We have reached the final Saturday of the winter-spring season at Santa Anita Park where the Great Race Place has a solid 12-race card set to go to post at 4 pm ET / 1 pm local time. The card is headlined by a pair of graded stakes that make up 40% of the late Pick 5 sequence that gets started in Race 8. Here are a few horses I like most.Race 8: Daytona (G3)My first play comes in this event down the Hillside Turf Course where the pace should be honest given the presence of #5 Irish Royalty and #6 Modus Bestia. Of the two, Irish Royalty enters this $100k stakes race for 3YOs and up in the better form having won 2 in a row and 3 of 4 for Doug O’Neill. Last time out, she beat #8 Anmer Hall to the wire in a second-level allowance event over this same course. The difference though was the configuration. That race was conducted at 6-furlongs where this one will be over the unique 6.5-furlong course that Anmer Hall has had a lot of success over. In fact, the 7YO gelding has won 3 times down the hill and also has a victory over the unique Kentucky Downs turf at the same distance. The Peter Eurton trainee ran out of room last time after being forced to wait momentarily before finding clear sailing and now gets back to his preferred trip. It also is a positive he puts back-to-back races together for the first time since last fall. I like his chances quite a bit under regular rider Antonio Fresu.Play: #8 Anmer Hall (8-1 ML)Picks: 8-11-12Race 10:This first-level allowance at 1 1/8-miles over the Santa Anita sod has absolutely no early speed signed on. Therefore, finding runners that will not be attempting to come from well out of it makes the most sense. I landed on #4 Midnight Strike after combining form, talent, and likely trip. The son of American Pharoah makes his third start of the form cycle after finishing second in a one-mile race where they went way faster early than they will in this race. Midnight Strike brought well that day, but wisely was taken back well off the quick pace by Joel Rosario. Rosario has been a great rider over his career, but his lack of aggressiveness is probably not ideal for this spot, so I like the move back to jockey Armando Ayuso with Rosario opting to ride morning line favorite #6 Atomic Age. With the added ground and a field that has far less early zip, it is likely that Midnight Strike’s natural speed will put him in a good spot early. The upside is still there for the Thor-bred Stables gelding. He should be set for his best.Play: #4 Midnight Strike (9-2 ML)Picks: 4-2-1Race 11: Summertime Oaks (G3)The second graded stakes on the Saturday agenda is this two-turn event for 3YO fillies over the main track where second-time starter #1 Mizumi was made the heavy 4-5-favorite off of her win going 6.5-furlongs over this surface on May 2. The daughter of Justify has every right to move forward with the added ground, but will be an underlay on the step up in class and stretch out in distance regardless of result. I will take a shot against her with a filly I have been high on since her debut win at Churchill Downs over the off going last November. #7 Marjoram also has to prove the two-turn question, but should offer better value. Emisael Jaramillo takes over on the Michael McCarthy trainee with Juan Hernandez opting to ride Mizumi. Hernandez gave Marjoram a brilliant ride last out, but Jaramillo has been awesome over his first six months in Southern California. Hopefully, Hernandez choosing to ride the favorite helps our price.Play: #7 Marjoram (3-1 ML)Picks: 7-1-6

It’s a 6-stakes Saturday at Delaware Park as the local Derby and Oaks highlight the big card in the First State. The nation’s top riders will be here, including Irad Ortiz Jr., Jose Ortiz, John Velazquez and Luis Saez. First post is 12:20 pm ET with a dozen races offered, including a late pick 5 in which horseplayers at Xpressbet and 1/ST BET can take advantage of a $2,500 Hit & Split promotion.Let’s get to work.Race 8: $150,000 Obeah StakesKey local Delaware Handicap prep lured 8 entries with Brad Cox (#6 Chasten) and Bob Baffert (#7 Cash Call) always formidable. Cash Call makes her second start off the layoff with a perfect allowance sprint prep. She won sprint-to-route in the Summertime Oaks around this time last year at Santa Anita. Chasen was even against tougher in the La Troienne on the Kentucky Oaks undercard at Churchill when snapping a 2-race winning streak. She fits here and will be moving late. Rail speed from #1 Amalfi Drive, another impeccable Godolphin home-bred could play well exiting a pair of 1-turn races while in sharp form.Race 9: $200,000 Cape Henlopen StakesI was head over heels for #1 Desvio when he returned to Keeneland for the Elkhorn in April, only to run a big second that paled to the monster performance of Burnham Square that day. Trainer Madison Meyers could have stayed home in Maryland for the Henry S. Clark and prep toward the Dinner Party at Laurel on Preakness Day, but took the confident bite of the apple instead. That leaves Desvio in excellent timing now for the Cape Henlopen and a summer campaign. Also note John Velazquez passes up the mount on Todd Pletcher’s Grande at Monmouth in the Salvator Mile to take on these Delaware assignments. Desvio will be my single in a race in which #8 Soleil Volant, #5 Just a Touch (who may struggle with 12 furlongs) and #4 Il Siciliano would be the backup options in case of a scratch.Race 10: $300,000 Delaware Derby#3 Out of the Woods has been a vastly improved horse in his 2 starts since leaving California for Phil D’Amago and should be able to get to the rail with early speed here and reduce a lot of variables in his first stakes start. John Velazquez rode to a Kentucky Derby Day allowance score at Churchill and has a great knack for piloting rail speed and floating rivals on the clubhouse turn, taking an edge. #5 Sovereign Law was a half-length back of the top pick in Louisville and Brad Cox turns the reins over to Irad Ortiz Jr., a move clearly capable of erasing the deficit all things equal. #4 Litmus Test hasn’t been anywhere near the colt at 3 that many expected to see after a solid juvenile campaign. Bob Baffert turns to Jose Ortiz fresh off a Belmont Stakes victory last Saturday.Race 11: $300,000 Delaware OaksSeveral good options exist in this 1-1/16 miles Grade 3 test that includes alumnae of the Kentucky Oaks, Black-Eyed Susan, Eight Belles and Beaumont. Delaware can be a deeper surface that not all shippers take to, so Black-Eyed Susan runner-up #1 Jumping the Gun’s 3-for-4 local record last year could be a valuable bullet in the holster. Though both exiting sprints, #7 Luv Your Neighbor and #9 Sneaky Good ran very well against better competition in the Fair Grounds Oaks and Honeybee around 2 turns earlier in the spring. Both can be big factors on the return to the route game. #2 Pashmina is well-drawn and twice finished just behind Love Your Neighbor, though the move to red-hot Jose Ortiz could spell a reversal.Race 12: maidenA field of 10 turf route maidens line up (plus a main-track only entrant) in the nightcap. #3 Sound Bite gets an excellent post after a couple of even Florida efforts. Trainer Miguel Clement’s barn is going very well of late and it could be graduation day. #9 Scanner was his own worst enemy in his Laurel debut. Trainer Graham Motion got him off the training center at Fair Hill and worked locally in the 4 weeks since and perhaps gets his mind right with Irad Ortiz Jr. taking the return call. I’ll hold with that pair while considering #11 Don’t Tell Tim and #4 Practical Joker has viable alternatives in case of scratches.The Ticket:6,7,1 with 1 with 3,4,5 with 1,7,9,2 with 3,9 = $36 for 50 cents

Gulfstream Park’s synthetic track will get a workout this Friday. Those who figure out what horses will run well over it could get a lucrative bonus. Five of the races that comprise the Rainbow Pick 6 wager will be run on the Tapeta surface, setting the stage for a 20-cent wager that begins with $32,594 in the carryover pool.Gulfstream Park 4th Race (2:26 p.m. EST)NOAH’S DREAM carried his speed to win and a near miss from post 10 for his new barn and is a must-use on the ticket at 10-1 off a :34-4/5 workout. ROCKINGHAM JOE, intent to vacate the rail early, sustained a 4-wide rally until deep stretch but settled for his fourth consecutive in-the-money finish this year. He’s 1-for-25 but the same move with an alert start puts him in the winning mix. VELOCIRAPTOR, dismissed at 5-2 odds or less in eight starts since 2025, broke through with a photo-finish victory in a ‘key’ race at this distance after nine months away. He’s at the right level and should sit an ideal stalking trip off a runner-up finish at the $25,000 level.Gulfstream Park 5th Race (2:58 p.m. EST)NO OTHER LIKE YOU ran second from on and off the pace in her last two starts on turf. But she has a good route race to summon when she last tested the Tapeta surface, breaking sharply, settling into an ideal ground-saving position but lacking room in the final quarter of a mile when finishing third. LOGISTICS, shuffled to mid-pack in a slow-paced long sprint on the grass, made a menacing move between runners to lead between calls in late stretch, only to be out-kicked to the wire. Like her off-the-pace tactics better on a surface on which she won four times. ILLANA will likely get more play than her 8-1 morning line, having sandwiched a pair of photo-finish setbacks on turf around an easy maiden win at this distance on Tapeta. But she’s not included on our Rainbow Pick 6 ticket, considering the rivals she defeated are a combined 59/0-5-9 to date.Gulfstream Park 6th Race (3:31 p.m. EST)MODERN BEAUTY showed sharp speed, braced for the challenge of an even-money, first-time starter from the Saffie Joseph Jr. barn and finished a clear second in a promising debut on conventional dirt at Tampa Bay Downs. If she transitions to the synthetic surface, she should live up to favoritism and graduate today.Gulfstream Park 7th Race (4:04 p.m. EST) BLUE SLIDE PARK fits well on his best effort but hasn’t shown much in four starts since a voided claim. He starts fresh for new connections and gets in light-weighted with some betting value attached. O’CAPTAIN, third in the 2022 Fountain of Youth (G-2), has yet to finish 1-2 on a fast dirt track and is winless at one mile, but a duplicate of a half-length setback last out on a ‘good’ strip makes him the one to beat.Gulfstream Park 8th Race (4:34 p.m. EST)PRIVATE THOUGHTS ran 1-2-3 in consecutive six-figure route races on the Tapeta track to near $400k in earnings in 20 starts. He fired a blank as the favorite in a follow-up turf race but he gets back on Lasix and could get back on the winning track today. BAIL US OUT, second to Private Thoughts when last seen in December, could do just that in the rematch. He’s a steady, upper-80 Beyer and multiple Grade 3 placed going long. PAPA GOLF got first run and held off a trio of closers to win off a 10-month layoff. His dam, Saharan, was a stakes-placed sprinter and $179k earner as a 3-year-old. His trainer, Jose D’Angelo, won 194 races the last three years with turf-to-synthetic runners.Gulfstream Park 9th Race (5:05 p.m. EST)Hitting the ‘ALL’ button in the finale, hoping the Rainbow is in sight.Suggested Rainbow Pick 6GP 4th Race: 3, 4, 6GP 5th Race: 5, 9GP 6th Race: 6GP 7th Race: 3, 6GP 8th Race: 2, 5, 6GP 9th Race: ALLCost for a 20-Cent Ticket: $73.20

EXTRA INCENTIVESBet $100, Get $10 | Horseshoe Indianapolis | today’s racesSCHEDULE NOTESSanta Anita | special Thursday card to kick off closing weekTOURNAMENT TIME$100 NYRA feeder | details$40 Santa Anita feeder | details$40 Canterbury Park feeder | detailsNOTABLE CARRYOVERSPick 6 | $23,617 | Aqueduct | begins Race 3 | 2:12 pm ETJackpot Pick 6 | $153,994 | Thistledown | begins Race 3 | 1:50 pm ETKEY RACESSanta Anita | Race 2 | 4:33 pm ET | Desert Stormer StakesSanta Anita | Race 8 | 7:36 pm ET | Affirmed StakesLONGSHOT RACE ALERT FROM BETMIXSanta Anita | Race 6 | 6:36 pm ETWoodbine | Race 8 | 6:39 pm ETChurchill Downs | Race 8 | 8:23 pm ETTRAINERS TO WATCHTony Rengstorf | Canterbury Park | all 5 entrants 9-2 or less oddsDID YOU SEE?Yesterday | Horseshoe Indy | favorites won 5 of 8 Thoroughbred racesPUT US ON YOUR HANDICAPPING TEAMScott Shapiro: Santa Anita Spot Plays for ThursdayJeremy Plonk: Horseshoe Indy Bet $100, Get $10 Spot Plays for ThursdayFrank Carulli & Brian W. Spencer best bets today in Xpressbet.com member’s section

Throughout June, Tuesdays and Thursdays heat up at 1/ST BET and Xpressbet with our Summertime Scores promotion. Bet $100, Get $10 on select tracks this month. Next up Thursday will be Horseshoe Indianapolis. Here’s how I’ll approach Indy with an assist from the Betmix Angler database.Horseshoe Indy Race 3 | 3:12 pm ET#2 Stormy Paradise (5-1 morning line odds) drops in class after being overmatched in Kentucky. Trainer Ed Moger Jr. has been on point with his runners spotted in Indy in recent weeks and note this one’s good third here last May over the course and distance. Prefer her on turf to Moger stablemate #4 Fancy Fascinator, who does get the barn’s local A-rider. Win bet #2. Exacta box 2-4. Picks 2-4-3Horseshoe Indy Race 7 | 5:16 pm ET#3 Illini (10-1 morning line odds) is a 5-time winner who could not fit the eligibility conditions of this race any tighter. Second start for Brittany Vanden Berg off the claim and should appreciate the class drop from Churchill. A winner here in April wire-to-wire and expected to show speed. Win-place bet #3. Picks 3-6-8Eligible tracks and days:• Thursday, June 11 // Horseshoe Indianapolis• Tuesday, June 16 // Mountaineer• Thursday, June 18 // Canterbury• Tuesday, June 23 // Thistledown• Thursday, June 25 // Colonial Downs• Tuesday, June 30 // Fort Erie

Saturday's trip to Monmouth Park boasts a quartet of 6-figure stakes, including the Eatontown, Pegasus, Monmouth and Salvator Mile. It's the latter that intrigues most as a Grade 3 that goes as Race 9 of 10. Todd Pletcher and Brad Cox trainees are back among some familiar visitors to the Jersey Shore.Horseplayers at 1/ST BET and Xpressbet take advantage of 10X 1/ST Rewards Points on the entire Saturday card at Monmouth.​​Field Depth:Grade 1 winner EAST AVENUE and Grade 2 winners BISHOPS BAY, POINT DUME and GIOCOSO are among the headliners, while GRANDE has won at the Grade 3 level. GRAND MO THE FIRST is Grade 1-placed. This group rates stronger than most Grade 3s.​Pace:Very competitive early, but that's to be expected at Monmouth and in a middle-distance mile like this. Even so, any bit of patience and ability to pounce could be the winning move.​Our Eyes:Here are my horse-by-horse notes.1-GIOCOSO: Both bred for and raced primarily on turf, last year’s Grade 3 Commonwealth winner at Churchill Downs finds a difficult spot for his first dirt success. Trainer Keith Desormeaux has pulled some shockers over the years, and this one does get a rapid pace set-up if able to relax some like past seasons, but in both starts this year he was too involved early for his own good in this race.2-GRANDE: Todd Pletcher exits a highly forgettable Saratoga skid during the Belmont Stakes Festival and the barn had lost 32 in a row coming into this racing week, dating back to May 23. The mercurial Grande is 4-for-4 at Gulfstream, but runner-up in Aqueduct’s Wood at 3 and most recently sixth in a strong edition of the Alysheba at Churchill. John Velazquez jumping off isn’t a ringing endorsement and there’s concern this colt is in a no-lead, no-pass situation at what figures to be an underlay price while giving 6 pounds to nearly all his rivals.3-POINT DUME: His General George and Grade 2 Carter wins back-to-back at 7 furlongs, the latter beating last week’s True North winner Book ‘em Danno were career-best efforts. He regressed mightily in the tough Grade 1 Churchill Downs Handicap on Derby Day and now we have to wonder if he’s over-the-top after an extraordinary 32 straight races in the same form cycle without a major, extended break. Much better around 1 turn and a need-the-lead type routing in the past, while the 6-pound allowance he gives most all his rivals increase the level of difficulty.4-GRAND MO THE FIRST: 2024 Florida Derby third-place finisher and Kentucky Derby alum raced only once in 2025 and once so far this year for Victor Barboza. Steps back up in class off a Gulfstream 1-turn mile allowance victory and gets a rider change back to Paco Lopez. Hasn’t won around 2 turns on dirt and is 1-for-4 with a turf score in that situation. Still, like where he’s at in the form cycle and worth a look.5-OTTER MISCHIEF: Parx-based allowance runner has been favored in 7 straight races and now takes on easily the toughest test of his career. He should be part of a contested front group of speed players. Lupe Preciado trainee is 2-for-6 around 2 turns and doesn’t appear to have a path to victory vs. these.6-BISHOPS BAY: Defending Salvator Mile champ, despite a Grade 3-to-Grade 3 move, makes a significant class drop. This Brad Cox trainee faced Grade 1 winner Antiquarian last out and prior to that elite runners Forever Young and Nysos in the Saudi Cup. While racing mostly around 1 turn of late, he’s won 3 straight around 2 turns and is a head shy of 5 straight 2-turn victories dating back to 2023. Should be the one to beat on the title defense under Flavien Prat, whose 2025 Monmouth summer raids netted 4 stakes wins (9: 4-2-2).7-SEA STREAK: Monmouth’s 2024 Long Branch winner missed 1-1/2 years before a dull return in an allowance sprint in March. Takes a huge bite of the apple here and difficult to recommend as part of what looks to be a contended pace of simply better performers.8-OFFALY COOL: Parx-based stakes winner hasn’t been seen since last August’s Mayors Mile in greater Philly and changes barns to Julio Rodriguez. Shows perhaps the best finishing ability in this race among a field of primarily speed and pressing-types. Won off an 11-month layoff late in 2024 so he’s shown some ability when freshened. Only prior Monmouth foray came in 2023 when second by a head in the Long Branch Stakes after leading late.9-EAST AVENUE: Classy colt’s 3 career wins all came in wire-to-wire fashion, most notably the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland in 2024. The Brendan Walsh trainee looks much closer to his best form in 2 starts this year after facing a razor-sharp foe Nu Whats Nu in an Oaklawn Mile second and a classy group in the Grade 2 Alysheba at Churchill when fourth. The outside draw and surrounding pace pressure will make the test a challenge, but he’s capable. Until he passes a horse in any race it’s reasonable to pass on him at a shorter price.Most Likely Exotics Contender:BISHOPS BAY is 14 for 15 in the exacta lifetime and defending champ proven at this track and trip.Best Longshot Contender:Value can be found in well-traveled GRAND MO THE FIRST and the come-backing OFFALY COOL.​Sending it in ($100 bankroll):$75 exacta BISHOPS BAY over GRAND MO THE FIRST. $25 exacta BISHOPS BAY over OFFALY COOL.

The winter-spring racing season at Santa Anita Park started back in late December of 2025. A lot has happened in the world of thoroughbred racing since then, but things begin to come to an end starting on Thursday afternoon when the Great Race Place offers up the first of four cards to kick off closing week. Race 1 goes to post at 4 pm ET / 1 pm local time and includes a pair of $100,000 stakes. Here are the horses I plan to build my day around over the 9-race slate.Race 5:My first play comes in this MSW event for fillies and mares at one-mile over the grass where it appears relatively wide-open. 5-2-ML favorite #8 Cortina d’Amprezzo has had five chances already, including three in the States at 7-2 or lower and has failed to do better than third, while #7 Fire Ban is 0 for 10 despite 4 seconds. I do not trust them or the others that have competed in North America thus far, so I will turn to Irish-bred #5 Astronomically. The daughter of No Nay Never makes her first start since shipping overseas into the Paddy Gallagher barn. Gallagher is just 3 for 31 to start 2026, but the veteran trainer has meant business when he legs up jockey Juan Hernandez. This is evidenced by his 5 for 10-record over the last two years for a $9.52 ROI. Astronomically has to prove herself outside of Europe and on the move from synthetic-to-turf, but I like her chances to do just that against these.Play: #5 Astronomically (4-1 ML)Picks 5-1-7Race 8: AffirmedOne of the two stakes on the special Thursday afternoon slate is this 1 1/16-mile event for 3YOs over the main track where it is likely to be wagered on like a two-horse race. #4 Decisive Win holds the pace advantage and a fast last race over this surface to break his maiden for complete fun, but #3 Secured Freedom holds the class edge. The Practical Joke colt was on the Triple Crown Trail in Southern California for trainer Tim Yakteen before opting to try the cutback in the Pat Day Mile (G2) on the Kentucky Derby undercard. Secured Freedom broke well that day and ran fine finishing fourth beaten seven lengths, but just happened to run into arguably the two best 3YO’s in the country. Crude Velocity won that day, but runner-up Englishman returned the favor last weekend with a massive win in the Woody Stephens (G1) at Saratoga. Yakteen takes the blinkers off Secured Freedom for the first time on Thursday, stretches him back out to a route of ground, and legs up Joel Rosario. He is a quality horse that has tackled better than he encounters here. I am expecting this colt’s to visit the winner’s circle for the first time since his maiden score.Play: #3 Secured Freedom (8-5 ML)Picks 3-4-1Race 9:My final play of the day comes in this state-bred first-level allowance over the Hillside Turf Course where there is a serious lack of early speed signed on. #1 Maker and Sons is the likely pacesetter, but breaks from the rail and has done all of his best running thus far on dirt. Therefore, I want a horse that can sit just off the pace, take control at the top of the lane, and take advantage of the probable race shape. I will hope it is #9 Sogno Di Vino. The son of Vino Rosso makes his first start since late September ’25 for Peter Miller. The 4YO gelding has done most of his running at two-turns and has had a number of chances over the grass, but never over this unique configuration. With the likelihood he is a bit keen off the layoff, I expect him to be sitting second or third early under Juan Hernandez. If he finds that spot, he should be in a perfect position to take advantage of favorites that could be up against it given race dynamics. The price should be right to take a swing in the finale.Play: #9 Sogno Di Vino (12-1 ML)Picks 9-10-8

NOTABLE CARRYOVERSSuper Hi 5 | $8,018 | Churchill Downs | Race 1 | 12:45 pm ETJackpot Pick 6 | $148,531 | Thistledown | begins Race 3 | 1:50 pm ETJackpot Pick 5 | $105,387 (CAN) | Assiniboia Downs | begins Race 3 | 9:25 pm ETKEY RACESHorseshoe Indianapolis | Race 7 | 5:16 pm ET | Swifty Sired Fillies HandicapHorseshoe Indianapolis | Race 8 | 5:47 pm ET | Sagamore Sired HandicapLONGSHOT RACE ALERT FROM BETMIXChurchill Downs | Race 9 | 4:55 pm ETHorseshoe Indianapolis | Race 8 | 5:47 pm ETPresque Isle Downs | Race 8 | 6:39 pm ETTRAINERS TO WATCHJamie Ness | Delaware Park, Parx | 5 of 6 entrants 5-1 or less oddsDID YOU SEE?Yesterday | Parx | favorites won 7 of 9 racesPUT US ON YOUR HANDICAPPING TEAMFrank Carulli & Brian W. Spencer best bets today in Xpressbet.com member’s section