Horse Racing: Today at Santa Anita, March 8

Post Time 12:30 p.m.

Race 1 - 1 mile, Purse $19,000, Claiming $10,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

1 Chocolate Delight - I like when a live horse draws the rail at one mile; big advantage with a short run to the first turn.

2 Marla Hooch - This is the first time I’ve ever picked a horse trained by Ricky Agarie; it is horse racing and I like the horse.

Long Shot - 6 Acute

Race 2 - 7 furlongs, Purse $56,000, Maiden special weights, 3-year-olds

6 Wolf Man Rocket - Bob Baffert has an uncoupled entry so caveat emptor; the other colt is Fame and Power.

5 Win the Space - Hesitated at the start of his debut; he collected himself and ran a very good third, suspect he’ll move forward today.

Long Shot - 4 Fame and Power

Race 3 - 7 furlongs, Purse $23,000, Maiden claiming $30,000, Fillies, 3-year-olds

2 Sweet Silver - Sliding down the maiden claiming ladder to this bottom rung; Corey Nakatani takes over for the money shot.

4 Oleanderpolarbear - Logical chalk ran a good second last time out; Joe Talamo replaces Drayden Van Dyke who opted for Katsfashion.

Long Shot - 3 Powerful Girl

Race 4 - 7 furlongs, Purse $21,000, Claiming $12,500, 4-year-olds and up

1 Timeless Indy - Bugboy is working on 1 victory this meet; rides with a 7-pound allowance which can make a huge difference.

6 The Mad Hungarian - Claimed by Peter Miller last time out; has back class to find a speed figure fast enough to beat this group.

Long Shot - 8 City Chapel

Race 5 - 1 1/8th miles (turf), Purse $58,000, Optional claiming $40,000, 4-year-olds and up

8 Press Baron - For as many wins as Rafael Bejarano has, he doesn’t seem to get many live Derby prospects; he is a master technician.

5 Decisive Edge - Hard charging closer just needs a decent early pace to set him up; 9 furlongs today is a cutback in distance for him.

Long Shot - 9 Utopian

Race 6 - 6 furlongs, Purse $56,000, Maiden special weights, Cal-breds, 3-year-olds

5 London Legacy - Has two things going for him; he is a first time gelding and gets leading rider Rafael Bejarano up.

4 Rocko’s Wheel - Was well bet in debut then barely raised a hoof in anger; been given time since closing day Del Mar to regroup.

Long Shot - 1 Stormin Trick

Race 7 - 1 mile (turf), Purse $30,000, Starter allowance $40,000, 3-year-olds and up

2 Silver Torch - Kent Desormeaux has himself 2 Derby mounts in Texas Red and Prospect Park; at some point he’ll have to get off of one.

7 Brother Soldier - Flavien Prat is a jockey I have no trouble in betting; he’s underrated but will win if you give him enough horse.

Long Shot - 3 Deputy Heat

Race 8 - 6 furlongs, $100,000 Las Flores, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

3 Global Hottie - Tiny edge in one of the hardest races on the card; bullet fast Bob Baffert filly has been training up a storm.

7 Tribal Gal - Returns to dirt after a failed try on turf in last; has enough tactical speed to sit off the lead and pounce late.

Long Shot - 1 Harlington’s Rose

Race 9 - 1 mile (turf), Purse $35,000, Maiden claiming $75,000, 3-year-olds

5 Go Trumpy Go - Not sure if he’s named after Bengals great Bob Trumpy; taking the biggest class drop in racing from MSW.

2 Perfect Temptation - First time gelding is the ultimate equipment change; key vote comes from Rafael Bejarano up.

Long Shot - 7 Big Hat Charlie

Best Bet - 6 Wolf Man Rocket (race 2)

Santa Anita Saturday - Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 20/3/$12.40; Long Shots, 11/2/$23.20; Best Bet, 1/1/$2.60

Santa Anita Totals - 196/50/$313.80; Long Shots, 98/12/$102.00; Best Bets, 12/5/$22.20

SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY - #8 Street Strategy (5/2) in race 9 at Oaklawn Park. For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Saturday, Big Red Charlie ran second at Fair Grounds paying $2.10 to place and $2.10 to show. Stats - 34/25/$156.70; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick