ANALYSIS

BEST BET: RACE 2, CANDYMAN GARRET

FIRST RACE

There is sufficient speed in this turf sprint to set it up for off-the-pace NOT TOO SHINY, a veteran mare that won sprinting on this course two summers ago. She makes her first start since being claimed by Jack Carava, who is 8-for-22 first off the claim the past year. Off the pace and into the winner’s circle. WEDDING BLUSH drops from N2X to $40k claiming, second start back following a layoff. She ran okay last time, pressing the pace to deep stretch before tiring. With a race under her belt and easier company, she has a look with a pressing trip. LITTLE BIT LOVELY missed by a length and a quarter last time, but the fourth-place finish looks better on paper than on video. Mixed signals on the gray mare; she might want farther than five furlongs. PASSIONATE EMOTION returns from a layoff for a stable having a big summer. She is trained by Mark Glatt, who also entered speedster SON OF EKATI.

SECOND RACE

If he runs as well as he did opening weekend when second in his debut in a highly rated race, CANDYMAN GARRET should be tough to beat in this $62.5k maiden-claiming sprint for 2yos. He set/pressed a fast pace, finished more than seven lengths clear of third, and earned a figure (70 Beyer) typically fast enough for this level. The Henry Dominguztrained son of the hot first-crop sire Overanalyze looks like the most probable winner on the card, at a short price. WILD VERSE chased the pace and tired in his debut vs. a good field of special-weight maidens. The winner Gracida is targeting the G1 Del Mar Futurity next month; runner-up Fleetwood finished third in the G2 Best Pal last weekend. Easier company for WILD VERSE, who is likely to improve with a prep under his belt. ALPHADAR broke slowly in his debut; he should improve. He is trained by Keith Desormeaux, who also entered first-time starter MIDNIGHT RUN.

THIRD RACE

STURDY ONE benefitted from a perfect trip/ride by Norberto Arroyo to upset a N1X turf sprint two and a half weeks ago. The horse-for-course (two wins, two seconds, five DMR turf sprints) wheels back on relatively short notice and might get another good trip pressing the pace likely to be set by the front-runner two stalls to his inside. STURDY ONE has speed, but also is versatile. No reason she will not fire right back. SNOW CLOUD won two turf sprints here last summer, and another here opening week when she popped at this level. A deep closer, she returns at the same N2X condition while entered for the optional $62.5k claim tag. She probably is the field’s best closer. LAJATICO is the aforementioned front-runner drawn two stalls inside the top choice. LAJATICO ran well last out. She set the pace, fought to deep stretch, and finished third by a length. For what it is worth, the turf rails were at zero when she the pace last time. The rails are at the outermost 30-foot setting for this. Rail settings sometimes are overemphasized as a handicapping factor, but in this case it could potentially help the speed.

FOURTH RACE

An abundance of suspect speed in this Cal-bred maiden-50 could set it up for stretch-runner DECARCHY DAWN. Runner-up at this level last out, he meets a field in which the front-runners have been fading. TRICKONOMICS is possibly the speed of the speed. He dueled on a blistering pace last time against special-weight Cal-breds, and tired to fourth. Class drop and shorter distance (five and one-half furlongs) helps, but he faces others with a similar up-front style. Those include SUNDAY NAP, who pressed and tired last out while racing for the first time since fall. ‘NAP could improve second start back. BOSLTER is a first-time gelding, first start in California. He is a full brother to the ill-fated G1 winner Points Offthebench. LUCKY WITH YOU should be forwardly placed.

FIFTH RACE

Claimed for $62.5k from a highly rated runnerup finish two starts back, the knock on ABBEY VALE is he drops suspiciously to $40k claiming. The drop seems severe, yet there is no doubt the gelding is the fastest/best in the field. He was in tough last time in a G2, wheels back this time in a claiming race, and is the logical choice. UNUSUAL TASTE returns from a three-month freshening, entered for a $40k tag, with proven form over

this course. He won here in fall 2014 and summer 2015. He also has tactical speed and could get a great trip positioned second or third behind likely pacesetter TO THE BAR. The latter makes his third start back from a layoff while dropping from N2X. He battled on the pace to deep stretch last out, and got swallowed late in a race that saw the onetwo finishers rally from seventh and ninth. Easier pace scenario this time, with the apprentice rider aboard. Come and catch him. SOUTHERN FREEDOM had a bad trip last out. He raced four-wide most of the journey. CONQUEST SABRE CAT might be ranked too low; SKY PREACHER has run races that figure. This is a deep field, many contenders.

SIXTH RACE

JILL MADDEN drops to the bottom level ($16k claiming, N2L) for the first time, while returning to dirt. HENNESSY STORM also drops in class, one level, from $25k claiming N2L. If she somehow transfers her turf figures to the main track, she could win this main-track mile. ANITA G. ran a winning race last out at this level, runner-up while more than three lengths clear of third. She benefitted from an inside draw in that small field, but now is stuck in post 10 in a big field. She will impact the pace scenario. LADY CLOUD might be best as a late-running sprinter, but she nonetheless figures as a contender against this bunch.

SEVENTH RACE

This marathon turf stakes is wide open; the call to upset is PLACE DES VOSGES. Freshened since early July, her first- and second-level allowance wins this spring at Santa Anita might be good enough. She tailed off in subsequent stakes, but now meets a field filled with questions. She can come back firing for the productive trainer-jockey tandem of Richard Baltas and Corey Nakatani.

DECKED OUT makes her first start of 2017. She won the G1 American Oaks on Dec. 31, and has not raced since. But she packs an explosive late rally, and has a productive trainer-jockey duo: brothers Keith and Kent Desormeaux. GOLDY

ESPONY is a multiple graded stakes winning marathon turf specialist making just her second start since 2015. This is her first start for trainer Bob Baffert. RESPONSIBLE FOR LOVE finished in front of the top choice twice this spring at Santa Anita. A front-runner who can stay the marathon trip, she should be among the favorites.

EIGHTH RACE

QUIET NO MORE finished an okay second last out in a similar maiden-20, a route won by the pacesetter. QUIET NO MORE is a deep closer, maybe she can get there if the pace backs up. The knock is that speed has won most dirt routes this summer; ‘NO MORE is a closer. OH SCATTY OH drops and switches to the main track. AMARANTA finished an okay second in her first try around two turns. Her up-front style is the type that wins most dirt routes here. This is a tough way to end the card.