It is about time for Opening Day of the Autumn Meet at beautiful Santa Anita Park. The short meet runs until November 1 before racing returns to Del Mar for their Bing Crosby meeting. The stand will feature a total of 26 stakes races, including seven automatic qualifiers for this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships. As one would expect, 1/ST BET and Xpressbet are celebrating the start of the meet in style with the return of our ever-popular Exacta-Thon promotion. This time, the minimum goal for the day is four $2 exactas. If you connect on at least that many, you will earn an equal split of $7500 with all other customers that do so. The last $2500 goes to the customer(s) that can hit as many over the ten-race slate. Here are exactas in three of the stakes races that I will include in my attempt to take down at least four $2 exactas.


Race 5: Eddie D (G2)
My first exacta play comes in this Grade 2 turf sprint for 3YOs down the Hillside Turf Course named for my all-time favorite jockey. The 6.5-furlong affair that kicks off the traditional $2 Pick 6 appears to have an overall lack of early speed. This should give a pace advantage to #9 Virat. The son of Bayern makes his third start of the form cycle for trainer Dan Blacker after a pair of runs over the five-furlong configuration at Del Mar. He ran respectively in those races earning a victory in a second-level allowance event before a speed and fade to third last month in the Green Flash (G2) to #6 Sorrento Sky. Blacker legs up Paco Lopez this time with a runner that is 4 for 14 over the Santa Anita sod, draws perfectly for this course to the far outside, and offers fair value at his 8-1-ML offering. He is my key horse in exactas.

Plays: Exacta Wheel 9 with 1+3+6 and Exacta Box 3+9
Picks: 9-3-6


Race 8: Goodwood (G1)
The featured event has changed names a few times recently, but has been the same nine-furlong Grade 1 test over the main track throughout. This year’s edition appears likely to have an honest early tempo given the presence of #1 Taif, #5 Midnight Mammoth, #7 Forged Steel, and #8 Caldera. I am hopeful they go at it early, setting things up for #4 Original Sin. The Calumet Farm homebred stays in Southern California after coming from last place to finish a well-beaten second to dominant winner Knightsbridge in the Pacific Classic (G1). The Curlin colt has shown a strong turn of foot throughout his ten-race career and proved versatile three starts back with his win in the Blame (G3). He will not be a huge price, but a square one making for a solid key horse in the Exacta-Thon. I will box him with the aforementioned Forged Steel since he might be the best speed and play him on top of 7-5 ML favorite #9 Nevada Beach. Last year’s winner could be tough to beat in here, but has not raced since his disappointing twelfth-place finish in the Saudi Cup (G1). His best makes him tough, but it is difficult to swallow that short price off this sort of break.

Plays: Exacta Box 4+7, Exacta 4-9
Picks: 4-9-7


Race 9: John C. Harris (G3)
The final stakes race on Goodwood Day is this $100k event down the hill for 3YO fillies. 3-2-ML favorite #10 Little Opal was a machine on the front end this summer at Del Mar cruising home to a pair of gate-to-wire wins to start her career. The appeal is obvious and the draw is tasty, but swallowing a short price based on efforts over a totally different type of surface down south just does not make a lot of sense. With that in mind, I will take a big swing on top with California-bred #9 Run With Liberty. Trainer Jeff Mullins debuted this one at one mile on the grass and has never cut him back to a shorter distance until this spot where his filly also draws favorably to the outside. She has shown tactical speed in two-turn races, which often times plays well on the turnback to the 6.5-furlong downhill course. Both of her wins came over this surface this spring and she will be a big price. I will also use #1 Mo’ Em Down. I am not love with the rail draw, but jockey Juan Hernandez knows how to ride this course well enough to hopefully overcome any potential traffic issues. #8 Day to Day is another cutback that could take a liking to this unique configuration. She ships in from Virginia for Saffie Joseph Jr. and has the tactical speed to avoid leaving herself with too much to do late. Hopefully, I can get two of these three into the number and make some coin with my final play of the day.

Plays: Exacta Box 1+8+9, Exacta 9 with 1+3+4+6+8
Picks: 9-1-8