Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner
BEST BET: 3-Kool Mariah (Race 4)
Race #1: Selections: 8-5-3
8-Lucky Lucky (Ire) finished a game third (beaten less than a length) at this level on Aug. 21 and looks tough right back off a mini-freshening for D’Amato with a similar effort. 5-Miles Finch exits a pair of non-threatening back-to-back seventh-place finishes for Sadler but gets some class relief this afternoon, and both those last turf Beyers (73,70) match up well against this reduced level. 3-Danzing Wild Cat is winless on grass but goes dirt-to-turf for conditioner Brendan Galvin and reunites with winning pilot Juan Hernandez.
Race #2: Selections: 3-2-1
3-Ima Track Star goes first off the claim today for Tim Yakteen, who is 3-for-10 (30%) with a $2.48 ROI with dirt sprint new acquisitions in the past five years. The 4-year-old gelding figures to get a favorable upfront pressing journey today and came back to work a nice four-furlongs on Oct. 9. 2-Southern Melodee makes his initial try off the Aug. 27 Mullins claim and cuts back to a sprint. This barn is 7-for-14 (50%) with a $2.57 ROI with their dirt sprint newly acquired purchases at the Great Race Place over the past four years. 1-Chase N Ryan was a much-improved second over at Los Al Sept. 13 and will look to transfer that form back over to Santa Anita.
Race #3: Selections: 5-4-3
Blinkers on 5-Sterling Sea goes first off the Victor Garcia claim and switches back to grass. This barn is 5-for-15 (33%) with a $4.03 ROI with new acquisitions overall the past five years, and this afternoon’s projected spirited early race flow could potentially set things up for this gelding from off the pace. The Glatt-trained 4-Scene by Me finished a better-than-looks fourth with some traffic issues in the last over at Del Mar on Sept. 6 and returns to the Santa Anita lawn where he’s run well (4-1-1-1). 3-Victoria’s Rocket flashed solid early zip when battling on the lead over at Del Mar in the aforementioned Sept. 6 event at 58-1 before tiring and finishing fifth, but also drops in class today and can factor here with a similar effort.
Race #4: Selections: 3-6-1
A $54,223 Pick Six Carryover begins here. Class dropping 3-Kool Mariah stretches back out this afternoon for trainer Ian Kruljac, and this sophomore filly looks like she could skip free on the front end this afternoon. 6-Miss Practical returns off a 2 ½-month mini-freshening for trainer Ryan Hanson with some solid a.m. drills over the local footing. This 4-year-old filly has proven her affinity for this main track as evidenced by her 5-1-3-1 mark. The lightly raced 1-Dottie Hinson dug in for the game 6-1 score Sept. 7, posting the field’s best last-out main-track Beyer (70), and a repeat is not without reach. However, her ability to handle two turns is unknown. Her sire Straight Fire is only 4-for-40 (10%) with dirt routers.
Race #5: Selections: 6-4-8
6-Dairago (Fr) ships back into Southern California off the claim at Colonial Downs on Sept. 3 for trainer Bob Hess and should be able to work out a favorable upfront pressing trip. Rosario on. 4-Caisson is only 1-for-13 over the Santa Anita lawn but comes off a solid win over at Del Mar where he earned a noteworthy (80) grass Beyer. He’s an obvious threat if he can return to that number, but it’s a bit questionable, especially over today’s distance. A 57-1 blockbuster upset winner two-back, 8-Grandisimo sports the best late-pace figure in the field and should be rolling late. Not out of this in what amounts to another wide-open affair.
Race #6: Selections: 5-2-6
Blinkers off, 5-Mystic Moses is a nine-start maiden but drops in for a career-low claiming tag for Miyadi while making his second try off the bench today. The gelded son of Stay Thirsty has run main track Beyers that are simply quicker than these. 2-Fine Irish Morning shortens back up to a sprint while making his second start at today’s reduced level. The gelding flashed speed and tired badly going a mile in the last over at Los Al, but he came back to work a sharp bullet five panels on Oct. 8. He deserves another chance on the turnback. K Racing’s 6-He’s Got Fire makes career start number eight today and has had several close-up finishes at this $12,500 maiden claiming level. The gelding is hard to endorse for a win, however.
Race #7: Selections: 5-8-7
5-Daring Pursuit has been freshened since her maiden-breaking grass score on Aug. 9 for the Blacker barn and has worked well on the Santa Anita synthetic for her first crack at winners. 8-Dea Matrona (Fr) has been a popular commodity at the claiming box, snagged out of that last three while winning all three of those one-mile turf tries from off the pace. The 5-year-old mare steps up again for conditioner Peter Eurton this afternoon looking for her fourth straight. 7-Lanilla has hit the board in six of seven lifetime tries for Cerin and makes her third start off the bench today off a near miss Aug. 27. The daughter of English Channel should relish today’s 1 ¼-mile journey.
Race #8: Selections: 9-10-4
An extremely wide-open scramble to kick off the $5 late double featuring juvenile 2-year-old $20k maiden claiming fillies. 9-Chachacha Ching takes a sizable class plunge this afternoon for Knapp, which makes this daughter of Stay Thirsty an immediate threat here. 10-Lucky Tammy (by Tamarando) is a firster from the Dean Pederson barn, which is 5-for-19 (26%) with a positive ROI with maiden-claiming debut runners overall the past four years. 4-Fiery Tiger (by Smiling Tiger) debuts for trainer Brian Koriner off a steady work tab and need not have to be much to win at first asking this afternoon. Smiling Tiger gets an ordinary 11% with his 2-year-old debuting prodigy, and Koriner is 1-for-12 (8%) with maiden claiming firsters the past five years.
Race #9: Selections: 9-3-5
9-Zakiel has plenty of grass pedigree on both sides to suggest he’ll handle today’s switch to turf perfectly for trainer Peter Eurton, and the gray 3-year-old gelding has shown ability in all three starts thus far. He goes second time blinkers off consecutive runner-up man-track finishes and fired a sharp “best of 35” bullet synthetic four furlongs in :46.1 on Oct. 11. 3-Columnist hasn’t been out in nine months for trainer Tim Yakteen but has been working steadily for an excellent layoff barn, and all three turf route tries have been solid. 5-Soul Force was an even seventh on debut Aug. 8 and has been absent since, with a trainer scratch Sept. 7. Trainer Leonard Powell is 8-for-37 (22%) with a $3.96 ROI with second-time grass starters the past four years.
