ANALYSIS

BEST BET: RACE 8, SELCOURT

FIRST RACE

A respectable runner-up comeback stamps well-bred GLORIOUS HOUR the one to beat in this turf sprint for maiden special-weight fillies and mares. Her runner-up debut last winter was promising; she was off nearly 10 months until her Golden Gate comeback last month. Sired by Bodemeister and a sibling to multiple Grade-1 winning sprinter Rock Fall, GLORIOUS HOUR enters as simply the “best horse” in the field. She ran well on dirt and synthetic; turf should be okay. BEAUTY DIVINE is longshot speed, second start back from a layoff. She chased a strong pace in her comeback on the hill, threatened at the dirt crossing, then tired. That was her first in a year. With a prep under her belt, in a race void of speed, BEAUTY DIVINE looms a threat to wire the field. She should start at a hint of a price. CHALKY scratched from a scheduled comeback Jan. 20, and shows just two slow works since. She will pick them up late, but this might be nothing more than a prep race. RADISH might improve second start back.

SECOND RACE

Bob Baffert holds the aces in this sprint for 3yo maidens. He entered second-time starter SHOW TIME ROCKET and the promising first-time starter JUSTIFY. The call is the colt with racing experience. SHOW TIME ROCKET set a fast pace and then faded to fourth in his debut; the race produced at least two next-out winners. With that debut out of the way, he should improve. He will have to improve, because stablemate JUSTIFY might be the real deal. JUSTIFY reportedly has shown above-average ability in morning works. If he runs as well as he trains, look out. The first-time starter could be special. CAMBY returns to a sprint after chasing a fast pace and fading around two turns. His off-the-pace runner-up finish two back at this seven-furlong trip puts him in the hunt. PADDOCK PICK also benefits from the cutback to one turn. He went fast on the lead and faded to fourth last out. He should stick around farther at this sprint trip.

THIRD RACE

With lofty speed figures and a monumental class drop from older allowance to 4-year-olds-only claiming, BIG LEAGUE is the one to beat. His two previous starts in age-restricted claiming races were big (92-Beyer win, runner-up). BURN ME TWICE finished third behind the top choice when they met in November at Del Mar. BURN ME TWICE was freshened afterward, his stable generally does well with comebackers, and he will be forwardly placed pressing the pace outside. BEANTOWN BOYS drops from $25k claiming vs. older, to $32k claiming vs. 4yos. Yes, that is a drop. He broke slowly and finished an okay third last out; his closing style is opposite the top pair. That is good. If the pace falls apart, BEANTOWN BOYS could be along from the back of the pack. He actually is the only true late-runner in the field.

FOURTH RACE

HEMP HEMP HURRAY was a top turf sprinter last summer as a 2yo; this is his first since November, when he finished last in the one-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. He appears to have trained well, ships from Florida to California for this $75k stakes, and has an up-front running style that has been productive this winter in downhill sprints. PUBILIUS SYRUS, last-out winner of a one-mile stakes, cuts back to a sprint for the first time since his debut last summer. He has no sprint speed whatsoever; he will roll late. It seems this race is merely a “bridge” leading to the $200k Pasadena Stakes on March 17. COLOSI crushed maidens by more than four lengths last out in his first start on the hill. Sharp horse moving up in class could fire right back. AFLEET ASCENT will keep the top choice honest on the front end. ‘ASCENT set a fast pace last time wiring allowance rivals.

FIFTH RACE

A lot is riding on the outcome of this $20k maidenclaiming sprint. Due to its placement at the halfway point of the Sunday card, it is the most important race of the day. That is because it is the final leg of the early pick five, opening leg of the late pick five, second leg of the pick six, and hooked into multiple daily doubles and pick 3s. AWESOME ANYWHERE finished more than eight clear of third in his highly rated debut. If he runs two alike, color him long gone. Strange he is risked for the same $20k claim tag as his debut; the 73 Beyer he earned would qualify him for victory at a higher level. AWESOME E K also finished second in his debut, more than four lengths clear of third while earning a figure 10 points less than the top choice. WILLISTON DUDE goes route to sprint, first off the claim by Mark Glatt, adding blinkers and changing riders. His best races were sprints early in his career.

SIXTH RACE

THE TULIP was making what looked like the winning move on the far turn of a similar N1X turf route early this month, but things went awry. She took an awkward step at the quarter pole, momentarily broke stride, and basically lost all chance. Although her last-place finish looks bad on paper, it was actually a good effort. She made a big move on the far turn before the incident. Her previous start, fourth in her U.S. debut, was solid. THE TULIP wheels back on short notice, cuts back to one mile, and can post a mild upset. SIBERIAN IRIS stretches out following a promising runner-up comeback in a downhill sprint. She was a two-turn filly last year as a 3yo; with her comeback prep under her belt, improvement is expected. GIRL DOWNSTAIRS is a five-time winner entered for the optional $40k claim tag. She can stay a mile; her new trainer has a solid long-term win rate first start off the claim (23 percent past five years).

SEVENTH RACE

The only dropper in this $12.5k claiming N2L sprint is VELVET JONES. She finished a close third last out in an open $16k claiming sprint that produced two winners. Seems like a low-odds standout. Habitual slow starter CANDY BOSS is her own worst enemy (off slowly three straight). But she had sufficient ability in 2017 to win a race such as this. One of these days, she will break with the field and win. RANSOMED finished second at this class level last out. That makes her a contender in a sleepy race.

EIGHTH RACE

The dominating comeback victory by SELCOURT taps her a potential star in the filly-mare sprint division, and most likely winner on the card moving up in class from minor stakes to Grade 3. She set a blistering pace in her comeback, widened through the lane, and earned a big fig (96 Beyer). Although she was initially expected to skip this race and point for a G2 in March, she came out of her comeback with so much energy that her connections opted to bring her right back. Three sharp works, outside post, more speed than her main rival, she should be gone. However, her chief opponent is very good. That is SKYE DIAMONDS, who last year ranked as one of the top filly-mare sprinters on the circuit. Fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, she has pointed to this race for weeks. She runs well fresh; her figures last year are similar to the top choice. CONIAH came back running with a sharp pacesetting score in her comeback on the hill. She can handle dirt, and her early gas will prevent the top choice from an uncontested lead. JUST A LITTLE HOPE looms the late-running longshot play if the pace completely falls apart.

NINTH RACE

Maiden-claiming races on turf are a new addition to the Santa Anita winter racing program. This maiden-75 is a scramble; stretch-out dropper BUNNY YOGURT gets the call based on midpack finishes last year vs. special-weight maidens. That is not much of an endorsement; she is a “lesserof-evils” selection, with no confidence. CURLIN’S JOURNEY drops from a fourth-place finish behind the explosive filly Paved, entered in the $200k El Camino Real Derby against the boys on Saturday at Golden Gate. MISCHIEVOUS SONG stretches to a route, moves from dirt to turf, adds blinkers and tries a rider switch. Improvement is possible.