The late Robert J. “Bobby” Frankel trained eight winners in the turf stakes race named after him during a Hall of Fame career. The 57th running of the 1-1/8-mile race previously known as the San Gorgonio Handicap will take place this Friday, Dec. 27, during opening weekend of Santa Anita’s Winter Meet. The $100,000 test for fillies and mares is part of a 50-cent Late Pick 4 sequence that shapes up this way:

SA 6th race (5:32 p.m. EST) -- VANZZY runs for the cheapest claiming price of his illustrious career, but the $415k earner with a 31/7-4-3 record has won only once in 12 starts dating back to March 2022. He was no match for 4-to-5 pace setter Leyas Candy in a $16,000 claimer at one mile on a day when five winners went wire-to-wire at Los Alamitos. He’s likely to be targeting SOUL OF MIDNIGHT, who was no threat in a pair of recent 5-1/2F sprints in which his rivals were a combined 11/3-2-3 in their next start.

SA 7th race (6:04 p.m. EST) -- HANG THE MOON, the lone entrant to win at the Frankel Stakes 1-1/8-mile distance, is 2-for-2 on the Santa Anita lawn and rallied to win back-to-back Grade 2 stakes before she took an unsuccessful shot in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup FM Turf. She might not get the same pace to rally into as she did in winning the 1-1/4-mile Rodeo Drive, but she’s not facing a field that produced the likes of Be Your Best, who won back-to-back Grade 3 turf routes on the front end, not to mention four other rivals who averaged a 90 Beyer in their next stakes run. And, perhaps, HANG THE MOON, will be closer to the early pace off a :57-1/5 bullet workout on Santa Anita’s synthetic track last Saturday. Trainer Jonathan Thomas sends out a formidable 1-2-3 punch of RASHIMI, MRS. ASTOR and MOUFFY, whose styles complement each other. RASHIMI won 3 of her last 4 starts by a combined 12-3/4 lengths. She controlled the pace in a one-mile allowance at Santa Anita and could do so again, albeit taking a major step up in class. MOUFFY needs all the pace she can get to duplicate four winning rallies on the turf, two by a neck, one by a head and one by a length. MRS. ASTOR rallied to win the Grade 3 Red Carpet at Del Mar but benefited from the extra quarter-mile in that race. She’s 0-for-4 at today’s distance but finished in the money each time.

SA 8th race (6:46 p.m. EST) -- The road to the Maiden Special Weight winners’ circle always goes through trainer Bob Baffert, who is 57-for-183 with first-time starters the last three years at average odds of less than 2-1. COOEY, fresh off a 1:00-3/5 gate work at Santa Anita last Friday, carries the barn’s hopes today. She is by Girvin, a 19-percent sire with debut 2-year-olds, and out of the dam Secret Song, who produced three first-out winners from five starters. But with short-priced favorites on the Pick 4 ticket already, add a few other runners in Leg C. SCUSI worked faster than COOEY last Friday in her final debut tune-up. Her trainer, Mark Glatt, won with his last two first-time starters at Del Mar, both at 7-1 odds. SURF SONG broke last from the rail in his debut, advanced steadily into second behind the 2-to-5 pace setter on the turn, but tired in the stretch under a hard drive. She cuts back to a short sprint, sheds the blinkers and lures top jockey Flavien Prat.

SA 9th race (7:16 p.m. EST) -- Seven of the nine entrants who drew into this California-bred turf allowance posted Beyer speed figures in the low 80s within their last two starts, most at today’s one-mile distance. BIG GEORGE, DON’T FIGHT THE FED and BRAZENLY have been trading punches in the same spot in races that graded strong overall based on follow-up results. No matter, hit the ‘ALL’ button in the final leg in hopes that the Pick 4 ticket is alive.

Suggested 50-Cent Ticket
SA 6th Race: 3, 4
SA 7th Race: 7
SA 8th Race: 1, 3, 5, 6
SA 9th Race: ALL
Cost: $36