grass; chance to rebound at a square price.
4 Kumiva – Logical chalk has just missed in his last 2 turf tries; his speed will be aided by the turf rail out 30 feet.
Long Shot – 6 The Unusual One
Race 2 – 1 1/16th miles, Purse $25,000, Claiming $20,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
4 Rollerskates – The only starter in the race to exhibit any kind of dirt form; need not be much to beat these.
3 Lady Alex – Tepid chalk has a lot to do with Rafael Bejarano riding; flattered when Startjumpinmarnie won next out.
Long Shot – 1 Brooke’s Fantasy
Race 3 – 1 mile (turf, rail at 30 feet), Purse $30,000, Claiming $25,000, 4-year-olds and up
8 Lease of Life – Sliding down the claiming ladder to this career-low class; likes Santa Anita, Garrett Gomez up.
1 Yes It’s a Cat – Sprinter stretching out can be the speed of the speed; perfect 2-for-2 wins over Arcadia sod.
Long Shot – 5 Moudez
Race 4 – 5 1/2 furlongs, Purse $20,000, Claiming $12,500, 4-year-olds and up
5 Two Violins – Reclaimed by Jeff Metz, one of the best trainer angles in racing; like that he hires Rafael Bejarano.
1 Mr. Monkey Jones – Sliding down the claiming ladder to this career-low class; now-or-never time for this guy.
Long Shot – 3 Peacock Alliance
Race 5 – 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $19,000, Maiden claiming $20,000, 4-year-olds and up
8 Armenian Star – Did everything but win last time in a solid try; shortens up in distance and gets P Val again.
1 The Full Lavino – Been away 7 months since Del Mar; I’ll guarantee he faced a stronger group than that today.
Long Shot – 3 Afleet Cowboy
Race 6 – 1 mile, Purse $16,000, Claiming $12,500, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
3 Miss Addy Kiss – I don’t normally pick maiden grads facing winners for the first time; I just like her last two starts.
7 Ascot’s Highflyer – Logical chalk taking a huge class drop tonight; her last stunk, but the prior races are good enough.
Long Shot – 1 Led Advantage
Race 7 – 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $63,000, Allowance, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
1 Gilded Gem – Let’s call this the Bob Baffert invitational; mare gave a game try chasing Switch in the Santa Monica.
2 Mona de Momma – Draw a line through the Santa Maria and her form looks fine; won the Humana Distaff over Churchill dirt.
Long Shot – 5 Subsidized
Race 8 – 1 mile, Purse $19,000, Maiden claiming $20,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
2 Zohrah – Huge class drop points her out if she has four wheels; Mike Pender taking the blinkers off for this.
6 Subtle Greek – Got conditioning out of her turf try, if nothing else; her debut race was good and at this class level.
Long Shot – 9 Suitable Attire
Best Bet – 8 Lease of Life (race 3)
Santa Anita Park Thursday – Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 14/4/$27.00; Long Shots, 8/1/$11.60; Best Bet, 0/0/$0
Santa Anita Park Totals – 625/174/$1,108.70; Long Shots, 317/45/$455.20; Best Bets, 36/15/$61.50
SIMULCAST PICK OF THE DAY – 4 Copper Forest (5/2) in race 9 at Aqueduct. For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Thursday, Omricon ran out at Gulfstream Park. Stats – 36/28/$229.10