Horse Racing: Today at Santa Anita, June 20

Post Time 3 p.m.

Race 1 - 1 mile (turf, rail at 15 feet), Purse $58,000, Optional claiming $20,000, Cal-breds, 3-year-olds and up

1 Benba - Third start since claimed by A. C. Avila; should be able to save every inch of ground under Tiago Pereira.

6 Poshsky - Chalk ran the best turf race of his life last time out; rough post, but has no early speed regardless.

Long Shot - 2 Deraptor

Race 2 - 6 furlongs, Purse $23,000, Claiming $16,000, 3-year-olds and up

1 Courtside - Has more than enough back class to handle this group; has speed to lead or sit a stalking trip.

5 Pure Sovereignty - New stock from the Cody Autrey barn; suspect he’ll fit well at this class and from a clever barn.

Long Shot - 6 Muchos Besos

Race 3 - 1 mile, Purse $19,000, Maiden claiming $20,000, 3-year-olds and up

2 No Barneys - Third start off a 7-month hiatus; showed improved speed in his last two starts, which may be enough with these.

5 Yodeling - Has shown steady improvement for Mike Pupye; now is adding blinkers on, a welcome addition facing a motley crew.

Long Shot - 3 He’s a Real Keeper

Race 4 - 6 1/2 furlongs (turf, rail at 15 feet), Purse $60,000, Optional claiming $62,500, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

3 Glorious Luck - She was carefully managed thru 3 straight wins to start her career; been away since August, we’ll see how tight she is.

5 Go West Marie - Like the influx of new horses from the east and midwest; usually horses are vanning out in the other direction.

Long Shot - 2 Velvet Mesquite

Race 5 - 5 furlongs, Purse $56,000, Maiden special weights, 2-year-olds

2 Bad Read Sanchez - Anyone who knows pro football knows where this name comes from; it comes from ex-New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez.

5 Bold Bid - Expensive colt makes his debut for Peter Miller; looks like he is riding Elvis Trujillo for the first time too.

Long Shot - 6 Social Request

Race 6 - 6 1/2 furlongs (turf, rail at 15 feet), Purse $60,000, Optional claiming $62,500, 3-year-olds and up

4 Guns Loaded - Ran huge last time for Cody Autrey to just miss down the hill; it was his first time over the course, a good sign.

1 Stormberg - With the turf rail out 15 feet, his tactical speed will be an asset; is a perfect 5-for-5 in the money down the hill.

Long Shot - 3 Rangi

Race 7 - 1 1/16th miles, Purse $16,000, Claiming $12,500, 3-year-olds and up

8 Tenkiller Kid - Elvis Trujillo has shown he fits well with this jockey colony; he has live mounts today, so he could have a big day.

3 Goyan - He looked like he got melted down by too quick a pace in last; the pace of this 2-turn race should be a lot calmer.

Long Shot - 1 Indygo Andy

Race 8 - 1 mile (turf, rail at 15 feet), Purse $56,000, Cal-breds, 3-year-olds and up

2 Smart Journey - Mark Glatt switches to Tyler Baze, a jockey he’s had a lot of success with; the turf rail out 15 feet will help.

6 Lindante - Tepid chalk ran a typical green debut, slow early, fast late; Joe Talamo in the last race of the day wins it quite often.

Long Shot - 3 Chattering Gambler

Best Bet - 2 Smart Journey (race 8)

Santa Anita Park Thursday - Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 15/3/$17.80; Long Shots, 7/2/$18.20; Best Bet, 1/0/$0

Santa Anita Park Totals - 530/142/$996.00; Long Shots, 258/34/$315.00; Best Bets, 30/9/$30.60

SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY - #5 Sunbio (5/1) in race 9 at Belmont Park. For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Thursday, French Press ran out at Churchill Downs. Stats - 94/56/$548.80; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick