Today at Santa Anita Park: April 13, 2014

TODAY AT SANTA ANITA PARK by Richard Eng

Post Time 12:30 p.m.

Race 1 - 1 mile, Purse $26,000, Claiming $20,000, 4-year-olds and up

3 Bluegrass Reward - This Javier Sierra barn is heating up and using Brice Blanc to boot; tactical speed to sit a nice trip.

6 Muchos Besos - Was claimed in last by Art Shermain, trainer of KY Derby chalk California Chrome; has a solid dirt resume.

Long Shot - 2 Diamondsdiplomat

Race 2 - 1 mile (turf, rail at 8 feet), Purse $45,000, Claiming $50,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

1 Redressthebalance - Class dropper gets the services of Rafael Bejarano; ran like a short horse in last off a 7-month hiatus.

7 Fantastic Mizz - Corey Nakatani is fresh off an outstanding ride on Dance With Fate; won the Blue Grass in fine fashion.

Long Shot - 5 Le Fascinator

Race 3 - 6 furlongs, Purse $17,000, Claiming $8,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

3 Vindicted Ruler - Tyler Baze is making a strong comeback after being away a year; as talented a rider as there is in the colony.

7 Second Time - Claimed for $10K by Kristin Mulhall, dropped in for $8K; like that she hires hot riding bugboy Drayden Van Dyke.

Long Shot - 5 Mary Contrary

Race 4 - 1 1/4 miles (turf, rail at 8 feet), $150,000 Santa Barbara Handicap, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

3 Stormy Lucy - Well deserved stakes win in last under skillful Rafael Bejarano; Ed Moger now listed trainer from Frank Lucarelli.

7 Customer Base - Hard knocking Tom Proctor mare didn’t get much of a trip in last; she’s more than capable of rebounding here.

Long Shot - 8 Topic

Race 5 - 1 mile, Purse $60,000, Optional claiming $62,500, 4-year-olds and up

6 Govenor Charlie - Hard to believe he’s made $490K and is eligible for this; Bob Baffert going for the confidence builder.

5 Big Kick - Sharp win over easier $40K foes; many times prefer an in form, yet cheaper, horse over certain underachievers.

Long Shot - 1 Oilisblackgold

Race 6 - 6 1/2 furlongs (turf, rail at 8 feet), Purse $58,000, Allowance, 4-year-olds and up

8 Monument - Tries a third straight effort down the hill; has not run badly, but needs the speed to back up to have a shot.

1 Oliver’s Tale - Don’t particularly like the rail going down the hill; ran like a short horse in last, but has ability.

Long Shot - 5 Kochees

Race 7 - 6 furlongs, Purse $30,000, Starter allowance $40,000, 3-year-olds and up

6 Remind Mee - Off the turf angle for Robertino Diodoro; ran fast two back to break his maiden over an easy group.

1 Bench Press - Tepid chalk ran a career best by many to graduate in last; repeat effort puts him right there again.

Long Shot - 2 Sidepocket Champ

Race 8 - 6 1/2 furlongs (turf, rail at 8 feet), $100,000 San Simeon, 4-year-olds and up

8 Lakerville - The 2-turn route experiment failed miserably in last; returns to the hillside turf course where he excels.

5 Sweet Swap - Another who has made a living coming down the grassy hill; should get a sweet trip under clever Joe Talamo.

Long Shot - 7 Pure Tactics

Race 9 - 1 1/16th miles, Purse $20,000, Maiden claiming $20,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

5 A Little Luckier - Taking the biggest class drop in racing from MSW to maiden claiming; has run fast enough to beat these.

8 Itsabeautifulday - Flopped badly as a 4/5 chalk in last; price is inflated but her race 2 back, if repeated, gives her a shot.

Long Shot - 3 Kid Rollins

Best Bet - 1 Redressthebalance (race 2)

Santa Anita Park Saturday - Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 17/3/$16.20; Long Shots, 8/2/$18.20; Best Bet, 1/0/$0

Santa Anita Park Totals - 1,085/307/$1,955.60; Long Shots, 534/77/$830.20; Best Bets, 66/31/$142.60

SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY - #2 Tea Time (6/1) in race 8 at Keeneland. For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Saturday, Dimension ran second at Keeneland paying $8.00 to place and $5.00 to show. Stats - 62/35/$346.30; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick