Mizdirection gave Jim Rome his first stakes win the last time she tried a mile in the San Clemente Handicap at Del Mar in 2011.
An exciting extended week of racing wraps up with a loaded ten-race President’s Day card where reigning downhill turf course queen Mizdirection stretches out to a mile for the first time in 18 months as the even-money morning line favorite in the $150,000 Buena Vista Stakes (Grade 2).
The list of accomplishments for the five-year-old daughter of Mizzen Mast co-owned by Jim Rome are lengthy, highlighted by her score against the boys coming down the hill in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) in November. The multiple graded stakes winner and millionairess has finished in the exacta with seven wins in all ten tries on turf and the only time the big grey mare finished out of the money in 14 career starts came in a fourth-place finish when beaten less than a length after a nightmare trip in the Raven Run Stakes (G2) over the Polytrack at Keeneland in 2011.
While a route of ground may not be her ideal game, two tries at a mile over Del Mar’s turf course resulted in a runner-up effort in the San Clemente Handicap (G2) and a win in the Sandy Blue Handicap.
The waters don’t run deep with seven rivals that have yet to win a graded stakes, but Mizdirection may have to do some work to catch likely pace-setter and 7-to-2 second choice A Jealous Woman, who has five wins while never finishing out of the money in nine tries over Santa Anita’s turf course. The seven-year-old California-bred daughter of Muqtarib sandwiched a runner-up finish in the Goldikova Stakes (G2) in between a pair of victories in ungraded stakes in her last three.
In the Stars makes her graded stakes debut as the 4-to-1 third choice after finishing third-beaten a neck to A Jealous Woman in the Megahertz Stakes a month ago. The five-year-old Brazilian-bred daughter of Romarin did finish in the money in a quartet of Group 1 tries in her native land and has never been off the board in ten turf starts.
After nearly dead-heating with In the Stars in the Megahertz, Byrony is the 6-to-1 fourth choice looking to snap a six-race losing streak. The five-year-old Irish-bred daughter of Byron cleared both allowance conditions in her first two U.S. starts last year, but has settled for sixth-place finishes in a pair of subsequent spins in Grade 2 events.
We’re off to the races!
Late Pick 4 -
Leg 1 – Race 7 (4,5,10) – A split of the fifth race with Cal-bred allowance optional claiming runners rolling down the hill and along with favorites No. 5 Rock Me Baby and No. 10 Dixieland Blues, add surprise package No. 4 Senator Bob having shaken some rust off in his last and with a string of previous races from two years ago that make him tough.
Leg 2 – Race 8 (2,4,6,8,9,10,11) – The typical grab bag with runners that like to lose, having done so a combined 74 times, and we’ll spread with No. 2 Subtle Greek, No. 4 Courageousandbold, No. 6 Eula B., No. 8 My Miss Megan, No. 9 Bull Rush, No. 10 Miss Lady Ellen and No. 11 Twirlybird.
Leg 3 – Race 9 (2,6) – No. 2 Mizdirection should dispose of this group, but we’ll add No. 6 A Jealous Woman.
Leg 4 – Race 10 (4,8,9,10,12) – Back in the claiming ranks where she debuted with a runner-up effort in December, No. 9 Could Be Trouble gets a massive rider upgrade to Tyler Baze and gets a fast track for the first time.
Spread with No. 4 Wild Excess, No. 8 Betty Portlock, No. 10 Chila Ali and No. 12 Jaya Roo.
Recap – (4,5,10) w (2,4,6,8,9,10,11) w (2,6) w (4,8,9,10,12) – Total cost of ticket = $105
Yesterday’s Result – (+$1.90)
Total for current Santa Anita meet – (+$944.60)
Total from 12/26/10 – 12/16/12 – (-$2,090.45)
Pick 5 –
Leg 1 – Race 1 (3,4,7) – Chalky to begin the day with a pair of front-running Bob Baffert runners in No. 3 Saturday Nite Ride and No. 7 Elusive Jackpot, along with No. 4 Thisonesforricky for Marty Jones rolling late on the stretch out off a pair of even efforts sprinting.
Leg 2 – Race 2 (3,6) – No. 3 Top Kisser will be a short price after just getting run down in her last after getting mixed up in a torrid early pace. She should be more relaxed in her second try routing, but we’ll add No. 6 Krazypapaya, who with continued improvement could provide a late threat.
Leg 3 – Race 3 (1,3,7) – Two years after missing by just half a length in the Big ‘Cap, No. 1 Quindici Man finds himself in for a claiming tag of $12,500 after a long string of his late kick coming up short against tougher. In the third start off a brief layoff, he draws well to save ground all the way around and when No. 3 Big Wags moves too soon to engage pace-setter No. 7 Donato, the pieces will be there to be picked up.
Leg 4 – Race 4 (1,2,4,5) – We’ll expect No. 4 Halfapondarosa to be back on her game after being given time off again by Bill Spawr and realistically placed having won half her six tries over this strip.
Spread with No. 1 Addendum, No. 2 So Tempted and No. 5 Woebegon.
Leg 5 – Race 5 (6,8,9,10) – It’s Spawr again here with the razor sharp old man No. 6 Cayambe looking for his third straight win.
No. 10 Johnny Be Mine can get brave winging on the early lead in his second off a long layoff with the crafty hands of Julien Leparoux.
No. 8 Red Defense could be rounding back to a top effort and No. 9 Silver Dragon moves to Gary Stevens for the first time.
Recap – (3,4,7) w (3,6) w (1,3,7) w (1,2,4,5) w (6,8,9,10) – Total cost of ticket = $144
Yesterday’s Result – (-$150)
Total for current Santa Anita meet – (+$2,336.50)
Total from 7/20/11 – 12/16/12 – (+$13,891.70)
Best Bet of the Day – Can now be found in the Pros Picks section at www.santaanita.com.
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Good luck!
