Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner
BEST BET: 3-Marcos Performance (Race 9)
Race #1: Selections: 4-3-5
All five newly turned 3-year-old fillies add Lasix in the Monday holiday card opener. It is tough to separate the top pair. 4-Training Good rallied wide for the place spot at 41-1 when last seen on Nov. 14 at Del Mar and has seen her Beyers improve with each subsequent start for conditioner Antonio Garcia. 3-Coyote Cafe finished behind the top choice in last when third, co-toping the field’s best last-out turf Beyer. The daughter of Grazen has also seen her figures improve with each start. 5-Adia goes two sprints to a route after flashing speed and tiring in her most recent effort. A runner-up on debut, this daughter of City of Light could potentially bounce back this afternoon, trying two turns.
Race #2: Selections: 5-3-4
The veteran 8-year-old gelding 5-Comedy Town exits an even fifth versus similar on Jan. 2 but now goes second off the claim for trainer George Papaprodromo. This barn is a solid 6 for 23 (26%) with dirt sprint starters second off the acquisition the past five years, and he projects to be on or close to the lead this afternoon. 3-Four O Six Creed was a troubled trip seventh back on Nov. 16, but now returns to six furlongs, where he strung together back-to-back wins two and three back. Mullins is off to a quick start this meet. A beaten favorite in the last pair, 4-Del Mar Jerry has seen his Beyers decline since running a career-best (99) last August, but shortens back up to a sprint today on the quick turnaround.
Race #3: Selections: 2-5-1
2-Arctic Power (Ire) shortens back up to a sprint today for D’Amato while dropping in for a first-time tag. This 4-year-old gelding returns off the mini-freshening, fired back-to-back (71) turf Beyers, and switches to Rispoli, who has a high percentage with this barn’s MDSW to MDCLM turf class droppers. A voided claim in the last pair, 5-Video Review adds blinkers today off the five-month layoff after finishing a disappointing fourth as the odds-on chalk. The Sadler-trained gelded son of Nyquist switches to Hernandez today and has trained well in the interim. 1-Soi Ngern has finished third in seven of eight lifetime starts but makes his second try off the extended layoff and ran well in his comeback effort—flashing good early zip before tiring late. He gets in light again this afternoon, making the second start at today’s $50k claiming tag.
Race #4: Selections: 4-3-1
A multiple winner over the track and distance, 4-Feel the Magic was overmatched when a wide trip seventh in last, but drops in class this afternoon and has run recent dirt Beyers that match up well here. The 5-year-old gelded son of Good Magic projects to get a favorable stalking trip today with jockey Tiago Pereira. 3-Maniatic (Ire) steps up in class off the claim for conditioner Manuel Badilla, exiting a good second 11 days ago. The gelding is reunited with his winning pilot, Mirco Demuro. 1-Leyas Candy has run well in the last pair of starts since being claimed in late August and defeated similar last out on Dec. 5 at Los Al.
Race #5: Selections: 1-4-5
1-Ketonia (Fr) has not been out in over a year for Sadler but has trained smartly for her return to action and has run well over this turf course. The 5-year-old mare ran a career and field’s best grass Beyer (78) before hitting the sidelines and sports the field’s best late pace figure. 4-How Lovely (Ire) goes dirt to turf off the Knapp claim and has run well sprinting on grass in the past. The No Nay Never filly rallied decently for third on Dec. 13 at Los Al, despite breaking through the gate pre-race. 5-Needlepoint (Ire) is winless in a half dozen tries since arriving Stateside, but adds blinkers, making her third try of the form cycle, and is fast enough to clear this field with Ayuso.
Race #6: Selections: 2-1-6
The Sadler-trained 2-Road Rules finished seventh and last when attracting some tote support in his Dec. 14 debut try at Los Al, and now takes a substantial class drop from $50k maiden claimers to today’s $12,500 level. The gelded son of Street Sense can improve with the stretch-out and class plunge. 1-Grandisimo has yet to hit the board but moves back to the main track, second off the bench, and has been facing considerably better. 6-Stormin Midnight makes start number 11 today but drops in for a career-low tag while making his third try of the form cycle. The 6-year-old maiden sports the field’s best last-out dirt Beyer (57).
Race #7: Selections: 2-4-5
A winner of five of her last seven turf marathon tries, 2-Mrs. Astor is the lone multiple Grade 3 winner in the field and exits a game score in the Red Carpet on Nov. 23 over next-out winner Paradise Lake. The 6-year-old mare does not have a ton of pace to chase today, but is the class of this field for trainer Jonathan Thomas, and she knows where the wire is. The D’Amato-trained 4-Thebestisyettobe steps back up to face stakes competition after rallying nicely despite slow splits in her most recent Del Mar score on Nov. 24. She’s a multiple winner over this grass course. 5-Sakura Blossom is winless since March 2024 but adds blinkers back on today in a pace-less affair and could take these a long way on the lead for trainer Leonard Powell.
Race #8: Selections: 3-6-8
3-Last Call Zondlo is the speed of this field, on the class drop, and exits an 870-yard third-place effort in an allowance event under the lights at Los Al on Dec. 28. The 4-year-old gelding ran well in his lone try over this dirt course, and should prove tough to reel in at this level. 6-Winds of Freedom has hit the board in four of his last five dirt sprint starts and now goes first off the claim for conditioner Steve Knapp. The Stanford gelding is nicely drawn with good positional speed, and this barn is 10 for 46 (22%) with dirt sprint newly acquired purchases at Santa Anita the past five years. The 14-time winner, 9-year-old gelding 8-Howbeit, has had a successful career grinding away in the claiming ranks, banking over $500k in lifetime earnings. He has a steady closing kick and can round out the vertical exotics.
Race #9: Selections: 3-5-6
3-Marcos Performance got his head down at the wire to win the bob in a game victory Jan. 9 for Team Miller and now tries turf looking for a repeat. This 3-year-old gelding is by Cistron, a G1 winner on grass, so the surface change gives him the potential to improve further. The lightly raced 5-Ventry Strand exits back-to-back troubled trips for Sadler and has trained well since last seen sprinting on the turf at Del Mar. The Bolt d’Oro colt will need to work out a clean journey from likely far back. Miller’s other entrant, 6-Mo Holland Drive, has been disappointing in his last three starts but returns as a first-time gelding today with Lasix and did break his maiden over this grass course last fall. Improvement likely.
