Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, CA
Race 7, Optional Claiming First-level Allowance, 1 mile, turf, 3 yr. old, Purse: $58K
Race 8, Maiden Claiming, 6.5F, 3 yr. old and up, Fillies and Mares, Purse: $23K
It’s the Friday Night Late Double from Santa Anita Park! I’ll take a look a both races with an eye toward a value-oriented double ticket.
Race 7:
A group of six three-year old turf colts go for the first level allowance condition. The favorite is Quotient (#3, 6/5) returning to allowance company after decent showings in two turf stakes. His most recent was in the G2 American Turf, where he finished a respectable 3rd. I’ll Wrap It Up (#4, 7/2) rates very well for the O’Neil barn. This horse seems primed for a big effort, with the added distance and third start off the layoff. The very capable Elvis Trujillo is aboard. An improvement is needed, but likely. If he improves, he’s equal with Quotient. Texas Ryano (#5, 3/1) returns for Carla Gaines. Favored at this condition in February, he’d likely need to improve significantly to win. The remaining horses seem a bit overmatched by these three, and especially the top 2.
Contenders:
- Quotient — Fair odds = 7/5
- I’ll Wrap It Up — Fair odds = 5/2
- Texas Ryano — Fair odds = 6/1
Race 8:
Seven maiden fillies go for a slightly longer than usual sprint. This tends to favor pressers, but usually the best horse wins at this level. The key, of course, is finding the best horse among a crowd of usual pretenders. L X Sunrise (#4, 8/5) ran lights out last time after a bad start. You have to wonder, however, if that took something out of her. A repeat of that effort is unlikely, but she still may be fast enough to win. Queen Mad (#6, 5-1) rates well. She’s slowly been rounding into form and is fast enough on her best day to win here. Quinonez gets the mount again. I expect her to be a decent price. Coconut Cream Pie (#2, 9/5) returns to the dirt after a long failed turf campaign. Given her four seconds and combined with her preference for turf, I don’t expect a winning effort from her here. Editor’s Cut (#5, 3/1) is likely too slow on the dirt. The rest are all big longshots.
Contenders:
- Queen Mad — Fair odds = 2/1
- LX Sunrise — Fair odds = 5/2
- Coconut Cream Pie — Fair Odds = 8/1
- Editor’s Cut — Fair Odds = 6/1
Playing the Double:
It’s tough to predict the double probables, so I’ll be live tweeting about it during the 7th race tonight. I likely will play Quotient and I’ll Wrap it Up in combinations to Queen Mad. I’ll likely dutch the bets some, but not too much — I want to live well if I’ll Wrap It Up and Queen Made come in.
See you tonight at 8:50 p.m. ET on twitter @alldayracing for coverage of the Late Double from Santa Anita.