Horse Racing: Today at Santa Anita, Jan. 7

Post Time 12:30 p.m.

Race 1 – 6 furlongs, Purse $31,000, Maiden claiming $50,000, Fillies, 3-year-olds
5 Sweet Invention – Trainer John Sadler saw enough in this filly to claim her out of a good career debut; was bet that day and was finishing well for third.
2 Hell On Heels – Ran evenly in career debut at Del Mar; drops in class and figures to improve a lot from the top barn of trainer Philip D’Amato.
Long Shot – 4 Adrian’s Girl

Race 2 – 1 mile, Purse $58,000, Optional claiming $20,000, Cal-breds, 4-year-olds and up
7 Toledo Eddie – Any horse that has won 10 races lifetime, has shown me he likes to get his picture taken; tactical speed to sit a forward trip on a possible off track.
3 Howdy – The biggest question here is not if he is fast enough, but can he adapt to the main track, and one that may be very wet indeed; class drop is a big factor too.
Long Shot – 5 It Is Living Water

Race 3 – 1 1/16th miles, Purse $19,000, Maiden claiming $20,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
Miz Graycee – Sliding down one more key notch to the bottom class; has enough tactical speed to be forwardly placed, may be key on an off-track condition.
6 Appealing Lady – First leg of the Pick 6 with a $378K carryover; I would expect at least $1.5-million to be bet chasing, treat it like a survivor pool, win and move on.
Long Shot – 8 Darling Grace

Race 4 – 1 mile, Purse $56,000, Maiden special weights, Cal-breds, 3-year-olds
2 Got Tobe Awesome – Sprinter stretching out has a chance to grab the lead or sit a good stalking trip; business has slowed down for talented bugboy Ty Kennedy.
1 Touched by Autism – By now we should know if the rail is a good spot to be; if the main track is sealed, it may be very good, if opened up it may not be good.
Long Shot – 8 And Then Some

Race 5 – 6 ½ furlongs, Purse $30,000, Starter allowance $40,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
1 Ponder Lea – Ran very well when second last time in this same class condition; loses her jockey to Audra, but Santiago Gonzalez has proven to be more than adequate.
7 Audra – Interesting rider switch to see Rafael Bejarano leave the morning line chalk to ride this just claimed animal for trainer Doug O’Neill; is the track muddy?
Long Shot – 5 Just Got Lucky

Race 6 – 1 1/16th miles, Purse $20,000, Claiming $16,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
8 Bayonet – Has finished first in three races in a row; some will consider him a single in today’s Pick 6, with such a large pot, I hope many get to share in it.
1 Amberella – Mud could be the great equalizer if that is how the racetrack is; we seldom see off tracks in Southern California so we all are guessing just a little bit.
Long Shot – 4 Backintheacademy

Race 7 – 6 ½ furlongs, Purse $58,000, Optional claiming $20,000, Cal-breds, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
6 Awesome Luck – Exits three turf races for this off-track elongated sprint; smart anyway to schedule all dirt today when the weather is supposed to be wet throughout.
11 Behest – Has won both career starts, but hasn’t proven anything; this, to me, is the most difficult race in the Pick 6 sequence, remember it’s survive and move on.
Long Shot – 1 Zuzu’s Petals

Race 8 – 6 ½ furlongs, Purse $17,000, Claiming $8,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
8 Sea Side Story – When horses spend a lot of time at Emerald Downs, they see a lot of off tracks; just the kind of horse to blow up the tote board in the final leg.
9 Mybabykim – Sliding down the claiming ladder to this new low class; she exits a win and now Jerry Hollendorfer shoves her down our throats, your move in the final leg.
Long Shot – 12 Midnight Lady

Best Bet – 1 Ponder Lea (race 5)
Santa Anita Sunday – Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 17/4/$26.60; Long Shots, 9/0/$0; Best Bet, 1/0/$0
Santa Anita Totals – 115/22/$140.60; Long Shots, 60/6/$56.80; Best Bets, 6/0/$0
SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY – #2 Liberty First (4/1) in race 6 at Aqueduct. For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Sunday, Amoral ran second at Aqueduct paying $2.90 to place and $2.40 to show. Simo stats – 7/1/$5.30; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick