Horse Racing

By Richard Eng

Post Time 12:30 p.m.

Race 1 – 1 mile, Purse $23,000, Maiden claiming $30,000, Fillies, 3-year-olds

6 Silver Luna – Easy choice facing a very slow group; has shown incremental improvement with each start.

5 Good Acktress – No jockey puts a horse into a race like P Val; suspect he’ll try and outfox the favorite.

Long Shot – 4 Real Rockport

Race 2 – 7 furlongs, Purse $16,000, Claiming $8,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

2 Lost Prophet – Sharp winning favorite last time out; she has enough back class where a repeat race is very doable.

8 Forty Dates – Don’t mind the parking lot post; mare can clock the speed inside of her and grind hard late.

Long Shot – 6 Twodollarstowin

Race 3 – 1 mile, Purse $19,000, Maiden claiming $20,000, 4-year-olds and up

1 Preferred Behavior – Huge rider switch to P Val for the money shot; like the subtle turn back in distance.

2 Em Z Em – Taking the biggest class drop in racing from MSW to maiden claiming; need not be much to compete.

Long Shot – 4 Sophomoric Venture

Race 4 – 1 mile (turf, rail at 15 feet), Purse $38,000, Claiming $40,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

3 Van Brit – Beaten favorite gets a rider switch to P Val; suspect he’ll try to get into position early on.

6 Samba School – Tepid chalk in a wide-open affair; claimed by the maestro Jerry Hollendorfer from Mike Mitchell.

Long Shot – 9 Russian River

Race 5 – 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $25,000, Claiming $20,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

7 Fairway Road – Taking a huge class drop to face a much easier task; like the rider switch to Joel Rosario.

2 Ultra Awesome – Claimed by Rafael Becerra, a very underrated trainer; her win two back makes her competitive tonight.

Long Shot – 3 She’s Very Rare

Race 6 – 6 furlongs, Purse $56,000, Optional claiming $40,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

6 Word Association – Her strength is her consistency; she rarely runs a bad race and clearly fits with these.

4 Park Time Luck – Claimed by Jack Carava, among many underrated trainers in SoCal; key is his hiring of Rafael Bejarano.

Long Shot – 2 Marrymeonemoretime

Race 7 – 1 mile, Purse $56,000, Optional claiming $40,000, Fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up

4 Siberian Heart – Sharp win on grass and now switches back to dirt; offers value as she’s won already on a dirt track.

11 Gumption – Figures to draw in off the also eligible list; third start off a 10-month sabbatical.

Long Shot – 3 Makoma

Race 8 – 6 1/2 furlongs (turf, rail at 15 feet), $100,000 Sensational Star Handicap, Cal-breds, 4-year-olds and up

9 Amazombie – He has proven his mettle now over dirt or turf; won’t matter to him if there is a surface switch.

8 Cayambe – Chased the chalk in last, but has the moxie to improve tonight; won under Rafael Bejarano two races ago.

Long Shot – 7 Colgan’s Chip

Race 9 – 7 furlongs, Purse $54,000, Maiden special weights, Fillies, 3-year-olds

8 Eden Star – Kentucky invader has black type when second in the grade 2 Pocahantas; that race would pulverize these.

5 Spectacular Sky – Tepid chalk was a beaten 3/5 odds favorite in last; flattered when Kilograme won next out.

Long Shot – 6 Love Theway Youare

Best Bet – 9 Amazombie (race 8)

Santa Anita Park Saturday – Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 16/7/$41.20; Long Shots, 6/1/$17.40; Best Bet, 1/0/$0

Santa Anita Park Totals – 655/186/$1,176.70; Long Shots, 329/46/$455.20; Best Bets, 38/16/$65.50

SIMULCAST PICK OF THE DAY – 1 Wear The Crown (6/1) in race 9 at Gulfstream Park. For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Saturday, Oh Carole ran out at Gulfstream Park. Stats – 37/28/$229.10