Specifically designed for the rolling exotic player, Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” isolates those horses that should be included in daily doubles, pick-3s, pick-4s, pick-5s, and the pick-6.

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Grade Descriptions: Grade A=Highest degree of confidence; Grade B=Solid Play. Grade C=Least preferred or pass; Grade X=probable winner but likely at odds too short to play.

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Santa Anita Race 1: Post: 1:00 PT Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 5-News At Ten (GB); 6-Travelin’ Show.
Backups: 4-Gazon.

Forecast: The opener is a contentious starter optional claiming turf sprint, with several possibilities to consider. News At Ten may be as good as any in his first outing since being claimed for $50,000 in mid-March by P. Eurton. He’s winless in five prior outings over the local lawn but is solid on numbers and should be heard from in the final stages. Travelin’ Show, fourth in the same race our top pick just finished second in, is another that projects to be doing his best work late. It’s been awhile since he’s won, but he’s been first or second in four of nine starts over this course and won’t have to improve much to win.


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Santa Anita Race 2: Post: 1:31 PT Grade: C
Main Ticket: 2-Maria Tallchief; 6-Big Whoosh
Backups: none.

Forecast: The first time-for-a-tag maneuver always is a strong angle, and Maria Tallchief may have found her friends in this maiden $50,000 extended sprint state-bred fillies and mares. The main question is the switch from grass to dirt and whether she’ll be able to transfer her turf figures to the main track but on pedigree she shouldn’t have an issue with the new surface. But while she does look like the logical top pick at 9/5 on the morning line, class dropper Big Whoosh, who also sports the route-to-sprint angle, has a right to be considered as well, so we’ll double the race in our rolling exotics while otherwise sit it out.


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Santa Anita Race 3: Post: 2:04 PT Grade: C
Main Ticket: 5-Zombo Bombo; 1-Naftis.
Backups: 6-Cupid’s Crusader.

Forecast: Zombo Bombo drops to his lowest level ever, returns to dirt, and rates a slight edge with a repeat of any of his best main track speed figures. However, he was beaten at 4/5 two runs back, so the Munnings gelding isn’t entirely trustworthy, thus requiring us to spread a bit in rolling exotic play. Naftis has similar concerns, having failed as the chalk in a grass sprint facing tougher last time out. He, too, is returning to dirt and showing up cheap but draws the rail and probably will have to be used hard early. This looks like a good race to sit out.


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Santa Anita Race 4: Post: 2:34 PT Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 7-Glamora; 6-Cloudy Women.
Backups: 1-Infinity Dream.

Forecast: Glamora, away for a couple of months and showing up in a seller for the first time, has numbers that are shrinking, certainly not a desirable pattern, but the daughter of has enough early speed to gain a favorable stalking/pressing position and may get brave against this modest group. The P. D’Amato-trained Irish-bred makes her second start off a layoff and should be fitter and sharper today, so we’ll give her no excuses. Cloudy Women also drops to the maiden $50,000 level but is slower on numbers than our top pick. The J. Sadler-trained filly likely will be doing her best stuff late.


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Santa Anita Race 5: Post: 3:08 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket: 3-Fibonaccis Ride:
Backups: 1-Gracie’s Big Day.

Forecast: Fibonaccis Ride won her debut at Los Alamitos last September in stylish fashion but then disappeared. She returns in this first level allowance dash for fillies and mares showing a recent bullet gate drill for trainer C. De Alba to indicate she’s fit and ready and based on the number she earned in her only outing the daughter of Clubhouse Ride should be quite capable of handling the class hike. Furthermore, she projects to be the quickest of the quick.


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Santa Anita Race 6: Post: 3:38 PT Grade: B
Main Ticket: 7-Atitlan; 3-City Exile (GB).
Backups: none.

Forecast: If Atitlan can turn in two alike, he can win this year’s edition of the Charles Whittingham S.-G2, but the California-based long distance grass runners usually take turns, so who really knows? He earned a career top figure when manhandling his foes in the recent San Luis Rey S.-G3 over 12 furlong; let’s see if he can do the same at a mile and one-quarter. City Exile has risen from the allowance ranks to face his stiffest task to date but could easily be this good in his present form. He’s been primarily a miler since being imported from Ireland but did well over 11 furlongs at Del Mar last summer so today’s mini-marathon distance should prove to be no obstacle. Both should be included in rolling exotic play.


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Santa Anita Race 7: Post: 4:28 PT Grade: B+
Main Ticket 8-Go Go Prancer; 5-Proud Racer
Backups: 3-Subic Boy.

Forecast: Go Go Prancer lands the cozy outside draw in his first start since being gelded and his second off layoff, so the P. D’Amato-trained maiden should be set for a career top effort in this maiden dash for state-bred runners. He gets a significant break in the weights with the switch to bug boy Carmona and projects to be on or near the lead throughout while returning to dirt, which we suspect is his preferred surface. Proud Racer adds blinkers for the first time after missing by a nose at odds-on in a maiden claiming sprint here almost two months ago. The raise to straight maiden company shows confidence and his numbers are gradually rising so we’ll toss in him just in case our top pick fails to fire.


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Santa Anita Race 8: Post: 5:10 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 8-El Rey Rey; 2-Lottery Pick.
Backups: 9-Coalinga Road.

Forecast: EL Rey Rey is one of several in this nine furlong turf affair that have credentials to win. He was a close fourth as the favorite in a similar affair in late March but has three prior victories over the local lawn so off his best race the H. Palma-trained gelding should be a major player. Lottery Pick hasn’t won in a while and lacks tactical speed but his best puts him in the fray and from where he’s dawn the son of American Freedom projects to enjoy a ground-saving trip and have his chance to make an impact from the quarter pole home. A repeat of his last race – a strong runner-up effort over a mile – charts well here and the today’s extra furlong really shouldn’t hurt.


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Santa Anita Race 9: Post: 5:45 PT Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 6-Little Ditty; 10-Majestic Palisades.
Backups: 3-Silver N Black.

Forecast: Let’s take a shot with <bin this lackluster maiden $20,000 main track miler for older horses. Now in the J. Mullins barn (that’s always a good thing), the son of Practical Joke exits a pair of much tougher straight maiden races on turf, gets in light with the switch to bug boy Carmona, and shows a healthy series of drills for his first start since Mid-March. Can he run? We’ll find out today at 12-1 on the morning line. Majestic Palisades has form that makes him the logical top pick (he’s been in the frame in all five career starts) but he’s been away since January, and he gets the worst of the draw. He’s the 8/5 morning line favorite by default.


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Santa Anita Race 10: Post: 5:30 PT Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 5-Sweet Gal of Mine; 2-Invicible Molly.
Backups: 1-Thermal; 8-Andiamo Ragazza.

Forecast: The finale is a raffle sprinting on grass for first level allowance fillies and mares. Sweet Gal of Mine is eligible for valuable ship-and-win money in her first start since arriving from Kentucky and her first outing since early January for new trainer R. Baltas and could easily be a better type on this circuit. The daughter of Dialed In has enough tactical speed to always be wining range and shows back numbers that make her dangerous at 6-1 on the morning line. She’s worth a bit of a gamble. Invincible Molly has the blinkers off angle that always catches the eye while making her first start since August for J. Mullins. This drop into the $50,000 ranks is a realistic maneuver and with numbers from last year that fit at this level the English-bred filly looks dangerous at 5-1 on the morning line.


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