The Lead:
Oaks and Derby Day share the card Saturday at Santa Anita as the boys take center stage on national television in the Grade 1 $750,000 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby. I'm solidly behind favorite Practical Move in that one, but in the Race 11 Santa Anita Oaks, I'll be taking a stand against the chalk.

Horseplayers on 1/ST BET and Xpressbet Saturday can enjoy up to a $10 money-back special on win bets in the Santa Anita Oaks and Derby if your win bet finishes second or third.

​Field Depth:
Grade 1 winners FAIZA and AND TELL ME NO LIES have established credentials at this level. PRINCESS BETTINA and DON'T GET ME PICKLED are listed stakes winners. Five others take meteoric class rises from the maiden ranks. No question the class edge goes to FAIZA and TELL ME NO LIES.

Pace:
Three of the class-rising maidens bring sprinters speed and all from the inside in VENGANZA, GILA and CLEARLY UNHINGED. That's going to force the hand of Flavien Prat aboard FAIZA, who wants to be sitting 1-2 in all of her races. Such a scenario could soften the favorite and give a late-runner the best chance. That's how I see it.
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Our Eyes:
Here are my horse-by-horse notes.

1-VENGANZA: Trainer Richard Mandella's Santa Anita Oaks success includes 4 wins, most recently in 2021 with Soothsay. Jockey Mike Smith has 4 separate Santa Anita Oaks scores on his resume, most recently 2020 with Swiss Skydiver. That's a powerful combination, but we know very little about this Curlin filly. Her lone start was a victory in a maiden match race that scratched down to 2 horses (and a vastly overmatched rival at that). Mandella trained her dam Avenge to multiple wins in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive routing on turf, so distance should not be the issue.

2-GILA: Now on her fourth trainer in just 5 career starts, the recent maiden claiming winner should be the longest shot in the field. Her impact likely will be on the early pace.

3-CLEARLY UNHINGED: Runaway leading jockey at the meet Juan Hernandez has posted more than double the number of wins than any other rider this season at Santa Anita. One of those came with this filly's lone start, an eye-catching maiden sprint February 3 for trainer Michael McCarthy. She has trained right on cue each week since and posted a bullet 5 furlongs last Saturday for the stakes unveiling. Beware.

4-CLIQUISH: Last year, trainer Phil D'Amato and jockey Umberto Rispoli upset the Santa Anita Oaks with 14-1 shot Desert Dawn, a massive longshot considering a field of 5. They'll be an even higher-price with this last-out maiden/optional claiming sprint winner. Daughter of Preakness winner Bernardini should appreciate more distance, but note she was not match for Oaks rival CLEARLY UNHINGED in her only other outing.

5-FAIZA: Unbeaten filly looks for her fifth straight win and fourth in a graded stakes. Jockey Flavien Prat has won the Santa Anita Oaks 3 of the last 5 years, while Bob Baffert's 2 local Oaks crowns came way back in 1999 and 2003. She's been even-money or less in all 4 starts and will be a short price again. But she's never been overwhelmingly fast or taken on a really rapid opening half-mile or 6 furlongs. She's run all 4 races to date in the same form cycle without a break for the past 6 months, a rarity in today's program. Between that and the pace, I'm willing to swing against at short odds in a race where 3-5 and 4-5 chalks were beaten the past 2 years.

6-WINDOW SHOPPING: Smoked an off-the-turf maiden mile group in her 3-year-old return by 16-1/2 lengths. Second hope here for 4-time Oaks-winning trainer Richard Mandella, along with VENGANZA. This $700K daughter of American Pharoah loses jockey Flavien Prat to FAIZA, understandably. Her 2-two experience separates her from some of the class risers.

7-PRINCESS BETTINA: No factor in 2 dirt races to open her career, she's plied her trade on turf in 5 straight starts. Wire-to-wire winner of the China Doll Stakes will find this dirt speed and pace a far more difficult hurdle. Jockey Frankie Dettori likely will take her back off the pace this time given the race set-up and give her her best chance to pass tired ones.

8: AND TELL ME NO LIES: Last year's Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante and Grade 2 Chandelier winner hits the all-important second start of her form cycle. She returned from winter break with a solid second to FAIZA in the Santa Ysabel last month when that rival had been running through the winter. Note she won her second start of her 2022 form cycle when improving greatly from her debut to her maiden breaker. She gets a repeat of that scheduling and a far better pace set-up in front of her when re-engaging FAIZA. The one to fear late.

​9: DON'T GET PICKLED: Longshot deep closer comes in from Arizona base tackling by far the toughest field of her career. Traveled decently to New Mexico for the Sunland Oaks when a non-threatening third. She will get pace to run at; that's a plus at least.

Most Certain Exotics Contender:
AND TELL ME NOLIES is 5-5 in the superfecta when running in California and gets a great pace set-up.

Best Longshot Exotics Contender:
WINDOW SHOPPING may get overlaid some due to the modest Beyer figure and move to jockey Hector Berrios. She's still promising.

Sending it in ($100 bankroll):
$85 win AND TELL ME NO LIES. $5 exacta part-wheel AND TELL ME NO LIES over WINDOW SHOPPING, CLEARLY UNHINGED and VENGANZA ($15).