Monday’s Memorial Day holiday card at Santa Anita wraps up 4 consecutive days featuring $2,000 Late Pick 4 Hit & Split promotions when you bet with 1/ST BET and Xpressbet. The extended weekend’s most important card boasts the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile, Grade 1 Gamely and Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup on the Monday marquee. The Shoemaker is part of the late pick 4 sequence, and I’ll include some insights on the other pair of stakes before tackling the final 4 races.

Race 5: Grade 2 Hollywood Gold Cup
The early pick 5 concludes with a 5-horse edition of the $200,000 Hollywood Cup Cup at 1-1/4 miles. The distance remains key anytime you talk 10F on dirt as only #5 British Isles (pictured) has negotiated the trip successfully. This arguably is a similar-quality field as was the Santa Anita Handicap he won in March, but that it took 2:05.17 to do so doesn’t demand complete trust. He carries 7 more pounds than that race and spots this field 4 pounds across the lineup. #3 Subsanador will be the play as he narrowly missed in the Big ‘Cap over this trip in 2024 to a tougher rival (Newgate) in a faster time (2:03.49). He’s had some gate issues in 2 starts this year, but a small field and massive run to the first turn helps over 10 furlongs. Coming into the holiday weekend, trainer Richard Mandella’s barn is 3-for-6 to start May at Santa Anita and this one’s working bullets.

Race 6: Grade 1 Gamely Stakes
With obvious key contenders #5 Thought Process and #7 Rashmi expected near the front, this 1-1/8 miles turf test for the fillies and mares could see those outstanding milers stretched beyond their best. I’m all in on the late-running California transplant #8 May Day Ready. She could put Richard Mandella right back into the winner’s circle after the Gold Cup. She didn’t get any pace help in the Royal Heroine at a mile and now makes the second start off the layoff while firing bullets in the morning. Expect a big more forward, especially if #3 A Thousand Miles can mix is up a bit on the front with the others from an inner draw.

Race 7: claiming
It’s a major gear shift to start the late pick 4 with $12,500 claimers dashing 5-1/2 furlongs. #9 Dirty Words looks trustworthy off a narrow runner-up in a similar spot May 3, and this race is laden with cheap speed to set it up enough to deliver his rally. #4 Blue Grass Go Go is the early speed runner I’m most interested in after spending most of his last start in make-up mode after a troubled break. But he doesn’t win often and needs a lot to go right, so demand a price. I’ll reluctantly avoid adding #3 One Smokin Dude but would include in the event of a scratch of the top pair.

Race 8: Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile
The 9-runner $300,000 Shoemaker Mile splits about in half for me in terms of win contenders. Several in here are nursing 7-race losing streaks that will remove them from pick 4 consideration while exotics contenders. It should run through #2 Formidable Man, defending champ #3 King of Gosford, #1 El Potente and #5 Almendares in order of preference. That Flavien Prat lands on Formidable Man is significant, but this 5-year-old has no history of coming off a layoff like this back to the Breeders’ Cup Mile so I’m inclined to spread a bit with quality options for coverage.

Race 9: allowance/optional claiming
Five-time winner #11 Supernal is offered for the $20,000 optional claiming price and lands against a field of less-accomplished runners. He won here last March in a turf-to-dirt surface change and comes off a solid return bid in a similar spot when fourth. Expect him from midpack, while #8 The G M should be in the hunt throughout. His return try April 24 from a July layoff was very promising and he’s got a quick work for this for a Mike Puype barn that won with all 3 starters at Santa Anita last week. Let’s make two do.

Race 10: maiden
A capacity field of 12 Cal-bred maiden special weights sprints 6-1/2 furlongs on the main turf course (not down the hill). Three of them were defeated at 2-1 or less last out while 3 more will make their career debuts. #2 Throwin Heat benefits from a better draw this time than last when losing ground. Rookies #6 Moment of Valor and #12 Owl go for barns doing good things right now. Peter Eurton trains the former and he’s 10-15 in the exacta (4 wins) at Santa Anita since the start of May as this racing week begins; Neil Drysdale trains the latter and he’s 4-7 in the exacta locally under the same timeframe. Add in logical player #9 Royal Rumor and I’ll settle on this quartet in a race that could go deeper if your opinions differ.

Late Pick 4 Ticket
9,4 with 2,3,1,5 with 11,8 with 2,6,12,9 = $32 for 50 cents