ARCADIA, Calif. – A rare five-day racing week at Santa Anita concludes Monday with a nuts-and-bolts program centered on claiming-caliber horses.
The 10-race card includes seven races with claiming provisions, a pair of starter-allowance races for horses who have raced for a tag, and a maiden special-weight turf mile for 3-year-old fillies. Monday is mostly about gambling. For bettors, it depends on backing the right horse.
Santa Anita will resume racing on Thursday with a four-day week as the track makes up for the Jan. 10-12 fire cancellations. The top race next week is the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes on Saturday, Jan. 25. The 1 1/8-mile race is a prep for the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in March. The $100,000 Clockers’ Corner, a turf sprint at six furlongs, is Sunday, Jan. 26.
Race 1 on Monday is a maiden-claiming turf sprint at six furlongs. Running Spartan drops from maiden special-weight company after repeated close finishes against better. George Papaprodromou trains Running Spartan; his rider is Kazushi Kimura, now a top-five jockey in Southern California.
To win the opener, Running Spartan must catch Crazy Cavalier, runner-up twice recently against similar. English Icon also drops from maiden special-weight company, though his best races are routes.
Race 4 likely favorite Lazio drops from a Grade 3 turf mile to a starter allowance for 3-year-olds on turf at the same distance. Lazio previously won a maiden race at Horseshoe Indianapolis and was third in an entry-level allowance at Woodbine. Trainer Jonathan Thomas entered the weekend having won with 12 of his last 17 favorites. Kimura rides Lazio.
Race 6 offers a chance at a price. The six-furlong starter allowance on turf includes horse-for-course Princess Midnight. She paid $21 and $96 winning her last two starts on the Santa Anita turf in May and October. Joe Herrick trains Princess Midnight, whose rider is Diego Herrera.
Princess Midnight likes to rally from behind, while front-runner Long Mayshe Reign might be the horse to catch. Activated won her U.S. debut racing five furlongs at Del Mar, and Lamporghini drops from a close third in a California-bred allowance. Princess Midnight can spring the upset.
Race 8 is the maiden turf mile, led by stretch-out, Lasix-on Pura Vidas Princesa. She missed by a nose in a turf sprint at Del Mar, and Monday is her first route. Her main rival is Lila, whose sixth-place debut was better than it looks. Lila, a vet scratch on Dec. 26, adds blinkers and Lasix.
Race 10 is a $16,000 claiming starter at a mile on turf. It includes streaking Jubilant Joanie, who’s won six of her last seven, including a sprint romp three weeks ago. Jubilant Joanie has never run on turf, however, and progeny of Enticed generally prefer dirt.
If two turns on turf is too far for Jubilant Joanie, comeback late-runner Zeyaraat could be along in time while making her first start in five months. Zeyaraat ran well against better last year.
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