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There are two big stakes races on Sunday on opposite ends of the country.  The Grade 1 Santa Monica will be run at Santa Anita and the Grade 2 Forward Gal at Gulfstream Park.  Let’s take a look.

The Forward Gal at Gulfstream features the return of the BC Juvenile Fillies winner She Be Wild.  She Be Wild was overlooked that day at almost 8-1, but won handily.  That win gave her four career wins at distances ranging from four-and-one-half furlongs to one-and-one-sixteenth miles.  She is the class of the field and has reportedly been working well on the dirt, which she has never started over.  Richiegirlgonewild upset the apple cart in the Grade 3 Old Hat earlier in the meet and will try to make it a perfect four-for-four.  She was able to get an easy lead last time and should be main speed again.  There doesn’t appear to be anyone who can run with her.  Ailalea looks like a promising sort for Todd Pletcher and this seven furlong distance hits her between the eyes.  A horse who could get overlooked is Sister Resistor for trainer Ken McPeek.  McPeek gets his go-to-rider in Kent Desormeaux and the horse is a perfect two-for-two on the dirt.  Her only lose occurred when she was nine-wide at Arlington.  The horse who won that day, She Be Wild.

The Santa Monica is a graded stakes, run at seven furlongs and on the main track, which is just fine by Evita Argentina.  Evita Argentina won her last race in the Grade 1 La Brea at seven furlongs at Santa Anita.  The win was her fourth in eight tries at the distance and all have been in graded stakes on a synthetic surface, but she probably won’t start favored.  Favoritism will likely go to Proviso, who is cutting back to the one-turn and gets a new trainer in Bill Mott.  The move to one-turn should not be a problem as one of her best wins in Europe was at seven furlongs on the turf.  Sweet August Moon hasn’t raced since April, but loves Santa Anita having won five of seven.  Free Flying Soul finished ahead of Evita in the BC F&M Sprint, right behind Informed Decision and Ventura, and will try to lead them gate to wire.  Gilded Gem may not be ready to tackle the graded ranks, but she has been very impressive in her previous two starts.  She finally draws an outside post and her last two works suggest she can jump right up in class.  This could be a filly on the rise.

The feature this Saturday at Tampa Bay Downs is the 26^th running of the Manatee for fillies and mares, four-years-old and upward.  A field of 14 will go to the post with Rising Fever the lukewarm 3-1-morning line favorite.  Rising Fever runs for trainer Christophe Clement, who is always dangerous at Tampa, and did win the Manatee last year, but now much come off a seven-month layoff.  In 11 career starts she has yet to finish worse than second with seven wins.  She definitely deserves to be the favorite, but could be worth a play against.

Perf is the second choice at 9-2 on the morning line and she has won three straight including the local prep for this race, the Minaret.  Her figures are good and the extra furlong will only help her late kick.  There are several stakes winners in the field, but only one with a graded stakes victory in this country.  That horse is Satans Quick Chick who, when last seen, was winning the Grade 2 Raven Run at Keeneland.  Satans Quick Chick comes in for a good trainer and has put in some very good works over the Tampa oval.  Win or lose, at 10-1 on the morning line Satans Quick Chick will offer value.  Another value horse could be Choragus.  Trainer Chris Block has sent them ready to run this meet and Choragus finished a closing fourth in the Minaret after her rider “almost came off.”  The trouble came right after the gate opened when she stumbled almost causing the jockey to fly over her head.  She spotted the field double-digit lengths and did her best running when it was too late.  She has come back with a bullet work and with a cleaner break could mow them all down in the lane.  She must, however, overcome post 14.

Today kicked off racing in Dubai at the Dubai Racing Club which ends  its meet with the Dubai World Cup.

The race dates are listed below:

• January 28     Dubai International Racing Carnival (Racing Now!)
• February 4     Dubai International Racing Carnival
• February 5     Dubai International Racing Carnival
• February 11    Dubai International Racing Carnival
• February 18    Dubai International Racing Carnival
• February 19    Dubai International Racing Carnival
• February 25    Dubai International Racing Carnival
• March 4            Super Thursday
• March 5            Meydan Masters
• March 27       Dubai World Cup

This year’s Sunshine Millions is a slimed-down version of what it has been in past years, but the show must go on.  There are three stakes races for California or Florida-bred horses at both Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park.  Santa Anita will showcase the Filly & Mare Sprint, Filly & Mare Turf, and the Classic while Gulfstream will have the Sprint, Distaff, and Turf.

The dual card gets underway at Santa Anita with the Filly & Mare Sprint, which goes as race six.  The race drew 13 entrants with the Mike Mitchell trained Miss McCall trying to make it four in a row.  She won a stakes race in her last out at Turf Paradise after winning two races at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meet.  If Miss McCall is going to win she much be able to rate and over come her post-position.  This race is liable to fall apart on the front end, which would benefit U R All That I Am, Emmy Darling, Dotsy Jean and Quisisana.  Rate of Exchange is an interesting horse for Marty Wolfson.  She may be too close to the speed, but coming off of tracks like Calder and Tampa she should take to the Pro-Ride.

The Filly & Mare Turf is next at Santa Anita and only drew a field of eight.  It does not seem like any one mare is above and beyond the others.  You Lift Me Up, Bootleg Annie and Saucey Evening should all be considered for the win.  The third and final Sunshine Millions race at Santa Anita is the Classic where The Usual Q.T. will change surfaces to try to win his seventh straight race.  He has made four previous starts on a synthetic main track with three seconds so the surface switch should not be a problem.  What may be a problem is trying to catch Compari who has speed and has won and stamina.  He has won sprinting and routing including a nine-furlong win at Hollywood last year.  Based on his race pattern he should have a speed figure in the trip digits.  The knock on Compari is the track profile, which helps closers.  This would help Jeranimo, Palladio, Unusual Smoke, and Bad Action.  The Usual Q.T. is a presser and will get a great trip no matter what scenario.

The first Sunshine Millions race at Gulfstream Park is this Sprint, which goes as race eight and will go off shortly after the Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita.  The Sprint looks like a two-horse race on paper.  Rick Dutrow’s This Ones for Phil makes his return after being scratched from a race at Calder on December 26 and should take his share of the win pool.  The other horse is Pashito the Che who is a total of five lengths away from having won 10 straight.  He has seven wins in his last 10 starts including stakes wins at Belmont, Philadelphia Park, and Calder.  The others appear to be battling for the minor placings.

The Distaff is next and a strong case can be made for three of the entrants.  Sweet Repent just nosed out Amazing in their last and Jessica Is Back comes off a short layoff after beating several of these at Calder.  One horse she hasn’t beat, however, is Sweet Repent and thus the edge goes to that filly.  The Turf is next and there is no Presious Passion, but last year’s winner Soldier’s Dancer is entered.  Last year the race was at Santa Anita and Soldier’s Dancer made a furious rally to make up six lengths in the final furlong.  Duke of Mischief could be the one to upset the favorite and will be position ahead of him turning for home.  Jet Propulsion may have been claimed for this specific race and he is definitely the one they must all catch.

The Leggio and LeComte are the last two legs of the guaranteed $100,000 pick-4 at Fair Grounds on Saturday, but what about the first two legs?  The first leg, race seven, is the Louisiana Handicap for older horses and features General Quarters and Friesan Fire.  Both horses ran in last year’s Kentucky Derby with General Quarters finishing 10^th and Friesan Fire 18^th.  Both had some trouble on their way to Saturday, but if they could regain their form from last year they will be tough.  General Quarters, based on his comeback race, is the preferred one of the two, but neither will be the post time favorite.  Good and Lucky hasn’t been good in his last two, he has been great.  He has back-to-back daylight wins over the Fair Grounds strip, which ran his career record on the track to six wins in 10 starts.  Good and Lucky is adaptable to any pace scenario and could be the “now” horse.  His price may even be inflated with the expected money for the other two.  Good and Lucky could be a single, but many will single in the next leg.

The eighth race is the Tiffany Lass for three-year-old fillies and Quiet Temper is expected to start as the favorite.  She is listed at 8-5 on the morning line and has won her last two including the Grade 3 Delta Princess at Delta Downs.  She is the only graded stakes winner in the group, but is not the only stakes winner and her speed figures are not much greater than the other fillies.  That combined with the far outside post could make her a vulnerable favorite.  The one thing she does have going for her is the ability to rate.  In her last race she raced wire to wire, but that was setting leisurely fractions.  On Saturday she will face several going from sprint to route so she will have to stalk.  If there is a complete pace meltdown then Jody Slew and Jackpot Joanie would be viable long shots.  On the surface it seems to be a race where you go deep or single.