The Lead:
The Great Race Place is loaded with stakes intrigue Saturday, boasting seven of them in all and an all-stakes late pick 4. Star mare Going Global headlines the early races in the Grade 2 Goldikova, but it's the Grade 2 $200,000 Twilight Derby in Race 7 that gets the key, late-day quartet underway.

​Field Depth:
CABO SPIRIT is the field's lone graded stakes winner, but DEGREE OF RISK is Grade 1-placed, WAR AT SEA is Grade 2-placed and PERFECT FLIGHT is Grade 3-placed. CABO SPIRIT has consistently kept the strongest company lines.

Pace:
Dirt runner GO JOE WON has the most early foot if he transfers it to turf. PERFECT FLIGHT and WAR AT SEA figure to be forwardly placed. The pace does not look strong for 1-1/8 miles, but rather average.

Our Eyes:
Six of the 9 Twilight Derby entrants are making their first starts over the Santa Anita turf. The other 3? They're 13-for-13 in the money with 5 wins. HANDY DANDY, CABO SPIRIT and WAR AT SEA certainly have the home-field advantage. The separator between won't be the 9-furlong distance; all 3 have performed admirably at the trip previously. WAR AT SEA got the jump on CABO SPIRIT in the Cinema over this course and distance and never let that one by. HANDY DANDY figures to be even farther behind early. Advantage WAR AT SEA.

​As for the newcomers to the local turf scene, PERFECT FLIGHT exits a dirt victory vs. older horses, returns to 3-year-olds and back to the grass. He was a good second to CABO SPIRIT in Del Mar's La Jolla, his only grass try. DEGREE OF RISK has consistent form on synthetic and turf. But he's 1-9 and settles for minor shares shorter; his pedigree doesn't scream for added distance. GO JOE WON stunned the Shared Belief at 21-1 in a 5-horse field last time and takes them as far as he can.
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Most Certain Exotics Contender:
WAR AT SEA is 8-9 in the superfecta lifetime and gets a good pace scenario near the front.

Best Longshot Exotics Contender:
GO JOE WON has scored at 13-1 and 21-1 in his last 2 and probably will be an overlay given he's never tried turf.

Sending it in ($100 bankroll):
$50 exacta part-wheel WAR AT SEA over PERFECT FLIGHT and CABO SPIRIT.