Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner
BEST BET: 5-Decisive Win (Race 4)
Race #1: Selections: 3-1-5
There’s a $60,494 Pick Six Carryover Beginning in Race 4 to kick off the 4-day Memorial Day holiday Weekend card.
3-Wildfire Princess goes two sprints to a route for conditioner Bob Hess and figures to get a favorable upfront-pressing trip on the stretch out. The 4-year-old filly switches back to Hernandez in the Friday opener, and he was aboard for the sharp runner-up try three back. The 1-for-14 1-Rehearsal (Ire) finished second over a trio of today’s returning rivals when stretched back out on April 24 for D’Amato and figures to trip out nicely with another rail draw. The lightly raced 5-Lanilla has seen her turf Beyers increase with each subsequent start and makes the all-important third try of the form cycle today for trainer Vladimir Cerin.
Race #2: Selections: 6-3-2
6-Van Gogh Style goes turf to dirt after breaking slowly and finishing a non-threatening sixth in his April 26 unveiling for trainer Sean McCarthy, while attracting decent tote support. By G1 Haskell winner Paynter, the 3-year-old gelding is bred to handle the main track and is likely to improve substantially in start number two with a clean getaway from the outside. 3-Otto’s Magic is the logical morning line choice getting back to dirt off the mini-freshening for D’Amato after a disappointing grass experiment when last seen at the end of February. The 4-year-old Grazen gelding’s main track Beyers earned in his first three starts tower over this field. 2-Here On Business (by Catalina Cruiser) debuts for trainer Dean Pederson off a solid and steady work tab, and this barn is 4-for-19 (21%) with a positive ROI with sprint dirt debut runners at Santa Anita the past five years.
Race #3: Selections: 1-2-3
1-Cosmo Friday ran a better-than-looks sixth when stepped up to face winners on April 19 for Team O’Neill, when having some traffic issues. The 3-year-old daughter of Hard Spun is reunited with winning pilot Emisael Jaramillo and drops from $50k claimers to today’s $32,0000 level. 2-Eva Lea backed up to finish ninth and last in a subpar performance on April 19, but is eligible for a solid rebound today on the class drop, second off the bench. Jockey Joel Rosario is back riding for trainer John Sadler, and this combo has had a long history of success in the past. 3-Stars Hallow is back on turf, exiting back-to-back main track wins at Los Al and this filly’s grass debut at Del Mar, back in the fall of 2025, resulted in a respectable runner-up effort.
Race #4: Selections: 5-2-4
The traditional $2 Pick Six begins here with a $60,494 carryover, and many players will likely try to get through this leg with the top choice as their single. I will as well. The Doug O’Neill-trained 5-Decisive Win flashed good early zip before tiring to fourth in an encouraging main track debut back on March 7, a race that’s produced a pair of next-out winners, including Pat Day Mile (G2) victor Crude Velocity. The $600k Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Nyquist purchase has trained sharply in the interim, and should be tough to overhaul with any normal second-out progression. Of the Baffert pair, I prefer 2-Sabino Canyon, who did little running in his turf route unveiling, but moves to dirt this afternoon, switches to the barn’s go-to pilot, Juan Hernandez, and is bred for routing over the main track (Maxfield/18%). 4-Broheim (by Not This Time) has been plagued by several layoff lines, but the 5-year-old has run some races that make him a contender this afternoon for McCarthy.
Race #5: Selections: 1-2-6-9
1-Money Makes Money returned off a 10-month hiatus to score a sharp turf win on April 20 for conditioner Mark Glatt, earning a field’s best last-out grass Beyer (86), and a repeat is well within reach. 2-Burning Rubber shortens back up to a sprint after flashing early zip and tiring against similar on April 26. The 4-year-old colts’ two wins have both come sprinting. 6-Kimmer is 2-for-36, but lands in a field that’s projected to have a very live race flow, and he’s the type that usually slugs up to round out the vertical exotics at big odds. 9-Liam Smith needs to draw in stuck on the AE’s, but has won two of three starts, including an 11-length main track romp off the Mullins claim when last seen back on Feb. 6. The son of Midshipman has plenty of turf pedigree to successfully handle the surface switch and has been training sharply in the a.m.
Race #6: Selections: 1-5-7
A competitive group of $12.5K claiming fillies and mares line up in this main track sprint to kick off the late pick four. 1-Sensational Z Z has won two of her last three 870-yard dashes at Los Al but proved she could also handle the Santa Anita main track, securing a solid runner-up behind Outrageous four back and running above par for this class level. The aforementioned 5-Outrageous has won two straight, is 4-for-9 at today’s 5 ½-furlong trip, and has seen her Beyers improve in every start since the end of last year. The Sergio Morfin-trained 7-Ro Town moves back to dirt on the class drop, and although the 6-year-old mare has never tried the Santa Anita main track in the afternoons, her dirt sprint form is solid with competitive Beyers for this level.
Race #7: Selections: 5-7-6-3
A tricky turf marathon to decipher, which may lead to some value for those participating in the ever-growing popular $3 Late Pick 3. One of two from the McCarthy barn, 5-Poor Connection might post the mild upset stretching out to a distance he might find conducive after a solid 1 1/8-mile score two back. The gelding’s last try on April 26 is a toss after getting shuffled back at a vital portion of the race. This jockey-trainer combo is 7 for-19 (36%) with a lucrative $6.27 ROI the past year with grass runners. Outrun in the last, the Doug O’Neill-trained 7-Crazy Cavalier drops back down to the winning level from two-back and has proven he can handle this trip. 6-Mythical Reel (Ire) ran a decent third off the seven-month freshening on April 19 for D’Amato, and improvement is likely, second off the bench. The 7-time winning 3-None Above the Law is 0-for-15 over the Santa Anita lawn but has proven to be competitive in his last three one-mile starts for Miller and switches to Rosario on the stretch out.
Race #8: Selections: 6-8-2
The George Papaprodromou-trained 6-Makenarita rallied wide for the place spot, when facing a trio of today’s returning rivals, and sport the field’s best last-out main track Beyer (60). Turf to dirt 8-Bear’s Board was beaten by double digits in the last pair, but takes a sizable class plunge this afternoon for Team O’Neill. Two sprints to a route and beaten favorite in the last, 2-Molly Jensen will likely be forwardly placed with some other speed-types signed on, but is by Ghostzapper (18% dirt routes) and goes second off the claim for conditioner Cynthia Kelley.
Race #9: Selections: 3-8-4
3-Sacred Sound returns off a nine-month layoff for trainer Peter Miller off a solid worktab over at San Luis Rey and is likely to be aggressively sent out to the lead this afternoon with Rosario picking up the mount for Altamira Racing. The 4-year-old daughter of Om could prove tough to reel in late for an excellent layoff barn. 8-She’s No Quant is a logical fit, having run well in both of her two turf sprint tries to kick off her career for trainer Ed Freeman, and that last April 18 event (where she kicked away to a 2 ½-length lead before tiring to third) has produced a pair of next-out winners. Interesting to note that Hernandez and Kimura play a game of musical riders with the ladder and Taking a Joy Ride. 4-Marla Hooch got her nose down at the wire only to be disqualified to second for interference on April 18, while seeing her Beyers improve with each subsequent try for D’Amato. She fits well again this afternoon.
