May Day Rose gives Bob Baffert a pair of solid contenders in the Palm Springs Handicap returning from long layoffs.
Ahead of tomorrow’s Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic (Grade 1) where one of the greatest distaff fields in history lines up, a much more modest group of females compete over a mile on the main track in the $65,000 Palm Springs Handicap.
Bob Baffert hopes to kick off what could be a massive three days of success with 8-to-5 favorite Awesomemundo returning off nearly a six-month layoff and 3-to-1 third choice May Day Rose making her first start in ten months.
Both of Awesomemundo’s starts of 2012 have resulted in wins on the dirt after she won 2-of-5 on synthetic surfaces last year. The 4-year-old Awesome Again filly won by over seven lengths in an allowance race over this track in February before making her stakes debut a winning one by capturing the DuPont Distaff (G3) at Pimlico in May.
Multiple Grade 3 winner May Day Rose is likely to be on the engine early looking for just her second win from six starts over Santa Anita’s main track. A 4-year-old daughter of Rockport Harbor, she went severely off form in pair of starts at the beginning of the year, but appears to be back on her game with a string of solid a.m. activity.
Brazilian import In the Stars is the 5-to-2 second choice making her first start on dirt off a 3 ¼-length score against first-level allowance company going a mile on turf in her second U.S. start three weeks ago. The 4-year-old daughter of Romarin competed in four Group 1 races in Brazil to close 2011, which resulted in a pair of runner-up and third-place finishes.
We’re off to the races!
Pick 4 -
Leg 1 – Race 5 (3,5,6,7,8,9,10) – Down the hill in a wide-open maiden allowance event and we spread with No. 3 Citizenship, No. 5 Solar Eclipse, No. 6 Sweet Red Cat, No. 7 Lady Katfish, No. 8 Sweet Potato, No. 9 Jubilant Girl and No. 10 Suncadia.
Leg 2 – Race 6 (3,5,7,9,10,12,13,14) – Eight bottom of the barrel non-winners of two lifetime using No. 3 Rio Good, No. 5 Nate Dawg, No. 7 Willie Brown, No. 9 Free Time, No. 10 Tiz Top, No. 12 Unex Dali, No. 13 Sparkle Joel and No. 14 Hidden Quest.
Leg 3 – Race 7 (1,2) – The Southern California jockey rivalry is renewed with Joel Rosario in town to ride No. 1 More Chocolate and Bejarano aboard No. 2 Acenda. Both runners are improving 3-year-old fillies that are on the brink of stakes action.
Leg 4 – Race 8 (2,10) – No. 2 Spit Ball takes the massive dump to the bottom after a ten allowance effort where he could only muster a pair of third-place finishes.
Double up with No. 10 Green Team having the potential to shake free on the lead under Joe Talamo, who has made it a habit of winning the final race of the day over the past two weeks.
Recap – (3,5,6,7,8,9,10) w (3,5,7,9,10,12,13,14) w (1,2) w (2,10) – Total cost of ticket = $112
Sunday’s Result – (-$82.90)
Total for current Santa Anita meet – (+$782.60)
Total from 12/26/10 – 9/5/12 – (-$2,966.60)
Pick 5 –
Leg 1 – Race 1 (1,3,6) – A pair of scratches makes this race much less interesting and we settle on the trio of No. 1 Ambitoness, No. 3 Eyes On the Prize and No. 6 Folk Dancer.
Leg 2 – Race 2 (1,3,4) – Roll with the trio discussed above of No. 1 In the Stars, No. 3 Awesomemundo and No. 4 May Day Rose.
Leg 3 – Race 3 (14) – The continued class drop makes No. 14 Secret Memo much the best in this maiden claimer with the speed to clear from the outside post. The blinkers come off and Rafael Bejarano climbs aboard after a pair of solid maintenance moves since tiring to finish third on October 5.
Leg 4 – Race 4 (2,3,4,7,8,9,10) – Seven of the ten $16,000 female claiming sprinters with No. 2 Warren’s Morgan, No. 3 Wild Bella, No. 4 Roll Your Eyes, No. 7 Here Comes Bonnie, No. 8 Vegas Rules, No. 9 Dynamic Diva and No. 10 Arinyes Love.
Leg 5 – Race 5 (3,5,6,7,8,9,10) – Same seven runners as the late Pick-4.
Recap – (1,3,6) w (1,3,4) w (14) w (2,3,4,7,8,9,10) w (3,5,6,7,8,9,10) – Total cost of ticket = $220.50
Sunday’s Result – (-$135)
Total for current Santa Anita meet – (+$262.10)
Total from 7/20/11 – 9/5/12 – (+$17,380.65)
Best Bet of the Day – Can now be found in the free analysis section at www.theracingedition.com along with an early Pick-4 ticket and a consensus box for the entire card.
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Good luck!
