The Lead:
Santa Anita's opening weekend will feature major stakes races with Breeders' Cup implications in nearly every division, including Classic hopefuls in Saturday's Race 8, the Grade 1 Awesome Again. While top west coast performer Flightline continues his training toward the Classic, his ensemble of potential challengers square off in this 1-1/8 miles test.

​Field Depth:
Grade 1 winners COUNTRY GRAMMER, EXPRESS TRAIN and TRIPOLI provide the top tier of SoCal handicap performers below Flightline. ROYAL SHIP and the 3-year-old SLOW DOWN ANDY are Grade 2 winners. There's not a wild class edge among the older horses mentioned here, who have been common opponents several times.

Pace:
DEFUNDED will contest the lead going sprint-to-route as well as stablemate HIGH CONNECTION. Expect COUNTRY GRAMMER and SLOW DOWN ANDY near what looks to be an above-average tempo on paper for 9 furlongs. But how the stablemates will approach one another could have an impact in softening the pace.

Our Eyes:
Bob Baffert has won this race a record 7 times, including the last pair of Improbable and Medina Spirit. That he sends out 4 of the 8 entrants gives him a major chance to pad that record. But of his quartet, COUNTRY GRAMMER stands out over AZUL COAST, DEFUNDED and the sophomore HIGH CONNECTION. The Dubai World Cup winner COUNTRY GRAMMER won last year's Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita and appears in limited bids to have more affinity for the local strip than Del Mar, where he was 0-2 this summer in runner-up efforts.

ROYAL SHIP and COUNTRY GRAMMER have split equally their 4 previous matchups in terms of head-to-head finishes. Neither was a challenge to Flightline in the Pacific Classic, but a bullet workout since at Santa Anita indicates ROYAL SHIP has come out of that race no worse for the wear. ROYAL SHIP figures to offer much more value, having been 9-1 and 10-1 in those last 2 matchups, vs. 2-1 and 7-2 for COUNTRY GRAMMER.

EXPRESS TRAIN and TRIPOLI are much the same horse when it comes to talent, though EXPRESS TRAIN has a longer and more productive dirt resume. But either, on his best day, factors in races like this and were third and fourth in this event a year ago, respectively. The '22 form for both doesn't seem as strong, though EXPRESS TRAIN has held it the better of the pair.

The X-factor is sophomore SLOW DOWN ANDY, winner of the Los Al Futurity at 2 and the Del Mar Derby at 3, the latter on turf. He's 7-7 in the exacta when running in California regardless of surface. He was upset by HIGH CONNECTION in the Los Al Derby and will need to turn the tables on that one, much less take on elders for the first time. It's a tall ask given th early pace should challenge him.
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Most Certain Exotics Contender:
ROYAL SHIP is 4-4 in the money at Santa Anita and will be running late.

Best Longshot Exotics Contender:
TRIPOLI has back class and will be let go at a decent price given dull recent form. A bounce-back puts him in the superfecta talk.

Sending it in ($100 bankroll):
$70 win ROYAL SHIP. $15 exacta box ROYAL SHIP and COUNTRY GRAMMER.