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Santa Anita – Robert B. Lewis Stakes
Santa Anita – Strub Stakes
Tampa Bay Downs – Sam F. Davis Stakes
Tampa Bay Downs – Endeavour Stakes
Thoroughbred Racing Action

Santa Anita – Robert B. Lewis Stakes

Liaison Headlines the Grade 2 Field

Three stakes races on the card this Saturday at Santa Anita and right smack in the middle is the Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis Stakes for three-year-olds. This is an important step for the connections looking forward to the Santa Anita Derby in April and further down the road the Kentucky Derby.

A field of eight was drawn for the mile and one-sixteenth race with Liaison, the expected morning line and post time favorite, drawing post two.

The Bob Baffert-trainee ran four times as a two-year-old in 2011 with three wins and a third. The highlight of those wins was a neck victory in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park. Prior to the Futurity win he won the $100,000 Real Quiet at Hollywood and a maiden race at Santa Anita.

In the CashCall Liaison stalked the early pace from fourth then made a move to be within a neck of the lead after six furlongs then gamely held on to win by a neck over Rousing Sermon. Looking at the CashCall on paper may make one think Liaison was lucky to hold off the late charge of Rousing Sermon, but the most impressive part of the race for Liaison was the gallop out. At no time did the Indian Charlie-colt let his rival past him.

Of course that is not stopping the connections of Rousing Sermon as well as the others from the CashCall Futurity from trying their hand at revenge in the Lewis. In addition to Rousing Sermon the other horses coming back to face Liaison on Saturday are Groovin’ Solo, Sky Kingdom and Empire Way.

Rousing Sermon is cut out to be a true two-turn horse so it was a surprise to see him win his debut at five-furlongs over the synthetic track at Hollywood Park. The Luck Pulpit-colt has yet to finish worse than third in his six-race career, which includes two wins. Aside from the maiden race Rousing Sermon won the Cal Cup Juvenile, which was at Santa Anita over the mile and one-sixteenth distance.

Groovin’ Solo is likely to be a long shot on Saturday as is Empire Way, but Sky Kingdom may give his stablemate Liaison a run for his money.

In the CashCall Sky Kingdom “pulled early” then was three-wide coming into the lane. It was the first time since his debut the Empire Maker-colt had been farther than a length off the early pace and it showed in the early stages. Jockey Garrett Gomez was able to get him to settle, but at that point he was just looking for the minor awards.

After the CashCall trainer Bob Baffert looked for an easier spot and he found one in a four-horse allowance field. Baffert also went back to his go-to jockey Martin Garcia and Sky Kingdom responded with an authoritative win by over four-lengths. With a bullet workout in his holster Sky Kingdom could be on the muscle when the gates open.

The pace of the race is an interesting one with two runners coming out of sprint races. Isn’t He Clever drew the rail and has yet to be farther than seven furlongs. He won his last race, a $104,000 stakes race at Sunland Park by over eleven, but has to prove himself on this circuit. I’ll Have Another has not run since a disappointing sixth in the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga and may be the speed of the speed in the Lewis.

Chips All In rounds out the field and he has a stellar four wins and one second in five career starts. His last was his best race yet, but that was a stakes race over the Santa Anita turf course. He does own a win on the dirt, but that was at Arapahoe Park.

Chips All In is going to need to step up his game if he is going to ruin the Bob Baffert exacta.

Post time for the Robert B. Lewis, race six on the ten-race card, is 6:05 ET.

Santa Anita – Strub Stakes

Tapizar Gets Tested

The final stakes race on Saturday at Santa Anita is the Strub Stakes for four-year-olds at nine-furlongs on the main track. The Grade 2 race drew a field of eight led by Tapizar.

Tapizar is a horse with a lot of talent as evident by his sensational win in the Grade 2 San Fernando last month. In the San Fernando Tapizar broke from the gate, made the lead shortly after then never looked back on his way to an easy three and one-half length victory.

Prior to the San Fernando the Tapit-colt was fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile after winning an allowance race by over two-lengths at Belmont Park. Tapizar started 2011 with hopes of running in the Derby, but after a disappointing fifth in the Robert Lewis he was taken off the trail when he was diagnosed with a chip in his knee.

In three career starts at Santa Anita Tapizar has two wins with his only defeat coming in the Lewis. The concern for the colt on Saturday is the distance and the presence of another front-runner.

Ultimate Eagle makes his dirt debut in the Strub after starting his career on the Hollywood Park synthetic track then running his last five races on the turf. Of the eight entrants, Ultimate Eagle is one of two horses with a Grade 1 win on the resume. The Mizzen Mast-colt won his Grade 1 at Hollywood Park in the Hollywood Derby at ten furlongs on the turf. Based on his work tab this will be the first time his trainer Michael Pender has put Ultimate Eagle on the Santa Anita main track.

The other Grade 1 winner in the field is the Bob Baffert-trainee Jaycito. Jaycito, by Victory Gallop, won his Grade 1 for trainer Mike Mitchell in the Norfolk Stakes in October 2010 when Santa Anita was using the synthetic surface. After a disappointing run in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and a layoff of 4 months the colt was transferred to Bob Baffert, who has run Jaycito twice.

The problem with Jaycito is not ability, but that another layoff shows up again on his form. He came back with a second in the Grade 2 San Felipe then was off another five months and ran fifth in an allowance race at Del Mar. Jaycito has not run since the trip to Del Mar, which came nearly seven months ago.

Prayer for Relief is the first to benefit from a pace duel between Tapizar and Ultimate Eagle. Prayer for Relief finished three and one-half lengths back of Tapizar in the San Fernando, but that was his first start since late-November and Tapizar was left alone on the lead. The Jump Start-colt has come back with a bullet work over the track and can spring a mild upset with a good trip.

The horse that benefits from a complete pace meltdown is the outside horse Balladry. Balladry was second in the San Fernando to Tapizar and was just able to get up for second over Prayer for Relief by a nose. The Strub will be his third start off the layoff, which has been a good angle in his past races. The nine-furlongs also helps his late run.

Beer Meister, shipping west from Arizona, Clubhouse Ride, off since January 2011, and Indian Winter, sprint to route with the blinkers on, complete the field.

The Strub Stakes goes as race eight on Saturday with a scheduled post time of 7:07 ET. It is the second leg of the late pick-4, which starts in race seven at 6:36.

Tampa Bay Downs – Sam F. Davis Stakes

Eleven Three-Year-Olds on the Oldsmar Oval

The second major three-year-old prep race this weekend is the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. The mile and one-sixteenth race drew a full field of eleven with every horse looking for their first graded victory on the dirt.

Two colts come into the race with graded victories, but they were on the turf at Saratoga and the synthetic track at Woodbine. Ironically enough the two, State of Play and Prospective, book end the Davis on Saturday.

State of Play will break from the rail and will be making his first start since a twelfth place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs. The Graham Motion-trainee is bred for the turf being by War Front so the move to the dirt is a big question mark. The positive for State of Play is that he has been stabled on the grounds since early January and has four works over the track.

Prior to the Juvenile Turf, State of Play won the Grade 2 With Anticipation around two turns on the Saratoga turf course and a maiden turf sprint over the same course. Alan Garcia ships in for the ride and should be one of the betting choices when the games open.

Prospective has something that State of Play does not have and that is a race over the track. Prospective also race on Breeders’ Cup day, but he ran in the Juvenile on the main track. That did not go as planned, finishing last by over 20-lengths.

The biggest win before shipping down from Canada for the Malibu Moon-colt was the Grade 3 Grey Stakes over the Woodbine synthetic track. After the last place finish at Churchill the connections regrouped and entered Prospective in the Pasco Stakes at seven furlongs at Tampa.

In the Pasco, Prospective ran near the back of the pack early, made a move to get up to fourth after six furlongs then just got up by a half-length at the wire. He will need to improve and get a good trip from post eleven to win on Saturday.

Neck ‘n Neck and Reveron have something that the top two choices don’t have and that is a win around two-turns on the main track.

Neck ‘n Neck broke his maiden by widening lengths in a maiden special weight race at Churchill Downs while Reveron won the Gulfstream Park Derby in nearly wire-to-wire fashion on New Year’s Day. With Todd Pletcher having a strong contingent at Gulfstream it would appear both Neck ‘n Neck and Reverson have found an easier spot, but they couldn’t duck Pletcher.

The Pletcher barn is represented in the Sam F. Davis by Ecabroni, a Smoke Glacken-colt who has won one of two races in his career. The speed figure earned in his last in only topped in the field by Neck ‘n Neck and Reveron. It is likely Ecabroni and Reveron will be disputing the early pace when the gates open.

Burning Time is the threat from off-the-pace if the speed is not holding. He finished fourth, beaten just over three lengths, in the Pasco and won the Foolish Pleasure around two turns at Calder in mid-September. Top jockey Leandro Goncalves takes the mount on the Burning Roma-colt.

Battle Hardened is an interesting maiden for trainer Eddie Kenneally with Julien Leparoux named to ride, but he is also entered for a race at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. He adds more pace should he stay in this race.

Completing the field are Holy Highway, Moroccan Brew, Fox Rules and Ravelo’s Boy. Post time for the Sam F. Davis is 5:10 ET.

Tampa Bay Downs – Endeavour Stakes

Grade 3 Turf Fillies and Mares

One race before the Sam F. Davis on Saturday is the Grade 3 Endeavour for fillies and mares, four-years-old and upward on the turf course. The mile and one-sixteenth race drew a field of ten and contention runs deep.

Zagora may be a heavy favorite in the race, but the five-year-old mare is vulnerable in her first start since mid-September at a distance that may not be her best.

Prior to the layoff Zagora has really done nothing wrong since being shipping across the pond from France. In her native country Zagora won four of eight races including wins in the Grade 3 Prix de Psyche at Deauville and the Grade 3 Prix Vanteaux at Longchamp. Both those races; however, were at distances longer than the Endeavour,

In six U.S. starts the Green Tune-filly has only one win with three seconds and a third. Her lone win came over a turf course at Saratoga rated “good” and was at nine-furlongs. She comes into the Endeavour as the mare to beat, but may need a start for her best and most handicappers love beating the favorite.

One mare that won’t have a problem with the distanced is Keertana for trainer Tom Proctor. The six-year-old mare has six starts with three wins, one second and two thirds at the one-and-one-sixteenth mile distance. Keertana comes in to the race off of back-to-back wins, but her last race was in May at Churchill Downs. That day she won the Grade 3 Louisville Handicap against the boys at twelve furlongs on the turf.

The top two choices have faced either other before with Zagora getting the best of her rival by almost two-lengths in the Grade 3 Hillsborough over the Tampa turf last year.

Exclusive Love has the edge of having a recent race over her two rivals as she is making her second start off a layoff after finishing seventh in the Grade 3 Marshua’s River at Gulfstream Park. She was only beat two lengths that day and will improve with the race under her belt.

Two new shooters to the graded turf stakes in the U.S. are the Irish-bred Crying Lightening and the Italian-bred Master Shade.

Crying Lightening has one start in the U.S. for her trainer James Toner and that did not go as planned. Bet to 10-1 the Holy Roman Emperor-filly was never in contention and finished tenth of eleven. The race was somewhat flattered when Hooh Why, second in the race, came back to win the Sunshine Filly & Mare Turf last weekend. In 2010 Crying Lightening was good enough to be second in a Grade 3 and will need to find that effort to hit the board on Saturday. One positive is the presence of top turf jock Julien Leparoux.

Master Shade only made two starts in Europe before coming over to the U.S., Crying Lightening made eight with four in Dubai, but has done a lot better. The Team Valor-owned, Graham Motion-trained filly has three wins in her five U.S. starts highlighted by a win in a $60,000 stakes race at Aqueduct in early November. That was the last time she ran, but her trainer is capable of getting one to run well of the layoff.

The remaining fillies and mares all have a claim on hitting the board on Saturday and could even upset with the right trip.

Dundalk Dust won the Grade 2 Fall City Highweight in 2010 over the Churchill Downs main track, but is bred for the turf and is two-for-five over the lawn.

Martita Sangrita makes her second start off a long layoff and runs for a high percentage trainers who is hitting with 20% of her second-off-layoff runners. Before the layoff Martita Sangrita ran well enough to be fourth and fifth in a pair of Grade 3 turf races.

Jenny’s So Great won the Grade 3 Royal North over six furlongs on the Woodbine turf course and may be better suited to a sprint, but she does have a win at nine-furlongs.

Blue Angel Express and Abuela look to be the two longest shots on the board.

Post time for the Endeavour is 4:40 ET and is the second leg of the late pick-4, which starts with a good maiden sprint in race nine at 4:12 ET.

Thoroughbred Racing Action

Weekend Stakes Action

Great racing action from across the country this weekend.  Watch these races all on BetAmerica.com.

Saturday – February 4

• Santa Anita: Robert B. Lewis Stakes – G2, $200,000, 3yo, 8.5f
• Santa Anita: Strub Stakes – G2, $200,000, 4yo, 9f
• Santa Anita: Arcadia Stakes – G2, $150,000, 4yo & up, 8f turf
• Tampa Bay Downs: Sam F. Davis Stakes – G3, $250,000, 3yo, 8.5f
• Tampa Bay Downs: Endeavour Stakes – G3, $150,000, 4yo & up f&m, 8.5f turf
• Tampa Bay Downs: Florida Oaks, $125,000, 3yo f, 8.5f turf
• Gulfstream Park: Needles Stakes, $60,000, 3yo, 5f turf
• Oaklawn Park: Essex Handicap, $100,000, 4yo & up, 8.5f
• Laurel Park: Marshua Stakes, $75,000, 3yo, 6f
• Turfway Park: WEBN Stakes, $50,000, 3yo, 8f
• Sunland Park: Budweiser Handicap, $50,000, 3yo & up, 5f
• Sam Houston: Jersey Lilly Stakes, $50,000, 4yo & up f&m, 8.5f turf
• Delta Downs: Louisiana Premier Night, 10 Stakes race, over $1-million purses

Sunday – February 5

• Santa Anita: San Antonio Stakes – G2, $200,000, 4yo & up, 9f

Gulfstream Park – Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf
Santa Anita – Sensational Star and Valentine Dancer
Gulfstream Park – Sunshine Millions Turf
Santa Anita – Crystal Water
Santa Anita – Grade 1 Santa Monica
Thoroughbred Racing Action
Harness Racing Action

Gulfstream Park – Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf

Start of the Luck Pick-6

The start of the Luck Pick-6, which carries a $1-minimum, on Saturday is the Filly & Mare Turf at Gulfstream Park. The nine-furlong race drew a field of nine; let’s take a look.

The morning line favorite for the race is Unbridled Humor at 5-2. The Graham Motion-trained mare is coming off a fourth place finish in the Grade 1 Matriarch at Hollywood Park in late November and while Motion is not known to have his horses cranked off the layoff, Unbridled Humor is two-for-two off breaks. Add to the fact that the Distorted Humor-mare won her debut and she enters the Filly & Mare Turf as the one to beat.

Unbridled Humor started her career off at four different tracks in three different states with four straight wins. After an allowance win at Delaware by eight lengths she was thrown into stakes competition and was seventh in the Grade 1 Diana at Saratoga. After that she won the Grade 3 Noble Damsel at Belmont before finishing second in the Grade 3 Athenia at Belmont and fourth in the Matriarch.

The drop in class for the mare helps her chances, but she will need to bring her A-game on Saturday to contend with the other mares.

Romacaca is the second choice on the morning line and she will try to get back into the winner’s circle after a third place finish in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa at Saratoga. Prior to the Ballston, Romacaca had won five straight and seven of her last ten. In seven career starts over the Gulfstream turf course Romacaca has four wins and one second making her a must-use in the pick-6.

With Speak Easy Gal and Hooh Why expected to set the pace plus Unbridled Humor, Romacaca and Trip for A.J. pressing the pace the race may set up for a closer. The best of the closers appear to be Askbut I Won’ttell and Romin Robin.

Askbut I Won’ttell put in a “dull effort” in her last race, an eleventh place finish in the $60,000 South Beach at Gulfstream Park in mid-December, but is a Grade 3 winner and has a win over the course. In last year’s Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf she was second behind Trip for A.J.

Romin Robin only has one win in her last ten starts and is only one-for-twelve over the Gulfstream turf course, but she was fourth in the race last year and she can pop with a big race. In July she was second in the Grade 3 Modesty Handicap at Arlington Park. She will most likely be a long price on Saturday, but could hit the board.

Zapparition, cutting back from eleven-furlongs, and Ventania, the longest shot on the board, round out the field. Zapparition ran well in her last race, but that was a slow run marathon. It is good that jockey Javier Castellano stays with the Ghostzapper-mare.

Post time for the Filly & Mare Turf is 4:10 ET.

Santa Anita – Sensational Star and Valentine Dancer

California-bred Turf Stakes

The bookends on the Santa Anita Sunshine Millions card are both on the turf with the Sensational Star for four-year-olds and upward on the downhill turf and the Valentine Dancer at one mile over the main turf course.

The Sensational Star is up first, post time 4:30 ET, and is expected to have one of the shortest prices on the card. It is the second leg in the Luck Pick-6.

Caracortado made his first start down the hill an impressive one and the past performances on the paper do not do the run justice. The five-year-old gelding was a pole behind in the early stages and coming into the stretch prompted track announcer Trevor Denman to call that the just did not fire, but Caracortado was far from being done.

After a wicked pace duel between Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint Champion Regally Ready and course specialist Mr. Gruff the race was set up to be won from off-the-pace. Caracortado exploded the final sixteenth of a mile making up six lengths and drawing off to win by just over a length.

He is the horse to beat on Saturday and would have won for fun if not for the entry of Compari, who is five-for-six at Santa Anita including a win down the hill. Compari will get first run on the leaders coming into the stretch and will have to hold off Caracortado’s late run. Ain’t No Other is the pace of the race and could round out the trifecta.

Two races later is the Valentine Dancer for fillies and mares and drew a field of ten. Unzip Me is the morning line favorite at 5-2, but will be making her first start on the turf around two-turns and is not the race mare she once was.

If this race was also down the hill then Unzip Me would be just as heavy of a favorite as Caracortado, but at one mile the race opens up a bit.

Halo Dolly is the second choice on the line shipping south for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer from her Northern California home base. She has won eight of fourteen career races including one at Del Mar in August.

La Sombre comes off a sprint race and could be the pace-setter in the Valentine Dancer. Her win in her last race, a state-bred allowance, was flattered when the second place mare Meltarib came right back to win in her next start.

With Unzip Me and La Sombre with Halo Dolly, Antares World and California Nectar not far behind, the pace should be a decent one. Secret Cove could also add more pace from her inside post so let’s look at the best of the closers.

Chokecherymary is a solid 10-1 on the morning line and picks up a good turf jockey in Corey Nakatani in the irons. Cayanna is 15-1 on the morning line and has only been out-of-the-money in two of her thirteen career races.

The Valentine Dancer, post time 5:30 ET, is the finale of the two-track pick-6 and looks like the a race to spread and hope for a price.

Gulfstream Park – Sunshine Millions Turf

Little Mike, Big Talent

The third leg of the Luck Pick-6 on Saturday, after the Sensational Star at Santa Anita, is the Sunshine Millions Turf for older horses. Like the fillies and mares the boys will be going nine-furlongs for a purse of $150,000.

The morning line favorite for the race is Little Mike, who is looking for his fourth straight win and fifth in six starts at Gulfstream Park. Off since April 2011 to December 2011 Little Mike came back to the races with a gutsy nose victory over Yankee Fortune in a high-level allowance race.

Prior to the layoff Little Mike had won the Grade 3 Appleton Turf and Canadian Turf at Gulfstream Park. The only two blemishes on his turf record were a sixth place finish in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap and a second in a $60,000 turf stakes at Aqueduct.

Little Mike is the pace of the race and horse to beat, but still must prove he can get the nine-furlongs.

Teaks North beat the favorite last year in the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap and will try to do the same thing on Saturday. After the Turf Handicap Teaks North would go on to win the Grade 3 Monmouth Park and Grade 1 United Nations, both at Monmouth Park, later in the year.

Eddie Castro and Jose Valdivia won on the five-year-old gelding last year, but the jockey on Saturday will be one of the country’s leading riders John Velazquez. He is going to have his work cut out for him and will need to time his ride just right to run down the favorite.

The toughest part of this race is trying to figure out which horse or horses can complete the tri and superfectas.

Slews Answer is 6-1 on the morning line and has run well over the turf course, but has yet to really face horses of this caliber. In his last race, a $125,000 stakes race on the Calder turf, he finished fifth behind Bad Debt, Roman Tiger and Livingston Street. Roman Tiger was disqualified and put behind Slews Answer, but the point is that the Graham Motion gelding needs to step up.

All three of those horses as well as Stay Red are in the Sunshine Millions Turf and each could hit the board. Roman Tiger probably does not want to go this far, Stay Red might want longer and Livingston Street is winless in 14 starts at Gulfstream.

Bad Debt is the most likely candidate to pick up the lead if Little Mike fades down the lane. He has made a living sitting just off the pace-setter in his prior races and you can’t count out a horse that has won ten of 26 career starts.

Beckham Bend will be right there with Bad Debt and gets a rider upgrade to Kent Desormeaux. Look for Kent to put his mount in the race early and is a good number at 15-1 on the morning line. Not sure if this matters, but only Beckham Bend and Stay Red are the only non-geldings in the field.

Allie’s Event has been second or third in five straight starts and will be running late under jockey Daniel Centeno. Two starts back the gelding was third behind Little Mike in the allowance race.

Bell by the Ridge and Blazen are the 20-1 outsiders.

The Sunshine Millions Turf race goes to post at 4:50 ET, up next is the Crystal Water at Santa Anita.

Santa Anita – Crystal Water

Can Thirtyfirststreet hold off Holladay Road?

The middle Sunshine Millions race at Santa Anita is the Crystal Water for four-year-olds and upward going a mile and one-sixteenth on the main track. The $100,000 race drew a field of six led by 2-1 morning line favorite Thirtyfirststreet.

Thirtyfirststreet is coming off the most impressive run in his thirteen-race career. In the two-turn allowance race the colt by Good Journey stalked the early pace then drew of down the lane to win by over six lengths. It was his second win in three starts over the Santa Anita main track and will be tough to be if he runs back to that race.

The concerns with the favorite is that he has not won back-to-back races since his second and third career race and he has not had a published work since that last race. When he did win back-to-back in late 2010 he had a month in between starts, but the race on Saturday is only sixteen days later.

Thirtyfirststreet showed a new dimension in the allowance race with his early stalking position and that may be the trip he gets in the Crystal Water.

Bluegrass Reward has route speed and has been on the lead in two of his last three races while Legal Separation and Macho Dorado are stretching out from sprints.

Bluegrass Reward has won two of his last three with the only loss coming when he did not make the lead. The best of his two wins came at Santa Anita in a state-bred allowance race in October. Jockey Joe Talamo has been riding lights out recently and you can never count out a Mike Mitchell-trained horse.

Legal Separation will always give you fight down the late and will try to take that two-turns for the first time in his 24-race career. The five-year-old gelding is not a win machine, but has been in-the-money in sixteen of those 24 races.

Macho Dorado freaked in his first start over a fast dirt track and was claimed by Bob Hess Jr., who immediately throws him back into stakes competition. In two stakes for his previous trainer the four-year-old gelding was eighth both times. Jockey Corey Nakatani has found himself on a couple of speed horses this meet and with Macho Dorado is likely to be battling with the early lead again.

The expected fast pace sets the race up for the two closers, Spud Spivens and Holladay Road. In six career races at Santa Anita Spud Spivens has only hit the board twice with no wins. Holladay Road, on the other hand, loves the Great Race Place.

Five times Holladay Road has run at Santa Anita with two wins and one second. Four of those races were when the track was synthetic, but his run in early October over the track proved he can be as successful on the dirt. Since being claimed by Julio Canani in July, Holladay Road is less than two lengths away from being four-for-four.

If Thirtyfirststreet is going to win then he has to avoid a pace duel and will need to hold off the late-running Holladay Road.

Post time for the Crystal Water on Saturday is 5:00 ET and is the fourth leg of the Luck Pick-6 between Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park.

Santa Anita – Grade 1 Santa Monica

Teddy’s Promise Looks for Four Straight

The Sunshine Millions is only one aspect of the Saturday card at Santa Anita as there are two others stake races on the day. Early in the card is the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel for three-year-old fillies, but the highlight of the day is the Grade 1, $300,000 Santa Monica for older fillies and mares.

The seven furlong sprint drew a field of seven with two fillies coming off of impressive scores. The first of those fillies is Teddy’s Promise, who will likely be the post-time favorite.

To begin her career Teddy’s Promise was under the care of trainer David Hofmans and ran well enough to score two wins in eight starts. Since being switched to the Ron Ellis barn; however, the Salt Lake-filly has really thrived.

After finishing third and second in her first two races for Ellis Teddy’s Promise has visited the winner’s circle three times in a row. She started her streak in October at Santa Anita then won an allowance race at Hollywood Park before taking the Grade 1 La Brea over the track and distance in her last.

In the La Brea Teddy’s Promise was one of the longest shots on the board, but was an easy winner, drawing off to win by just over two lengths. In fifth place that day was Include Me Out, another Ron Ellis-trainee, who came right back this past Sunday to win the Grade 2 La Canada.

Also behind her in the La Brea were Home Sweet Aspen and Sugarinthemorning, who are both back to try to turn the tables on the favorite. Home Sweet Aspen will be forcing the pace under jockey Joel Rosario while Rafael Bejarano will have Sugarinthemorning at the back of the pace early on.

The other filly who is coming off an impressive win is the Richard Mandella-trained Rumor. Rumor was always cut out to be a star for the Hall-of-Fame trainer after winning her debut by almost seven lengths in 2010 at Santa Anita. The Indian Charlie-filly has run seven times in her brief career and has yet to finish worse than second.

Her most recent win was in the $79,000 Kalookan Queen Handicap at Santa Anita on New Year’s Day. In the Kalookan Queen she was mid-pack early on, but made a strong move to hit the lead coming into the stretch then drew off to win by just over two.

Trying to separate the two is going to be difficult, but note that the La Brea and Kalookan Queen came in back-to-back days with Rumor scoring the higher speed figure. The pace in the Kalookan Queen was also quicker, but both fillies ran their six furlongs in about the same time.

The difference between the two was in the final part of the race. If you just take the raw numbers then Teddy’s Promise would have blown right by Rumor late in the race. It’s going to definitely be a jockey’s race on Saturday with the top two looking best.

Bella Diamante and Big Tiz round out the field and both have races that would put them in a position to get third.

Post time for the Santa Monica is 7:00 ET and goes as race nine on the ten-race card.

Thoroughbred Racing Action

Weekend Stakes Action

Great racing action from across the country this weekend.  Watch these races all on BetAmerica.com.

Saturday – January 28

• Gulfstream Park: Sunshine Millions Classic, $400,000, 4yo & up, 9f
• Gulfstream Park: Sunshine Millions Turf, $150,000, 4yo & up, 9f turf
• Gulfstream Park: Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf, $150,000, 4yo & up f&m, 9f turf
• Gulfstream Park: Sunshine Millions Sprint, $150,000, 4yo & up, 6f
• Gulfstream Park: Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Sprint, $150,000, 4yo & up f&m, 6f
• Gulfstream Park: Sunshine Millions Distaff, $300,000, 4yo & up f&m, 9f
• Santa Anita: Santa Monica Stakes – G1, $300,000, 4yo & up f&m, 7f
• Santa Anita: Santa Ysabel Stakes – G3, $100,000, 3yo f, 8.5f
• Santa Anita: Crystal Water Stakes, $100,000, 4yo & up, 8.5f
• Santa Anita: Sensational Star Stakes, $100,000, 4yo & up, 6.5f turf
• Santa Anita: Valentine Dancer Stakes, $100,000, 4yo & up f&m, 8f turf
• Sam Houston: John B. Connally Turf Cup Stakes – G3, $200,000, 4yo & up, 9f turf
• Laurel Park: Dancing Count Stakes, $75,000, 3yo, 6f
• Oaklawn Park: King Cotton Stakes, $50,000, 4yo & up, 6f
• Turfway Park: Forego Stakes, $50,000, 4yo & up, 6.5f

Sunday – January 29

• Gulfstream Park: Holy Bull Stakes – G3, $400,000, 3yo, 8f
• Gulfstream Park: Forward Gal Stakes – G2, $200,000, 3yo f, 7f
• Santa Anita: Wishing Well Stakes, $75,000, 4yo & up, 6.5f turf

Harness Racing Action

Weekend Stakes Action

Great racing action from across the country this weekend.  Watch these races all on BetAmerica.com.

Saturday – January 28

• The Meadowlands: Presidential Stakes, $100,000, 3yo & up open pace
• The Meadowlands: Complex Stakes, $75,000, 3yo – 5yo open pace
• The Meadowlands: Clyde Hirt Stakes, $75,000, 4yo h&g pace