SIXTH RACE SANTA ANITA

at Del Mar were decent enough. PRINCESS KAREN is the main pace rival for the top choice. Drawn inside the favorite, ‘KAREN probably will use her speed to full advantage. She wired 3yo stakes fillies last out, and looks like the one to catch. ‘BELLA will be breathing down her neck, however. BITZKA was overmatched in her stakes comeback, and she drops to age-restricted $32k claiming as the logical choice. She won her first two starts by daylight, took a shot at a G1 (unplaced), then was sidelined. If she runs back to her 2016 summer form as a 2yo, she can make short work of these 3yo claiming fillies. However, WHAT A TEN is a tough cookie. She wired starter allowance rivals last out, is 2-for-2 in dirt sprints, and from the outside post will apply the pressure. GEMINI JOURNEY, a closer, returns from a two-month layoff, to the track on which she won a similar sprint for 3yo fillies in April. Looks for her late. SLY HUMOR has enough speed to insure an honest pace, as does Emerald Downs ship-in BETDESILVERGOLD.

SEVENTH RACE

TATAR should love the hill; he enters this Cal-bred maiden race as “best bet” on the card. Last out, he set a blazing pace in a turf route at Del Mar, battled back in the lane, and ultimately faded to fourth. He did the same thing one race prior. That speed-and-fade pattern around two turns often leads to success in Santa Anita turf sprints, which TATAR is trying for the first time. With a frontrunning or pace-pressing trip, the gelding figures to defeat this group. VEGAS VIC ran super last out, albeit on dirt. He finished second as the favorite, but earned a good figure while finishing more than five lengths clear of third. Turf should be okay for the colt, runner-up all three starts. Also-eligible GOSOFAR has something the top pair lack. That is, experience on the hill. The nine-start maiden finished second in three successive Cal-bred maiden races on the hill in spring. Threat if he draws into the field. ACCREDITATION gets a fairly significant rider switch while shortening from routes. He will fly late.

EIGHTH RACE

Tough to trust a horse dropping off a claim, but veteran KAFISTER is the choice nonetheless. A 12-time winner, he was kayoed in a pace battle in his comeback at Del Mar. He dueled and faded in the lane. Claimed for $32k, he drops immediately to $20k. That’s probably okay. At age 7, he may be slowing down. First start for new connections, over a track on which he is 8-for-16, the honest veteran “should” be good enough to handle this class level. NARDO is rounding into form, and dropping from the same $32k claiming race the top choice exits. He finished in front of KAFISTER, and might prefer the Santa Anita surface over Del Mar. TASUNKE WITCO raced wide and flattened out as the favorite in his California debut. Not a good effort. But he was claimed by a trainer who is 9-for-25 first off the claim the past year. Improvement is possible. NATIVE TREASURE will roll from the back.

NINTH RACE

The 7yo gelding A RED nd TIE DAY is realistically placed in this restricted $32k claiming turf mile, after racing almost exclusively in stakes company the past year and a half. He is the “class” of the field, and this level makes sense for a veteran on the downslope of his career. CROWN THE KITTEN finished close against similar company in his recent starts on grass. He will be rolling late. BUYMEABOND was compromised last out by the race shape, and also trouble. The race was dominated by three front-runners; ‘BOND rallied from last and was in tight quarters late. Threat from the back of the pack. 285 West Huntington Drive Arcadia, CA 91066 (626) 574-7223 Main track: One mile, oval. Distance from last turn to finish line: 990 feet. Turf course: About Seven Furlongs

TAKEOUT INFORMATION ■ Win, place, and show: 15.43 % ■ Two-horse exotic wagering: 22.68% ■ Trifecta, Superfecta, Super Hi 5, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 6: 23.68% ■ Pick 5: 14% ■ Daily Double: 20%

NOTE: A horse which wins a non-winners of $3,000 other than maiden or claiming, or two races, for Calbreds, shall remain eligible for that comparable open allowance race, provided that horse did not win a race other than claiming following that Cal-Bred win. Once a horse has won the two first condition allowance races (Cal-Bred and open), then the Cal Bred win will be disregarded in future allowance races for eligibility purposes only.