After disappointment in Dubai for Bob Baffert, his Eden's Moon is likely to score at short odds in the $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks (Grade I).
Saturday’s sensory overload concludes with a loaded 10-race card at Santa Anita, where three-year-olds compete in a trio of stakes, beginning with fillies at 1 1/16-miles in the $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks (Grade I) and winding down with a pair of wide-open $200,000 stakes for Cal-breds sprinting 6 ½-furlongs on the main track.
A short field of five goes in the Oaks, which is really nothing more than a match race between 3-to-5 favorite Eden’s Moon and 6-to-5 second choice Reneesgotzip. The two met in the Las Virgenes (Grade I) on Mar. 3, with Eden’s Moon drawing away to a 3 ¼-length victory and a similar result is expected today on her way to being a top contender for the Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) on the first Friday in May.
The Golden State Series of lucrative races kicks off with the Evening Jewel Stakes and Starlight Magic is the tepid 7-to-2 favorite in a full field of eleven females. The daughter of Marino Marini was last seen winning the Cal Cup Juvenile Fillies over this main track in October, but will have to overcome the extended layoff and low-percentage barn.
Another field of eleven goes as the finale, with the boys in the Echo Eddie Stakes and another 7-to-2 favorite with The Black breaking from the outside. The son of Cherokee Run has closed with a rush to win his last two sprinting over this main track and will surely get a heated pace to chase today.
The Dubai World Cup winds down as we go to press and that means a depleted jockey colony with Rafael Bejarano, Chantal Sutherland and Corey Nakatani competing for big bucks in the Middle East.
Closer to home, the second leg of the Road to the Triple Crown series will be live on NBC Sports Network from 2-3 p.m. Pacific and features Union Rags and El Padrino squaring off in the $1 million Florida Derby (Grade I).
We’re off to the races!
Pick 4 -
Leg 1 – Race 7 (3,4,7,9) – Along with the three top morning-line choices No. 3 Miss Communication, No. 4 Flashy Dame and No. 9 Dubai Cyclone, use bomber No. 7 Maiden Lane with Mike Puype hitting at a staggering rate with second-time starters.
Leg 2 – Race 8 (1,4,6,8,10,11) – Spread six deep in the Evening Jewel with No. 1 Helonor Rugby, No. 4 Vicki Victoria, No. 6 Starlight Magic, No. 8 Briteness, No. 10 Belloma and No. 11 Caribaya Queen.
Leg 3 – Race 9 (4,5) – No. 5 Stoneside is a deserving favorite on the continued drop and with a mid-pack style that should suit him well with the abundance of speed signed on, but he has finished as the runner-up 14 times so we’ll add No. 4 Matto Mondo.
Leg 4 – Race 10 (4,6,7,8,9,10,13) – We’ll stick with No. 8 Coach Bob as the Best Bet since that’s what was given out on the radio, but we’ll spread in a tough race with No. 4 Pulpit’s Express, No. 6 Exotic Slew, No. 7 Passing Game, No. 9 Three Vases, No. 10 A Toast to You and No. 13 The Black.
Recap – (3,4,7,9) w (1,4,6,8,10,11) w (4,5) w (4,6,7,8,9,10,13) – Total cost of ticket = $168
Yesterday’s Result – (-$120)
Total for current Santa Anita winter/spring meet – (-$2,126.50)
Total from 12/26/10-12/18/11 – (+$3,512.05)
Pick 5 –
Leg 1 – Race 1 (1,7,10,11) – Not often we get such a full field to start the day so we spread with No. 1 Patriotic Lion, No. 7 Deejenerit, No. 10 Givimaway and No. 11 Lightning McQue.
Leg 2 – Race 2 (5,6,10,11,12) – Down the hill with Cal-bred maiden allowance females and we use No. 5 Lil Swiss Echo, No. 6 Willow Switch, No. 10 Angel’s Moon, No. 11 Zanbo and No. 12 Best Present Ever.
Leg 3 – Race 3 (4,5,7) – No. 7 Blake ran a winning race last time and gets off the rail today and both No. 4 Battle Lou and No. 5 Magic Beam can roll late.
Leg 4 – Race 4 (1) – Even with No. 1 Eden’s Moon winning at a short price, the return could be massive with the difficulty of the other four races in this sequence.
Leg 5 – Race 5 (2,3,4,6,7,9) – Another Cal-bred sprint down the hill, this time males in allowance optional claiming event and we spread once again No. 2 Star Nicholas, No. 3 Nofty, No. 4 Dance With Gable, No. 6 Warren’s Dr. Yang, No. 7 Husband’s Folly and No. 9 Titian.
Recap – (1,7,10,11) w (5,6,10,11,12) w (4,5,7) w (1) w (2,3,4,6,7,9) – Total cost of ticket = $180
Yesterday’s Result – (-$90)
Total for current Santa Anita winter/spring meet – (-$2,383.55)
Total from 7/20/10-12/18/11 (+$1,513.90)
Best Bet of the Day (ROI based off $2 WPS bet)
Race 10 – #8 Coach Bob (8/1 ML) – He moves back to dirt where he blitzed a similar group two races back and he might be the speed of the speed early. A candidate to run them off their feet and will likely be above 10-to-1.
Yesterday’s Result – Schiaparelli scratched ($NA)
Total for current Santa Anita winter/spring meet – (-$112.80)
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Good luck!
