Check out my Saturday (5-23-26) Santa Anita Park Race 1 analysis below.
SA 1 (OC-20k/1x, CA-bred, 6.5T) – Post Time: 4:00 PM ET
Primary – #8 CHRISTEL CLEAN, #3 America’s Mark
Secondary – #9 Kikuride, #10 Pure Chaos
Horse Comments:
#8 Christel Clean (7-2) was part of the trifecta in her first six starts (6 2-3-1), and she missed the show by a neck from an outer post as the beaten favorite at 6T April 26. She was the favorite in a dirt sprint at DMR in November and won that CA-bred OC-20k/1x dirt sprint by a half-length. She moved to turf, dueled on the lead, and was second best at 6T Jan. 24. She rallied to miss by a nose at 6.5T Feb. 22. She is 0-for-3 with two runner-up finishes on turf. Dam has tossed a turf winner, Joel Rosario takes the call, and I like her consistency and versatility.
#3 America’s Mark (2-1) was 5-2 in her dirt sprint bow and she dueled and faded, and the runner-up was a next-out winner. She added lasix, switched surfaces, and chased the pace and graduated at 6.5T second time out. She stretched out after two sprints and made the lead and easily defeated her three rivals as the overwhelming favorite (February 2025). She returned from a layoff of one year and stalked from an outer post and finished third by a length as the beaten favorite at 6.5T Feb. 22. She reunites with her winning rider Hector Berrios and should make her presence felt from the outset.
#9 Kikuride (5-1) finished in the top three in her first five starts (5 2-2-1), and she split a 10-horse field at 6T last time. She rallied for the show in her 6T bow and won twice and finished second twice as the favorite in four flat mile turf starts after that. Juan Hernandez strings along.
#10 Pure Chaos (12-1) exits back-to-back local flat mile turf wins and her numbers are on the rise. She was a close third at 6T in January so this shorter distance work for her.
Wagers:
#8 to win
Exacta box 3-8
Trifecta 3-8/3-8-9-10/3-8-9-10
May 2026 Bettor Bet$ Free Pick Winners
May 1 – On Time Girl ($5.92), Exacta ($47.68)
May 2 – Crude Velocity ($5.14), Exacta ($10.80), Trifecta ($75.64)
$1 Superfecta ($114.30), $1 Super High 5 ($506.74)
May 3 – Zalamo ($14.20)
May 5 – Otter Mischief ($3.80), Exacta ($6.00), Trifecta ($20.20)
May 12 – Dawn At Normandy ($4.00)
May 13 – How About Now ($15.40)
May 14 – Paco the Taco Man ($5.20), Trifecta ($78.00)
May 17 – Ahrens/Thirty Two Chunk Exacta ($13.80), Trifecta ($52.80), Trifecta ($74.80)
May 18 – Strike D’ Oro ($4.20), Exacta ($10.40), Trifecta ($27.00)
May 20 – Certain/Willie Bird Exacta ($16.20)
*All winning wagers based on $2 payoffs unless noted otherwise.
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