Horse racing: today at Santa Anita, May 16

Post Time 3 p.m.

Race 1 - 4 1/2 furlongs, Purse $56,000, Maiden special weights, Cal-breds, 2-year-olds

1 Smooven Square - No barn hotter at this meet than Doug O’Neill; may be a toss up if he’s hotter than the SoCal temperatures.

4 Roper - Sneaky quick pedigree, which is one thing I seek in 2-YO drag races; watch the tote board for additional clues.

Long Shot - 3 Noble Hawk

Race 2 - 6 furlongs, Purse $60,000, Optional claiming $62,500, 3-year-olds and up

4 Seeking the Sherif - Has run 3 fine races since claimed by Ron Ellis; the races are spaced well apart where he shouldn’t bounce.

3 Declassify - Bob Baffert as the favorite, heaven forbid; this fast one returns off the shelf after 8-month hiatus.

Long Shot - 1 Holy Lute

Race 3 - 1 1/16th miles, Purse $32,000, Claiming $25,000, 3-year-olds and up

1 Dress Code - Claimed by Mike Pupye off a beaten favorite effort; has plenty of back class to rebound with a winning performance.

2 Two Is to Many - New York invader is a welcome addition to SoCal; too many SoCal horses have been going the other direction of late.

Long Shot - 4 Bluegrass Reward

Race 4 - 1 mile (turf, rail at 30 feet), Purse $40,000, Claiming $40,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

5 Plaza de Indias - Peter Miller returns her in a no claim protected spot; that is a strong trainer angle as its literally a free shot.

6 Redressthebalance - Logical chalk has run well on turf and has faced some quality opponents; hot Doug O’Neill barn right now too.

Long Shot - 2 Spiced Latte

Race 5 - 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $31,000, Maiden claiming 450,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

6 Not a Love Song - Sliding down the maiden claiming ladder to this easier level; off the turf angle, her race two back is fast enough.

7 Gracie Ragazza - Another sliding down the maiden claiming ladder; faced tougher foes last summer at Del Mar, been working well.

Long Shot - 1 Ryderroo

Race 6 - 6 1/2 furlongs, Purse $19,000, Claiming $10,000, 3-year-olds and up

2 Muchos Besos - Multiple things to like, cut back in distance, big class drop; the favorite has back class to repeat a winning race.

4 Carbonite - I’m a big fan of Robertino Diodoro; doesn’t matter if it’s in SoCal or Turf Paradise, his horses run and run well.

Long Shot - 6 Half Dome Dude

Race 7 - 6 1/2 furlongs (turf, rail at 30 feet), Purse $58,000, Optional claiming $20,000, Cal-breds, 3-year-olds and up

2 Boozer - Lost for the first time down the hill as a 1/2 chalk; has tactical speed to sit off the speed and kick it in late.

5 Star Rocker - Speedy sort is another who will like the turf rail out 30 feet; won his first race down the hill last time out.

Long Shot - 8 My Slew

Race 8 - 5 1/2 furlongs, Purse $19,000, Maiden claiming $20,000, Fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up

4 Getaway Keys - This race is so ugly, I expect a FTS to win it; Peter Miller is very capable of popping the gate with a fast one.

1 Hollywood Producer - FTS from Walther Solis barn; does not need to be much, so watch the tote board for additional clues.

Long Shot - 9 Fair Praise

Best Bet - 2 Boozer (race 7)

Santa Anita Park Thursday - Picks/Winners/Mutuels, 18/6/$27.00; Long Shots, 9/0/$0; Best Bet, 1/1/$4.20

Santa Anita Park Totals - 190/51/$308.80; Long Shots, 92/9/$102.80; Best Bets, 11/3/$9.80

SIMULCAST PLAY OF THE DAY - #9 Fortune Pearl (12/1) in race 10 at Pimlico. For scoring purposes, we’ll make a hypothetical $2 win, place and show bet, $6 total. On Sunday, Amira’s Prince ran out at Aqueduct. Stats - 76/43/$397.20; Follow him on Twitter: @richeng4propick