Horse Racing: Today at Santa Anita, Feb. 6

Race 1 – 5 1/2 furlongs, Purse $23,000, Maiden claiming $30,000, 3-year-olds

5 Cousin Ricky – Sliding down the maiden claiming ladder to this bottom rung; bugboy Van Dyke is riding good with 7-pounds off.

2 Mr. Cactus – Finally put together a good effort in last, first for a $30K price tag; Michael Pender adding blinkers on in here.

Long Shot – 6 Geldautomat

Race 2 – 6 1/2 furlongs (turf, rail at 24 feet), Purse $56,000, Maiden special weights, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

5 Fleet Causeway – FTS from the maestro Jerry Hollendorfer; has an uncoupled entry so caveat emptor.

4 Provenance – Marty Jones also has an uncoupled entry in here; this one takes the weight off with bugboy Van Dyke.

Long Shot – 3 Seattle Charlie

Race 3 – 5 1/2 furlongs, Purse $19,000, Claiming $10,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

1 Metaxa – Tepid chalk has now won twice in a row; cozy rail post to save all the ground throughout.

4 Warren’s Judy – Been away 2 months, but Rafael Bejarano takes the call; doesn’t look great on paper, trust the connections.

Long Shot – 3 Madoffwiththemoney

Race 4 – 6 furlongs, Purse $58,000, Optional claiming $40,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

6 Cougarontheprowl – Won as a 3/5 chalk in career debut; takes the next logical step up, but figures to get overbet again.

3 Fanny Brice – Has cashed 4 paychecks in 4 career starts; has tactical speed to sit a decent trip throughout.

Long Shot – 4 Our Pure Creation

Race 5 – 1 mile, Purse $23,000, Maiden claiming $30,000, Fillies, 3-year-olds

1 Chicago Angel – Set a soft pace in last and could not hold on; they are going to have to run her down in the lane again.

7 Lovely Instinct – Best strategy would be to stay close to the chalk and hope she collapses again; no one in field is brave.

Long Shot – 4 Moonlight Stroll

Race 6 – 1 mile (turf, rail at 24 feet), Purse $25,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

3 Readyforhercloseup – Her lone win came on grass, so that’s a plus; second start off the claim by Vann Belvoir.

2 Akiss Forarose – Tepid chalk in another wide open affair; is 0-for-13 on grass so don’t get your hopes up.

Long Shot – 4 Elegant in Silk

Race 7 – 6 furlongs, Purse $58,000, Allowance, Cal-breds, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

3 Always a Chance – Rafael Bejarano has shown time and again, he can win without having the best horse; he puts them in position.

6 Mark of a Gem – Been away since May for Tim Yakteen; has had a long series of workouts, watch the tote board for more clues.

Long Shot – 1 J and S Express

Race 8 – 6 1/2 furlongs (turf, rail at 24 feet), Purse 456,000, Maiden special weights, 3-year-olds

3 Melatonin – When Rafael Bejarano stays for the finale, respect that; he’s the fifth different rider in 5 starts on this colt.

9 Kozani – Corey Nakatani is another older jock riding like he found the fountain of youth; shows it’s still a brain game too.

Long Shot – 1 Los Borrachos

Best Bet –

Santa Anita Park Sunday – Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 16/5/$34.00; Long Shots, 7/2/$17.20; Best Bet, 1/1/$3.40

Santa Anita Park Totals – 426/127/$788.20; Long Shots, 210/25/$265.80; Best Bets, 26/12/$52.40

SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY – # . For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Saturday, Masters Degree ran second at Fair Grounds paying $2.20 to place and $2.10 to place. Stats – 25/14/$96.40; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick