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Santa Anita Recap for Friday (2-2-24)

Good main track and off the turf. Three front running winners on dirt (8f, 6f, 8f).  

Flavien Prat booted home the late double. 

The $1 Pick 6 pool was $530,984 and multiple tickets with six winners paid $82.60. The 5 out of 6 consolation prize was $3.40.

Feb. 2 Claims: Race 2 – Big Buzz ($12.5k, Steve Knapp), Nauvoo ($12.5k, Kristin Mulhall), Settecento ($12.5k, Mark Rheinford). Race 5 – Top Gun Tommy ($32k, Kristin Mulhall). 

Santa Anita Full Card Highlights for Friday (2-2-24)

SA 4 LETTHELIQUORTALK (SA Best Bet #1, $3.80)

SA 5 TOP GUN TOMMY ($2.80)

Double (races 4-5, $5.00)

Double (races 5-6, $6.20)

Pick 3 (races 4-6, $11.00)

Pick 3 (races 5-7, $10.40)

50 cent Late Pick 5 (races 4-8, $15.00)

$1 Golden Hour Pick 4 (SA 7, GG 6, SA 7, GG 7) – $40.80

OP 9 COMPARATIVE ($14.40)

*Full card highlights based on $2 wagers unless otherwise noted. 

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Santa Anita Recap for Saturday (2-3-24)

Fast main track and good turf course. No front running winners on dirt. On the turf course, a 5-1 front runner won the downhill opener, a front running favorite graduated at 6.5f, a front running favorite won the G3 Megahertz at one mile, a last-to-first closer struck at 5-1 odds at 6f, a 5-1 front runner ran them off their feet in the G3 Thunder Road at 8f, and a 13-1 closer tallied from post 11 in the flat mile finale. 

Stakes race hat trick for Flavien Prat. Turf riding double for Hector Berrios. 

Santa Anita Stakes Recaps for 2-3-24 

Grade 3 Megahertz (8T): Bellabel (IRE) was making her first start since October 2022, and she was clearly ready to roll for Phil D’Amato. The returnee made the lead under Flavien Prat and maintained at least a length advantage for the entire race. She drifted out in the stretch but nobody was making a serious impact and she scored by a length. Mouffy was rank from the inside post and still managed to land the place under Kazushi Kimura. Justique stalked outside and missed the place by a nose, and it was another neck back to Nadette (FR) and Yerwanthere. Closing Remarks never made an impact from the outside post at 2-1 odds. Oakhurst chased from 2nd and finished far behind the rest. The final time was 1:36.16 and the winner paid $5.80. 

Grade 3 Robert Lewis (8f): We may have seen the best sophomore in the country in this race. Nysos ran off the screen for the third time in as many starts, and he passed his first route test with flying colors. Scatify was intent on the lead from the outside post and Wine Me Up chased from the inside post. Nysos was comfortable stalking the pace under Flavien Prat. He made his move around the far turn and into the stretch, and he quickly disposed of his rivals and spurted away to win by a very easy 7 1/2 lengths. Wine Me Up got past Scatify for the runner-up spot. Mc Vay, Moonlit Sonata, Better Than Gold, and Ace of Clubs also ran. The final time was 1:36.65. Nysos paid $2.20 as the overwhelming favorite and he is trained by Bob Baffert, whose Kentucky Derby ban dates back to 2022 but his horses can compete in the Preakness and Belmont. I am not sure where Nysos goes from here but they almost have to look at the Preakness and decide the best path to get him to that race.  

Grade 3 Thunder Road (8T): Goliad was quickly clear under Kazushi Kimura. He opened up powerfully on the backside and this race was over in a blink of an eye. Richard Mandella’s 7-year-old gelding was up by 9 lengths after a half-mile and was a dozen clear after six panels. He lost some of his padding in the stretch but it did not matter, and he crossed the line 3 lengths in front of my top choice Dandy Man Shines (IRE). The latter chased from 2nd and was cutting into the margin at the end in a clear runner-up finish. Ah Jeez saved ground from the inside post and was best of the rest in 3rd. Tio Magico worked his way up to 3rd before flattening out, and Balnikov (IRE), Great King (FR), and 28-1 outsider Time to Party also ran. The final time was 1:33.57. 

Grade 2 Santa Maria (7f): Hot Peppers got to the front as expected but post time favorite Three Wishes was hot on her heels. Hot Peppers was done after a half-mile and Three Wishes was in complete control, and the latter won easily by 2 1/2 lengths. Chismosa rallied from last to finish a clear 2nd, and Kirstenbosch chased the pace and was best of the rest in 3rd in her first start since the BC F&M Sprint. Hot Peppers weakened to 4th and Cliquish trailed. The final time was 1:23.21. 

The $1 Pick 6 pool was $199,797 and multiple tickets with six winners paid $9,703.20. The 5 out of 6 consolation prize was $114.00. 

Santa Anita Full Card Highlights for Saturday (2-3-24)

SA 3 MONTANA ($4.20), Exacta ($12.00)

Double (races 2-3, $10.00)

Double (races 3-4, $17.00)

Pick 3 (races 2-4, $30.60)

SA 5 NYSOS ($2.20)

Double (races 4-5, $7.40)

Pick 3 (races 3-5, $19.00)

Double (races 5-6, $15.60)

Pick 3 (races 4-6, $47.40)

Pick 3 (races 5-7, $84.00)

GP 11 FIRST WORLD WAR ($7.00)

*Full card highlights based on $2 wagers unless otherwise noted. 

Jarrod Horak

Jarrod Horak posts stakes recaps from Del Mar and Santa Anita Park, along with full card recaps and free stakes picks from Southern and/or Northern California.