Santa Anita for Sunday 16 October 2016
Best of luck as always! Be back with you on Thursday.
race 1 Â Â average clarity
3 Â Untouchable U Â lone grass race is much better than appears in print.......four year old filly should get a very good trip stalking a very vulnerable leader in the 6 horse sitting 2nd or 3rd and saving ground.......hot rider trainer/combo......training like a happy healthy filly
7  Shazara  runs as if her 1st as far as 1 1/8th will be to her advantage......blocked in latest or would have won her last which was at today's level.......race prior to that she overcame a dull pace up front to come from dead last to win.....hard not to see her closing fast once again
1  Lily Kai  needs ample time between starts and didn't get it in her last which was predictably dull.....gets it today and gets it with a rider change to Bejarano who has fit this filly well in the past
2 Â Zip N Bayou
race 2 Â Â above average clarity
2  Desert Madam  3 straight impressive wins since Spawr claimed this five year old mare and all with Baze aboard......and sure appears to be the controlling speed of the race
5  Enduring Erin  best races have come turf to dirt but that is not the case today.....but the work regiment is impressive and Baltas improved her 1st out following a claim.......seems likely to stalk our top selection from the get go
4  Thermodynamics  very aggressive tightly spaced works put into this filly by Hendricks.....seems pointed for today......not impossible but easy to make as 3rd selection
race 3 Â Â average clarity
6  My Prince Harry  very strong better than par move forward in latest.....1st at a route with a pedigree good enough to handle one although if this was a sprint graduation day would be much more likely
5  Uninvited  very consistent route efforts on the dirt in 2016......but......he sure has had trouble going by the last horse or two to win.....needs to get over the tendency to hang.......maybe a rider upgrade will help
1  Top of the Game  sure like the blinkers off for today as the last time he raced without them he popped his lifetime best at CD in June........and we get a major league rider upgrade
3 Â Beaslenut
race 4 Â Â below average clarity
6  Flowinwiththebreez  laid up speed type sure appears to be wound up like a top in the a.m. and ready to unwind a strong effort fresh off of the bench in the p.m........not crazy about a low percentage seldom used jock getting the call but it concerns me less with a speed horse
4  Warren's Super Cat  by far (and seemingly needs) at her best racing at six furlongs (3 1 2 0).....jock and the trainer could use a win and might get one here with this off pace mare who is 1 for 1 at SA at 6F
5  Aiming Straight  laid up since late July but drops to the lowest level of her career.......might inherit the lead if our top choice falters on the lead.....filly owns 3 2nd's in 4 races on the SA dirt
2 Â Myheartsinthecity
race 5Â Â average clarity
5  California Diamond  ultra consistent two year old colt and one hot trainer at the moment in Peter Miller.....and this youngster is the only runner in the field who has shown that he can win from off of the pace
1  Crosscheck Carlos  solid 2nd to our top selection in his latest with a gap of 7 big lengths to 3rd.....and he did it at 6 1/2F from the one hole....and.....coping with the one post at SA is easier at 6F than at  6 1/2F in my estimation
6  Siler Assault  not out of this but needs a clever ride as everyone has solid early speed.......needs to avoid getting caught 3 or more wide.......or needs to take back some which he really hasn't proven he can do like our top section
race 6 Â Â below average clarity
4 Stormy Liberal  cold jock but he has done well with this gelding in races down the SA hill turf course......works scream ready and he best be as the connections are likely to lose their horse by way of the claiming box today.....solid efforts down the hill have led to 2 wins and 2 2nd's in 6 races
6 Wildfire Kid  1st down the SA hill but he runs as if he might be better suited to 6 1/2F of turf than 5F on turf........bug boy struggles on the sod but his one win in 2016 on the green carpet is on this fellow....come on Lindsay on this pricey 2nd pick
5 Rangi  not crazy about the dull recent work with an equipment change to blinkers on......but works aren't everything and if this fellow is still sharp lookout as he is the controlling speed in the race and is often stubborn in the stretch
9Â Chips All In
Long-shot consideration:  12 Bluegrass Bronco  1st time in claiming and the works suggest the barn means business shooting for a win in case they lose the horse.......like the 3 6f works at SA two of which were 112 and change......four year old might have much better endurance today than he often shows
race 7 Â Â average clarity
9 Global Event  $685K buy is in for $20K for 2nd start.....ouch.......works suggest he has a race left in him (maybe) and he can get the owners to the winners circle but unlikely with the big smiles like you usually see.....the kind from Baffert you can consider supporting at the windows but you would never want to claim
10 Marvelous Max  obviously a bad claim by Sadler as he is in for 20K less than he was snatched for 2 months ago but he still appears next in line for the win if Baffert's horse fails to get the job done
12 Little Mustard  the epitome of a hanger has never been sharper.....maybe the Hall of Fame hands of Desormeaux can coax him by the last runner in front of him
6Â Resistanceisfutile
Long-shot consideration: 4 Woodstock Memory  moved forward in latest and now changes barns.....and with a sold 46:3 work showing for his new trainer Denise Breuer......seemed poised for another move forward today......to what degree is the ? mark
race 8 Â Â average clarity
2 Tiz Jolie  last is very powerful earning a fig that is much better than par for the 12.5K level.....so why the drop to the bottom 8K level......maybe V Garcia just wants a win as it has been a somewhat dismal 2016 for the conditioner......we shall see
9 Alltheleavesrbrown  Hartman is dynamite 2nd out following a claim and he puts this one in for the 8K that he claimed him for two races back......and he puts his go to guy up.....seems quite dangerous
5 Northern Iowa  by far at his best competing at today's dirt distance (8 3 2 2)......and the race seems to set some (on paper at least) for a late runner like himself
7Â Johnny's Choice
Long-shot consideration:  6 Desert Express  lifetime best and somewhat hidden was his only race at today's one mile distance..... and the race was a win at SA........ solid work tab since he was claimed in his latest by Aguirre and company....dangerous and dangerous at a price
race 9 Â Â average clarity
2 Angel Eria  decent first run in the good old U S of A especially considering it was off a long layoff and was against the boys.......good sprinter in France should be very fit when push comes to shove coming off of her 1st ever at a route
10 Could Be Magic  well bred grass filly and it showed in her 5F MSW debut on the lawn at Del Mar.......ultra impressive 5F bullet work since......razor sharp........if Smith can avoid running too wide she should be very tough
4 Georgia Blue  double barrel action from Drysdale as he also trains our top choice......three year old filly has solid races in 3 of 5 lifetime starts two of which were on the sod and one of them (her MSW debut) was down the SA hill.....should be in the hunt from the get go
8Â Special Gal
7Â Lori's Attitude
5Â Curricula