Analysis & Selections By: Dean Keppler @Keppskorner
BEST BET: 8-Green Carrera (GB) (Race 9)
Race #1: Selections: 8-2-7
A vet scratch Oct. 17, 8-Dhitjari (GB) drops from $50k to $30,000 off the Aug. 16 Peter Miller claim and shows up with blinkers this afternoon as a first-time gelding. The 4-year-old stretches back out and switches to Hernandez, seeking a competitive level since arriving Stateside. 2-Beyond Stoked moves inside and drops in for a career-low claiming tag today after facing considerably better for the Papaprodromou barn in recent turf routes. 7-Dynodave was noticeably flat in last pair over at Del Mar but was a good second there three back and a 17-1 upset winner over this grass course three-back. Perhaps the class relief and change of venue can help this colt get back to his winning ways in a tricky Sunday afternoon opener.
Race #2: Selections: 1-5-6
1-Wishes to Riches battled early for the lead at Los Al before tiring and folding badly in the stretch, before being eased up. The route main-track experiment didn’t go well, but the 5-year-old mare is shortening back to 5 ½ furlongs here and figures to be hustled along from the fence by Kimura. 5-Busy Making Munny scampered away to a game 1 ¾-length score on Oct. 10, co-topping the field’s best last-out Beyer (62), and a repeat is certainly within reach. 6-Running Super finished a troubled trip fourth at Del Mar back on Aug. 16 and can improve here with a better journey for Cerin. A pair of runners have returned from that 5 ½-furlong main-track event to win.
Race #3: Selections: 7-6-2
7-Bo Diddley goes turf-to-dirt and makes start number seven this afternoon for Team O’Neill. The gray Grazen colt has run a couple of main-track sprint tries that make him a win candidate here for red-hot barn. A beaten favorite last time, 6-Proud Daniel has flashed speed and tired in both career efforts for trainer Jorge Periban, and now drops again with blinkers. The Stay Thirsty juvenile may prove tough to reel in at this reduced level in the all-important third start. 2-Simple Majority ran one of his better races last time out, stumbling badly at the start, spotting the field about two lengths, and then rallying for a safe second at 29-1 on Sept. 25.
Race #4: Selections: 8-7-4
There’s a Two-Day Pick Six Carryover of $109,519 that begins here. 8-Dats Ms. Blame just missed winning three of her last four when coming up a nose shy in last on Sept. 13 in a game runner-up try over at Los Al. This jockey-trainer combo has been a tough combo this current Santa Anita stand. 7-Dealers Special has done most of his racing on turf with only two dirt tries, but drops in class today and trained swiftly over the Santa Anita main surface in the a.m., including a “best of 54” bullet four-furlong time of: 46.3 on Oct. 16. 4-Desert Kat goes two sprints to a route, exiting a Sept. 25 game gate-to-wire win. Whether this 3-year-old gelding can replicate that field’s best last-out (75) Beyer at a mile remains to be seen.
Race #5: Selections: 2-5-11
2-Little King rallied for second when switched to grass in last for the Papaprodromou barn and is a logical win threat again with a similar effort. Rispoli is back for the return mount. A beaten favorite in the last pair, 5-Chiseled in Stone has run well in all three turf sprint starts with two seconds and a third and is a logical fit again for Knapp. The Stanford colt was behind the top choice in last. 11-Morning Glass goes dirt to turf in start number three for trainer Ed Freeman and is improving. A hint of turf pedigree might produce another progressive forward move for this gelding, with a red-hot pilot aboard.
Race #6: Selections: 2-6-1
2-Catfish Cory scampered away to a 6 ¾-length maiden romp on Sept. 25 for trainer Steve Miyadi on the class drop and looks well-suited for his first crack at winners. Kimura sticks here and also rode recent maiden winner 6-Club Fighter for conditioner Craig Lewis. This Clubhouse Ride juvenile got his nose down at the wire for the 13-1 upset win back on Aug. 23 at Del Mar and has been training steadily since then. Hernandez takes over the riding assignment. 1-Jonny’s Cap was overmatched in the Aug. 7 Graduation S. at Del Mar on Aug. 7, but drops back down in class today and was a runaway winner with a field’s best (59) Beyer at Los Al two-back with his maiden victory. The Jorge Peroban-trained gelding will beat these if he can run back to that figure.
Race #7: Selections: 9-7-5
9-The Gray Wolf ran a bang-up second at 21-1 on debut Oct. 2 over the Santa Anita main track and now switches to turf in start number two. By Grade 1 winning turf sire Halladay, the surface switch should be a welcome addition for the Ryan Hanson-trained gelding. 7-Sirnami drops in for a first-time tag off several close-up Maiden Special Weight turf sprint finishes for conditioner Leonard Powell, and this gelding’s last pair of grass Beyers make him an immediate win threat. 5-He’s Proof of Joy showed good early speed through some taxing early splits before tiring and fading to finish a well-beaten seventh on Oct. 10 behind Sirnami but can improve with the class relief and drop into maiden claimers.
Race #8: Selections: 2-5-9
A beaten short-priced favorite in the last three starts, 2-Whynotanotherone broke through in a big way three-back but was disqualified for interference and has followed up that misfortune with back-to-back runner-up finishes. The 3-year-old gelded son of Midshipman has run the fastest main-track Beyers in this field and looks to have found a $20k maiden claiming field he can handle again. 5-Sigma Boy was well behind the top choice in last but finished ahead of a trio of returning rivals who are back in this spot. The Baffert-trained 9-Lank drops from Maiden Special Weight into Maiden Claimers after a dull effort when breaking slowly off a year layoff on Oct. 10. He goes second time Lasix this afternoon.
Race #9: Selections: 8-11-3
8-Green Carrera (GB) rallied to just miss the show spot in an encouraging Stateside try for trainer Joseph O’Brien in the Del Mar Oaks (G1) back on Aug. 22, and now drops into this much softer spot in start number two for new conditioner Leonard Powell. The 3-year-old daughter of Lope de Vega should be a handful with that race under her belt and a better break against this softer group. The day’s Best Bet as Rispoli sticks here. 11-Somerset West must negotiate a tricky outside post this afternoon but has won three straight, including back-to-back Grade 2 events at Kentucky Downs and Del Mar for Sadler, both sprinting and routing at robust odds (19-1 & 35-1). The filly to beat again despite the outside draw. 3-Memorized drove clear off a long 10-month layoff on Aug. 9 at Del Mar in a sharp return try for trainer Phil D’Amato, and this daughter of Tapit steps up to face stakes foes with plenty of potential upside. She changes barns and now goes out for Peter Eurton.
