Santa Anita Race 1: Post: 12:30 PT Grade: C
Main Ticket: Benster
Backups: 1-Thirst for Passion.

Forecast: Five of the seven entrants in the Friday opener exit the same race, so there’s not much we can do with it. Benster has been knocking on the door and appears to have finally found a field of older maiden state-bred fillies and mares that she should beat. However, her numbers are ordinary, so the S. Callaghan-trained daughter of I’ll Have Another rates top billing pretty much by default. There’s little wagering value available at her morning line of 8/5, so this may be a race to steer clear of.


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Santa Anita Race 2: Post: 1:03 PT Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 8-Discrepancy; 5-Falabella.
Backups: 4-City Glitter.

Forecast: Discrepancy was eliminated at the break before rallying as best she could when a distant, non-threatening third in a much tougher starter optional claiming dash on New Year’s Day, so today she drops for the money run while landing the favorable outside draw. She’s good enough to win with her best race and should have no excuses. Falabella outran our top pick at 24-1 two races back when they met at Los Alamitos, and in a field lacking zip she could do it again. The lightly raced daughter of English Channel was out footed in a subsequent mixed breed dash, but this group certainly appears to be within her scope.


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Santa Anita Race 3: Post: 1:34 PT Grade: X
Main Ticket: Grubauer
Backups: none.

Forecast: Grubauer seeks his fourth straight win and should be a very short price to extend his streak. The Tim McCanna-trained gelding may be challenged early but he’s a versatile type that can lead, press, stalk, or pounce and his rider knows him well. You can make the son of Frosted a rolling exotic single, but he’ll be odds-on and not offer any value, so this race looks like a good one to sit out.


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Santa Anita Race 4: Post: 2:04 PT Grade: C
Main Ticket: 2-Nephele; 5-Robin’s Tough Love.
Backups: none.

Forecast: Here’s another heavy favorite that looks logical but most likely will be unplayable due to having burned money as the heavy chalk in each of her last four starts. Nephele was well clear of the rest when runner-up at this same maiden $12,500 level at Pleasanton last time out but the speed figure was slow and disappointing. She’s a first time Lasix user, so maybe that will make a difference. We’re a tad intrigued by the S. Miyadi-trained first timer A Ryder’s Trick, though we haven’t seen any video of her in the morning, so we’re largely guessing. The listed 1:00 3/5 drill here Jan. 25 doesn’t look half bad on paper. Tread lightly.

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Santa Anita Race 5: Post: 2:34 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: Lady Gregory; 6-Can’t Sleep
Backups: 1-Miz Clubcali.

Forecast: Lady Gregory has finished in the frame in her last six starts and narrowly missed in a similar first level allowance (and already productive) turf sprint when second (beaten a head) over the local lawn last time out. Significantly, it was her first start since joining the J. Mullins barn and it produced a career top speed figure, one that if repeated today should be good enough to handle this task. Can’t Sleep, off the bench for C. Gaines, ran two good races over this course and distance last spring, including a debut maiden win that tells us she can fire fresh. She’s a tad shy in the speed figure department when compared to our top pick but could easily be a better type this time around. The recent work tab looks healthy, so we suspect she’s fit and ready. The presence of leading rider J. Hernandez doesn’t hurt, either.


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Santa Anita Race 6: Post: 3:05 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: Smokem Ez ; 4-Battle Cruiser
Backups: 9-Travel the Map; 11-Bowtie Boys

Forecast: Here’s a deep and reasonably competitive restricted (nw-3) $16,000 claiming main track miler for older horses that requires a bit of a spread in rolling exotic play. Smokem Ez, the logical top pick based on speed figures, returns to his preferred surface (dirt) and claiming level and is properly spotted after being pitched too high in a first-level allowance turf affair in his most recent start last month. His rider knows him well and should have this four year old gelding in the second flight to the head of lane and then have every chance from there. Battle Cruiser easily handled a soft maiden $20,000 field at Los Alamitos in a confidence building win and has trained very well since, so he may be on the upgrade, though on numbers he’s far short of what will be needed to beat our top pick. These are the two on our top line but all four listed above including the two backups should be used somewhere on your ticket.


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Santa Anita Race 7: Post: 3:06 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: Ultimate Hy; 9-Sassy Prancelot.
Backups: 3-Nanci Griffith.

Forecast: Ultimate Hy doesn’t win too often (she’s 3-for-23) but her recent form is sharp, and she’s always been at her best at this one mile distance. She’s particularly fond of the Santa Anita lawn and is reunited with “win rider” U. Rispoli, and while she doesn’t have a great turn of foot the eight year old mare should find herself within striking range throughout and be able to grind out a win close home. Sassy Prancelot is drawn a bit farther out than we’d prefer but she’s a lightly raced newly turned four year old with upside most of the others don’t. She’s never actually been in front in her seven prior starts, but our pace projection says she could inherit the role as the controlling speed if such a strategy is employed. Given that type of trip, she may never look back.


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Santa Anita Race 8: Post: 4:07 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: March of Time
Backups: 2-Tessuto.

Forecast: March of Time, the 6/5 morning line favorite, earned a giant number in his recent comeback win in just his second career start and first outing in more than a year when he graduated in a fast and productive dash over the local main track in late December. This group is tougher but should be well within his range with a forward move, or even if he merely repeats his last outing. Though he’s facing considerably more early heat today, the B. Baffert-trained son of Justify projects to enjoy a similar type of stalking trip (perhaps this time from the second flight rather than as a presser) and then - if he’s all that he’s cracked up to be - go on with it when ready.


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Santa Anita Race 9: Post: 4:38 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: Zalamo; 8-Rastaman Vibe; 3-Presider.
Backups: none.

Forecast: Zalamo has good, consistent form and solid recent numbers, making him a major player in this starter allowance turf miler for older horses. He’s a bit of a one-paced grinder, which explains in part why he’s winless in eight starts since being imported from France, but he was well clear of the rest when runner-up in a similar spot over this course and distance last month and not much more will be needed for him to break on through. Rastaman Vibe, third in the same race our top pick exits, employs a similar stalking, grinding style and projects to be in the fray throughout and have every chance. Presider should be quite competitive throughout, perhaps even on the front end, as he was when wiring a starter allowance field on this course at this trip last month. It was a career effort for the T. Yakteen-trained gelding, and with another forward move he could be capable of repeating in this slightly tougher spot.


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