Santa Anita 5/28: California Girls Take Stage in Fran’s Valentine Stakes

There are 12 stakes taking place on Saturday. Five of those will be held at Santa Anita Park for California bred horses including the Fran’s Valentine.

Full Card Analysis

All of the races on the Saturday card are restricted to California horses. Sometimes restricted races are restricted by runner and other time it is based on where the sire stands, so it is possible to occasionally see a New York or Kentucky bred in a California sire stakes.

The lone example of a California based sire on the card comes in the race 7 Allowance. The #7 Forgiving Spirit is a Kentucky bred, but his sire (dad) Shaman Ghost stands in California. This makes him eligible for the conditions.

Santa Anita Park Race 1

Post: 1:00 PM PT; Purse: $69,000 Allowance, About 6 1/2 Furlongs on Downhill turf; Entries: 7

• #2 FUNNY FELINE (3-1) is in with a great chance based on the horse's stamina & form.
• #1 D'S LOVELY SOPHIA (7-2) is in with a great chance based on the horse's class & pace.
• #4 KITTEN'S KID (4-1) is a major player in today's race edging the field in several key handicapping factors including speed & power rating.
• #7 PALEO'S PRINCESS (4-1) is proven as a good bet to at least hit the board under today's distance and surface conditions.

Selections: 2-1-4-7

Santa Anita Park Race 2

Post: 1:35 PM PT; Purse: $67,000 Maiden Special Weight, 6 Furlongs on Dirt; Entries: 7

• #6 FUN TO DREAM (9-5) is worth a look here given edges in form & pedigree. This filly is out of Arrogate who has sired two 100+ speed figure horses in just his 2nd crop of foals.
• #7 TRACY DI VICENZO (4-1) should be competitive today based on the horse's speed & record at the distance.
• #4 THREE POINT OH (4-1) merits consideration in this spot based on the dirt speed figures & record at the distance.
• #2 BLAZING BARDOT (8-1) is in with a great chance based on the horse's connections. This one should be involved right from the start.

Selections: 6-7-4-2

Santa Anita Park Race 3

Post: 2:06 PM PT; Purse: $100,000 Crystal Water S., 1 Mile on Turf; Entries: 6

• #6 HAIL FREEDOM (5-1) is a major player in today's race edging the field in several key handicapping factors including speed & early pace.
• #5 CARMELITA'S MAN (5-2) is worth a look here given edges in stamina & power rating.
• #1 LOUD MOUTH (5-2) is worth a look here given edges in class & form.
• #2 JIMMY BLUE JEANS (9-5) is favored in the race and has been in decent form, but falls short of rivals in several key categories.

Selections: 6-5-1-2

Santa Anita Park Race 4

Post: 2:36 PM PT; Purse: $100,000 Thor's Echo S., 6 Furlongs on Dirt; Entries: 5

• #4 TIGRE DI SLUGO (8-5) is a major player in today's race edging the field in several key handicapping factors including speed & power rating.
• #5 GOOD WITH PEOPLE (5-2) is 50% in the money at this distance and is likely to be involved in the late stages.
• #3 FASHIONABLY FAST (5-2) could be the pace setter in this race and that can be dangerous, especially in dirt sprints.
• #2 DESMOND DOSS (3-1) is in with a great chance based on the horse's stamina.

Selections: 4-5-3-2

Santa Anita Park Race 5

Post: 3:10 PM PT; Purse: $150,000 Snow Chief S. presented by City National Bank, 1 1/8 Miles on Turf; Entries: 6

• #6 SMUGGLER'S RUN (2-1) is in with a great chance based on the horse's pace & power rating.
• #5 WORSE READ SANCHEZ (5-2) should be competitive today based on the horse's stamina & connections.
• #4 BALLY'S CHARM (5-2) merits consideration in this spot given edges in speed & race flow.
• #3 VINCERO GRANDE (8-1) is proven as a good bet to at least hit the board under today's distance and surface conditions.

Selections: 6-5-4-3

Santa Anita Park Race 6

Post: 3:43 PM PT; Purse: $39,000 Maiden Claiming, 6 Furlongs on Dirt; Entries: 11

• #3 CHIPPER (5-2) looks tough to beat here given the edge in a number of key categories including speed & class.
• #9 BAG'S GOLD (7-2) has to be respected based on the connections.
• #4 SIX FEET (5-1) comes into the race signaling a big performance in the near future.
• #1 MR FREEBIE (20-1) is a huge price and has hit the board at this distance before. In the maiden claiming ranks this one is definitely worth a shot on the bottom of your verticals.

Selections: 3-9-4-1 (Best Bet: #2 CHIPPER)

Santa Anita Park Race 7

Post: 4:15 PM PT; Purse: $69,000 Allowance, About 6 1/2 Furlongs on Downhill turf; Entries: 9

• #5 CAERULEAN (3-1) should be competitive today based on the horse's speed figures & power rating.
• #4 MINISTER SHANE (4-1) should be competitive today based on the horse's speed & form.
• #3 EL DIABLO ROJO (6-1) looks to have to have kept the best company in the previous starts.
• #2 BIG FLAME (6-1) feels like a reach. I would put this one as the fourth choice if I were making the morning line, but this one feels like 9 to 1 if the #3 is going to hold at 6 to 1.

Selections: 5-4-3-2

Santa Anita Park Race 8

Post: 4:45 PM PT; Purse: $150,000 Melair S., 1 1/16 Miles on Dirt; Entries: 6

• #6 YOUTEYOURHONOR (4-1) has to be respected based on the connections.
• #2 BIG SWITCH (8-5) is a major player based on speed figures.
• #1 ROSE MADDOX (9-5) is in with a great chance based on the horse's stamina & record at the distance.
• #3 EVERLYS GIRL (5-1) should be in the right spot early to give this horse a chance to get the job done.

Selections: 6-2-1-3

Santa Anita Park Race 9

Post: 5:15 PM PT; Purse: $100,000 Fran's Valentine S., 1 Mile on Turf; Entries: 7

• #5 ALICE MARBLE (4-5) looks formidable here given the edge in a number of key categories including speed & class. This one may end up being unplayable because of how short the price will be at post time.
• #6 SELF ISOLATION (5-1) hits the board in 75% of starts at the mile turf distance.
• #7 PULPIT RIDER (4-1) could be coming with a nice late run to make things interesting in the late stages of the race.
• #4 SASSYSERB (6-1) will likely have the stamina to outlast these in the final jumps of the race.

Selections: 5-6-7-4

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