Today at Santa Anita Park: Jan. 12, 2014
TODAY AT SANTA ANITA PARK by Richard Eng
Post Time 12:30 p.m.
Race 1 – 1 mile (turf, rail at 8 feet), Purse $35,000, Claiming $32,000, 4-year-olds and up
3 Yomybato – Big trainer change to the maestro Jerry Hollendorfer; hires his main man Rafael Bejarano to ride.
5 Trelawny – He’s run for $32K before and done very well; tactical speed to sit a nice trip throughout.
Long Shot – 1 Polytechnicien
Race 2 – 1 mile, Purse $35,000, Claiming $32,000, 4-year-olds
3 I Don’t Care Who – Claimed twice in a row, now taken by Jeff Mullins; he has a history of moving up claims ASAP.
4 Full Consent – Jeff Mullins has an uncoupled entry so caveat emptor; won on the cheap for $25K last out.
Long Shot – 1 Tenkiller Kid
Race 3 – 1 mile (turf, rail at 8 feet), Purse $25,000, Claiming $25,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
6 Cavalletta – Big class drop and blinkers on for this Dan Hendricks charge; figures to be running fast at the end.
4 Moon Ride – Exploded with a big maiden claiming win in last; big class rise facing winners for the first time.
Long Shot – 5 Flaxen Maiden
Race 4 – 5 1/2 furlongs, Purse $17,000, Claiming $8,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
7 One Magical Girl – Kayla Stra lost her shot to win a graded stakes when Top Fortitude was scratched; will have to settle here.
8 J Louie – Adds blinkers on for a low percentage barn; Tyler Baze finally got his comeback win the other day.
Long Shot – 4 Brown Is Beige
Race 5 – 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $58,000, Allowance, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
7 Splended Fortune – Been away since March and takes the blinkers off; Bob Baffert is blowing them away this meet so far.
8 Katie’s Garden – Filly has a high ceiling off her maiden win for John Shirreffs; I like horses that won and run a lower Beyer.
Long Shot – 4 Our Pure Creation
Race 6 – 6 1/2 furlongs (turf, rail at 8 feet), Purse $58,000, Cal-breds, Optional claiming $25,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
7 Velvet Mesquite – She won her debut like a seasoned pro; like the parking lot post down the hill, taken to repeat.
1 Hidethegoodstuff – Don’t love the rail down the hill; this filly has solid speed figures and will be aggressively ridden.
Long Shot – 5 Always a Chance
Race 7 – 1 1/16th miles, $75,000 Paseana, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up
5 Warren’s Veneda – Lets go for a minor upset with the Cal-bred filly; has run consistent fast races and in good company.
2 Miss Serendipity – Comes with hype from Argentina; Ron McAnally has a storied resume with South American imports.
Long Shot – 1 Halo Dolly
Race 8 – 6 1/2 furlongs (turf, rail at 8 feet), Purse $60,000, Optional claiming $62,500, 4-year-olds and up
3 Pure Loyalty – His one win down the hill came two races ago; it was his hillside debut, so we surmise he likes it.
5 Tripski – Tepid chalk in a wide open affair; solid grass resume but first time down the hillside turf course.
Long Shot – 9 Ready for More
Race 9 – 6 furlongs, Purse $23,000, Maiden claiming $30,000, Fillies, 3-year-olds and up
4 Moscato Girl – Taking the biggest class drop in racing from MSW to maiden claiming; could see strong improvement today.
2 Red Barris – Speedball tactics in last failed to measure up; I expect a change of tactics with Joe Talamo aboard.
Long Shot – 7 Wildcat Janine
Best Bet – 7 Splended Fortune (race 5)
Santa Anita Park Saturday – Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 17/7/$49.60; Long Shots, 9/2/$26.60; Best Bet, 1/1/$7.00
Santa Anita Park Totals – 194/66/$401.00; Long Shots, 98/14/$158.40; Best Bets, 12/8/$34.00
SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY – #3 Make a Fortune (3/1) in race 5 at Aqueduct. For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Saturday, Big Sugar Soda ran third at Fair Grounds paying $2.20 to show. Stats – 11/7/$53.80; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick