The Lead:
A second straight weekend of important Breeders' Cup trail stakes will be featured at Santa Anita. We'll focus here on the Filly & Mare Turf division's Grade 2 Rodeo Drive Stakes in Race 10 with a deep field of 11. The undercard boasts top sprint fillies and mares in the Grade 3 Chillingworth along with juvenile stakes in the listed Speakeasy, the G2 Oak Leaf and G1 American Pharoah.

Horseplayers at 1/ST BET and Xpressbet can take advantage of 10X 1/ST Rewards Points on the Sunset 6 wager between Santa Anita and Gulfstream (final 3 races on each card), which includes the Rodeo Drive. Also note the Breeders' Cup Bankroll Builder promotion that features Saturday's American Pharoah Stakes on the same Santa Anita card.

​​Field Depth:
Grade 1 winner THOUGHT PROCESS tops the marquee. She's joined by multiple G2 winner MAY DAY READY as well as G3 winners DONA CLOTA and PUBLIC ASSEMBLY. That quartet, along with HEY JESSIE, have kept the strongest company lines.
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Pace:
There's not much tempo here, so while THOUGHT PROCESS neary always sits second in her races, she may default to the front if THE MIZEN QUEEN, TOTALLY JUSTIFIED or MAY DAY READY aren't intent on the lead. A deep closer would appear compromised by this modest pace set-up.

Our Eyes:
Here are my horse-by-horse notes.

1-THOUGHT PROCESS: Graded stakes winner at ages 2,3 and 4, she’s the undisputed leader in the California filly and mare turf division. But she’s shown a tad bit vulnerable at 1-1/8 miles twice now and the additional furlong asked of her Saturday is uncharted territory (while carrying a career-high 126 pounds). The downhill start to 10F at Santa Anita long has been a boost to those types who were in question at getting the traditional trip. She’ll get her typical, first over trip and be the one to beat at 4-for-4 over the course.

2-RESOLVE: Late runner missed by a nose in the similar Santa Ana Stakes during the spring here but has just 2 wins in 22 starts and 1 win in 13 trips on the local lawn. Form seems to be stuck in place and not advancing and trainer Leonard Powel has been in a protracted slump.

3-DONA CLOTA: Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. is 9: 3-2-0 with his California ventures in 2026 from his Florida homebase, including 3 graded stakes wins and a pair of stakes seconds last week at Santa Anita. He’s bringing horses that fit and this Delaware stakes winner is a pure distance mare. Chilean export would be a bit of a surprise to win against these, but note this barn’s 3 SoCal stakes wins this year include a pair of 12-1 shots. Can’t dismiss.

4-TOTALLY JUSTIFIED: Kentucky-based Anna Meah brings the Ellis Park Turf winner west for the second time, looking to improve on a midflight finish in the Grade 1 American Oaks at Santa Anita to close 2025. Current form is promising and should like the hard-packed turf course expected with soaring temps in Arcadia this week.

5-PUBLIC ASSEMBLY: The 2025 Royal Heroine winner hasn’t been back for a picture in her last 11 starts and only has 3 placings during that run to show for it. No match for her Phil D’Amato barnmate Thought Process in the Gamely in May and appears to be a better finisher with a sharp miler’s pace than these elongated routes.

6-KENTUCKY GAL: Won June’s Possibly Perfect over this course and distance and held that form with a late-running third at Del Mar in August. Another of the Phil D’Amato charges here and the one with the perhaps most versatile running style. Fits well enough on form, distance and coursework and should offer reasonable value.

7-HEY JESSIE: Notched the 12-furlong Santa Barbara over this course in May but has been generally overmatched when stepping up into graded-stakes classes. Could make argument she’s faced tougher in her last 2 than most of these, so this race hits somewhere between on her resume. Deep closer is devoid of early foot, but reunites with her winning pilot Emisael Jaramillo on Saturday. Mixed vibes.

8-VICTORIOUS DREAM: 3-year-old filly takes on elder stakes runners for the first time. Generally consistent until her Del Mar Oaks bid when she was her own worst enemy mentally. Rider change from Juan Hernandez to Ricardo Gonzalez as the former jumps seats to Vronti on Saturday. I’ll make her beat me against open elders like this, but 118-pound assignment gives her 6-pound break from the favorite and that doesn’t hurt over 10 furlongs.

9-MAY DAY READY: Exits match race win at Kentucky Downs in the One Dreamer for Richard Mandella, but there’s concern about the additional distance for a filly who’s been best around a mile. Continues to work sharply as is her norm after the road trip to Kentucky and bounced out of that race well. No match for Thought Process in the Gamely, however, and must find more than 7 lengths to turn the tables. Inconsistency makes you demand a price if interested.

10-THE MIZEN QUEEN: Irish export has found the winner’s circle just once in 9 domestic starts since joining Dan Blacker’s stable. But she’s hit the superfecta 8 times during that span, including back-to-back listed stakes placings. This is a step up in class on paper but she’s been right there with race rivals Vronti, Kentucky Gal and Resolve in multiple bids, so she fits well enough in her first graded-stakes attempt. Kyle Frey picks up the mount as she loses recent pilots to some of the favorites entered.

11-VRONTI: Second cross-country trip about 6 weeks (and third this year) for this Maryland-based filly. Graham Motion netted a victory in listed stakes company at Del Mar last out and a fifth-place try behind Thought Process in May’s Grade 1 Gamely at Santa Anita. All-day pedigree and running style should fare well over the distance and notably lands top jockey Juan Hernandez away from a few of the other contenders. With 3 wins and a second among her last 5 starts, she should be right there if the travel doesn’t take a toll at some point before the wire.

Most Likely Exotics Contender:
THOUGHT PROCESS is unbeaten over the course and proven class. The distance could be the obstacle, but shouldn't prevent her from landing on the ticket somewhere, if not on top.

Best Longshot Contender:
THE MIZEN QUEEN never misfires on firm ground and has some ability to be in mix early in a race without much pace.
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Sending it in ($100 bankroll):
$5 trifecta part-wheel THOUGHT PROCESS with THE MIZEN QUEEN, DONA CLOTA with ALL ($90). $5 exacta part-wheel THE MIZEN QUEEN, DONA CLOTA over THOUGHT PROCESS ($10).