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Santa Anita for Saturday 17 March 2018

Special publication for Florida Derby day on the 31st of March is now sale for a very limited time where you will save $5 on your purchase. With the new very early post time for Sunday I will do my best to post the picks by 7:30 a.m. pacific time.

While you were sleeping at 4 a.m. pacific time I was working and saw that it was raining once again. So here we go again as in more handicapping to do. As far as I know The Racing Digest is the only publication in Southern California that gives you (late breaking) selections for the dirt in the grass races if rain is in the forecast.

Today's card seems like a good one. Sure hope all or the majority of the turf races stay on the turf.

Best of luck as always!

 

race 1    average clarity

if the race is taken off the turf and moved to the main track:  6-3-1-8-5

3  Majestic Eagle   nice 1st grass race on Feb 2nd running 2nd in a MSW race down the hill........then 2 weeks later this colt ran 2nd in a 9 furlong MSW turf race......going with theme of the Three Bears as in one mile of grass should be "jusssssst right"

8  Noivo   colt beat 8 of 13 foes in his maiden debut at 20 to 1 on the AW in Ireland......then he beat 11 of 12 foes at 33 to 1 also in Ireland on the AW........shows up in the Blacker barn for his 1st start in the USA and 1st on the lawn......believe he is likely fit and ready for Rosario and his agent to accept the mount

1  Negro Lucero

6  Jungle Warfare

4  Desert Stone

 

race 2    average clarity

1  Cow Dog   bad trip in her MC debut 3 weeks ago as she broke slowly and then was boxed up down the back-side and then ran a little wide on the turn........see ya M Gutierrez.......hello G. Franco.........work since her debut is her best to date and that is somewhat subtle.....trainer is awakening

8  Go Girl Gone   three-year old filly flashed decent speed in her MC debut two weeks ago........cut back of one furlong appears to be a plus......as is the red-hot bug boy Franklin Ceballos staying aboard

3  Mongolian Rahy

9  Complete Discreet

6  Tengs Wonder

2  Lucky Val

 

race 3    above average clarity

if the race is taken off the turf and moved to the main track:   4-6-5

5  How About Zero   2 for 2 on the SA hill grass course winning by an average of just shy of 4 lengths......away since late January but just worked a stellar 59:2 2nd best of 58 to work 5 furlongs........all systems go

4  Miss Sunset   sure appears loose on the lead in this spot with our top choice not too far behind.......very good history when today's rider Mike money Smith rides (4 3 1 0)

2  Desert Steel

 

race 4    below average clarity

2  Finallygotabentley   trainer is often more dangerous 2nd out following a claim and that is the case today........blinkers go on today and when Meredith trained this gelding last year he had some success with them on his then 7-year-old

4  Here and There   two of his better lifetime races were run the last two times he competed at 6 1/2 furlongs........1st after the Jeff Metz claim and Jeffery is a decent 17% with his last 125 1st following a claim

8  Omdurman 

7  Drummer

1  Heir of Storm

 

race 5    average clarity

if the race is taken off the turf and moved to the main track:  9-4-8-7-6

9  Sagittari   four-year old gelding has handled the off track......handled a fast track.......and handled the AW........so I like his chances of also handling the grass.......fits a ton if he does

4  Miner's Light   very logical drop as since he won his MSW at SA in May of 2017 he has only earned chump change........that and Miller is seldom afraid to lose a horse in his quest to get another to the circle of joy

2  Dark Energy

8  Curly's Waterfront

10  Lauren's Ladd

5  Bacoli

 

race 6    average clarity

2  Easter Morn   on the improve with each and every race and just popped a solid 5F work......nice pick-up by Rosario with Prat out-of-town today........hard not to like this Baltas six-year-old gelding going after back to back wins

3   Will Tell   away since July but returns with a work regiment that suggests he is ready to roll fresh off of the bench for Cerin and company......and that makes sense as the last time he ran off of an extended layoff he won for fun

6  Make It a Triple

7  Trickonomics

1  Nature Treasure

9  Junior Gilliam

 

race 7    below average clarity

4  Schooley   1st time in a maiden claimer and gets in extremely light with the 10 lbs bug boy Asa Espinoza up and entering for 40K to get another 2 lbs off..........bug boy is struggling and best take advantage of the apparent "carrot" the the Miller barn is giving him

5  Two Hail Marys   4th new trainer for his 4th race......what's with that?.......1st time up for a tag and Rosario sees fit to accept the mount.......away 2 weeks short of a year but his works over at LA hint he is fit and ready

3  Johnny Ray

1  Write Me a Song

11  Lil Milo

6  Git On Your Pulpit

 

race 8    above average clarity

if the race is taken off the turf and moved to the main track:   5-1-4-7-3-2

3  River Boyne   both lifetime one mile grass races are very solid in this spot.......hasn't missed a beat in the a.m. since his impressive winning late kick to win his 2nd straight and by an average of just under 4 lengths.......all that and there is plenty of speed signed up to flatter his off pace running style

4  Pubilius Syrus   race seemingly sets up for his mid pack running style......3 for 3 on the SA turf.......trainer Vladimir Cerin is having one of his best SA meetings in many a moon.......dangerous sort for sure

5  Heck Yeah

9  Inscom

1  Afleet Ascent

2  Platinum Equity

 

race 9    average clarity

1  La Force   rather smooth running sort and he retains Mike Smith following a useful allowance win.....nearly upset the apple card in a Grade 2 two races back missing by a diminishing neck at 28 to 1.......the Hall of Fame jock should get a distant mid pack position saving ground thru at least the 1st turn in what should be one nasty pace up front

10  Fault   multiple Graded Stakes winner on the lawn must be doing exceptionally well for the D'A to risk running this fine filly on the dirt which she has seen only once and that was a long time ago.......love the 3 tightly spaced decent drills since her 17 Feb G2 win......believe she exited her last in marvelous condition.......we shall see

9  Mopotism

8  Eccentric

6  Majestic Heat

5  Mistressofthenight

 

race 10    above average clarity

10  Fashionably Fast   exits a fast heat of Cal-bred MSW runners where he ran a strong real and adjusted Santucci fig in his MSW debut.....and the works since his impressive debut hint he might be up for even better this afternoon

7  Coil Me Home   exits the same fast heat as our top selection earning the same adjusted Santucci fig as our top selection.......cut back of 1/2 furlong appears to be a plus.......placed as 2nd choice only because I believe the 10 horse has a little more upside potential at least for today

3  Gringo Star

9  Ultimate Bango

2  Baby Gronk

1  Perfect Wager

 

 

 

 

Posted on March 17, 2018 at 8:36 am by richs · Permalink
In: Free Information, Selections