Santa Anita Race 1: Post: 11:30 PT Grade: A-
Main Ticket: 7-No Bad Beats; 3-Pam and Tina (Ire).
Backups: none.

Forecast: Although she was beaten at 40 cents on the dollar and saw her Beyer speed figure drop 17 points from a very promising debut performance, No Bad Beats likely will be a very short price favorite again in this six furlong turf sprint for maiden sophomore fillies. She’s clearly the quickest in the field, and with the switch to the lawn the daughter of Midnight Storm looks very likely to wire the field. A healthy work tab since raced adds fuel to the belief that she will bounce back in a big way. Pam and Tina ran better than the line will show in her debut and seems certain to produce a forward move. With a race under her belt and an extra furlong to work with, the Irish-bred filly will be doing her best work late, and if our top pick is unable to see out the trip, this P. D’Amato-trained filly will be heard from in the final furlong. We’ve got the best speed and the best closer on our top line and we’ll be surprised if the winner isn’t one or the other.


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Santa Anita Race 2: Post: 12:03 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 2-Broadway Tiger; Morning Addiction.
Backups: 5-Lady Sermon; 3-Eyelight.

Forecast: Broadway Tiger plummets in class seeking her proper level and may have found her friends in this starter allowance abbreviated main track sprint for Pleasanton-based runners. In the frame in 14 of 17 career starts, the daughter of Smiling Tiger projects to be within striking range throughout, and with back speed figures that are sufficient to win at this level she seems the logical top pick. J. Hernandez picks up the mount, so you know she’ll get plenty of play. Morning Addiction has won over this track in the past and returns to a winnable level after being overmatched last time out. She might have the most zip in the field and if she can shake loose early, the daughter of Carpe Diem might roll all the way to the wire.


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Santa Anita Race 3: Post: 12:35 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: 4-Canto Della Terra (Ire); 7-Authentic Grace
Backups: 1-Headstrong Ways; 2-Sunglow.

Forecast: Canto Della Terra brings with her some valuable experience from Ireland in this split of the first race, a turf sprint for 3-year-old fillies. She was a respectable second in her first two outings last summer in good maiden company and then wound up fifth of 22 (beaten just over three lengths) in a valuable restricted auction sales stakes at The Curragh to complete her juvenile campaign. Now in the P. D’Amato barn, the daughter of Kodiac attracts F. Prat and gets Lasix in her U.S. debut following a string of sharp training track drills that should have her plenty fit and ready. We’ll give her the bulk of our play in the various rolling exotics but will also make room on our top line for Authentic Grace, who was given a run routing in her debut at Del Mar in November and will much more serious today shortening up to a sprint while adding Lasix and blinkers. The daughter of Authentic continues to impress in the morning and seems highly likely to produce a significant forward move.


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Santa Anita Race 4: Post: 1:05 PT Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 1-Why Behave; 3-Soul of a Warrior.
Backups: 9-Run for My Honey.

Forecast: Why Behave seems likely to enjoy a front running or pace stalking trip from her rail post and should take full advantage of the situation in her first outing since mid-November. She’s back at her winning level, has won over this track and distance in the past, and shows a very healthy work pattern to have her primed and ready. She’s probably most effective on the front end but has stalked and pounced successfully in the past, so the option is there if necessary. Stablemate Soul of a Warrior was even money when facing our top pick in her last outing here in late September but wound last of six, beaten 14 lengths in a poor performance. She adds blinkers, an equipment change that seems a bit strange since she’s worn them twice in the past without any success. It’s always difficult to handicap with confidence when a trainer can choreograph the pace situation if he wants to, so our best advice is to tread lightly.

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Santa Anita Race 5: Post: 1:37 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 2-Rose Dawson
Backups: 6-Song of Shadows; 4-Ivory Moon; 5-Tom’s Little Angel

Forecast: Rose Dawson seems logically spotted in this $32,000 claiming turf sprint for older fillies and mares. A closing third over this course and distance as the favorite when last seen during the fall meeting, the P. D’Amato-trained mare shows a recent bullet breeze at Los Alamitos to indicate fitness, retains top rider J. Hernandez, and should be capable of delivering a strong late kick. She’s a stakes placed winner in excess of $300,000, so maybe somebody will claim her as a broodmare. The three listed above as backups all have legitimate looks if ‘Dawson fails to fire and should be on your ticket somewhere if your budget allows.


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Santa Anita Race 6: Post: 2:07 PT Grade: C
Main Ticket: 4-I’m Still in It; 2-Affair; 6-Blue Fashion.
Backups: none.

Forecast: I’m Still in It has just average speed figures for this level and has burned money in each of her last three races, so she’s definitely not one to trust, but the daughter of Empire Maker is one of three that appear capable of winning this soft maiden $20,000 extended sprint for fillies and mares and has finished in the frame in her last four starts, so if nothing else, she’s due. Affair is a “must use” based on numbers and could go favored. She flashed improvement when dropped to this level last fall at Del Mar over a mile and she backs up to seven furlongs today in what might prove to be her preferred trip. Blue Fashion drops to a realistic level and has grass numbers that are fast enough to win, but there is no assurance she can repeat them on dirt. She’s already had 11 chances and the barn rarely wins, but in this league anything goes.


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Santa Anita Race 7: Post: 2:37 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: 4-Triple Diamonds; 2-Frank Bullitt.
Backups: none.

Forecast: Triple Diamonds scored handsomely at first asking in mid-November at Del Mar, earned a solid number, and had the form franked with the colt he beat returned to graduate yesterday. The son of Sir Prancealot almost certainly will improve with experience, has today’s extra furlong to work with, and the M. Glatt barn has very strong stats across the board with this kind of runner in this kind of race. On pure numbers, Frank Bullitt is the fastest horse in the field, but his recent victory was accomplished on dirt at Los Alamitos. How he’ll run today on turf is a question mark, though it should be noted that offspring of Grazen run on anything. We’ll be quite surprised if the winner isn’t one of these two.


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Santa Anita Race 8: Post: 3:07 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: 6-Cavalieri; 1-Alpha Bella
Backups: none.

Forecast: Cavalieri puts her unbeaten (in two starts) streak on the line while moving into tougher company into today’s edition of the La Canada S.-G2. We’re expecting the B. Baffert-trained filly to be up to the task. Scratched out of the La Brea S.-G1 on opening day Dec. 31 (she didn’t work back until nine days later), the daughter of Nyquist has looked fine in her two most recent breezes, and she projects to enjoy an ideal pace stalking trip and then have every chance to seal the deal from the quarter pole home. The one she has to run past is Alpha Bella, the likely controlling speed adding blinkers (she’s worn them before) and exiting four successive graded stakes races, placing in her last two since being shipped from the East. On pure numbers she’s a tad faster than our top pick and lands F. Prat, so if you think she’ll wind up the chalk you might not be wrong, though local punters might be getting a bit weary of backing J. Sadler-trained favorites so far this meeting.


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Santa Anita Race 9: Post: 3:37 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: 6-Toupie
Backups: 1-Just Nails; 4-Lauine (Gr.); 9-Miss Lizzy.

Forecast: Toupie won convincingly in gate-to-wire style over this course and distance during the fall meeting when capturing the Unzip Me Stakes, but she may have to employ stalk and pounce tactics today, what with the presence of the very quick Hamwood Flier in the field. No matter, the G. Motion-trained daughter of Uncle Mo has won that way in the past, so regular pilot F. Prat can assess the likely pace flow soon after the break and then pick a strategy. First or second in six of 10 career starts, she’s genuine, consistent, and versatile and just recently arrived from the East for a barn that can ship and win with the best of them. She’ll be the main push in our rolling exotics, though those who can afford to have some protection should consider the three listed on our second line for backup roles.


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Santa Anita Race 10: Post: 4:07 PT Grade: A-
Main Ticket: 4-Halone.
Backups: 7-Ultimate Authority.

Forecast: Halone annihilated a maiden field in her first try around two turning on dirt at Del Mar in late November while leaving her previous three race sprint resume far behind. The number she earned was at the graded stakes level, so anything close to it today makes her the winner right back in this first level allowance main track miler. She’s a bit late to the party at age four, but the daughter of Justify almost certainly will wind up being well worth the wait. At 6/5 on the morning line, she won’t offer much value on the tote but can be used as a logical rolling exotic single.


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Santa Anita Race 11: Post: 4:37 PT Grade: A
Main Ticket: 4-Fairlyfondofyou
Backups: none.

Forecast: This is a below average field of state bred maiden 3-year-olds competing over a mile on grass, save for one. Fairlyfondofyou has done some superior work leading up to his racing debut and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him compete in California-bred stakes races in the near future. First things first though, and that’s breaking his maiden, which we expect the M. Glatt-trained colt to do today. Bred for grass and distance (Mr. Big), he’s been given the type of foundation that almost assuredly has him sufficiently fit for a top effort, and with F. Prat taking the call he’ll more than likely get hammered at the window.


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