HORSE RACING

Santa Anita Horse Racing Picks for Friday 5/22/20

With most of the sports world on pause, it's a great time to dive into horse racing, and FanDuel Racing gives you the chance to do just that.

Starting at 3:30 p.m. EST, we have 10 races at Santa Anita. Using our projections as a guide, here are some of the best bets.

As always, keep an eye out for scratches and changes.

Hot On The Trail and Your Royal Call, Race 2

FD Racing Odds: 5/2 and 2/1

Hot On The Trail and Your Royal Call have the shortest odds to win Race 2, but numberFire's projections see this duo finishing first and second, and Daily Horse Picks overwhelmingly agrees. DHP sees each filly having above a 36% chance of winning, with a 95% chance of finishing top-three. No other horse comes close.

Hot On The Trail has only raced once in 2020, finishing fifth at this distance in February (5.5 furlongs), but she's looked good in recent May workouts, ranking 13th of 27 at 4.0 furlongs and 11th out of 95 at 5.0 furlongs. Overall, she has one win and two thirds across nine races dating back to late 2018.

Meanwhile, Your Royal Call hasn't raced since March, but she finished runner-up in that contest and won in February. According to numberFire's stats, the filly owns the top high speed rating in this field.

Considering the short odds, this could be a spot where you place an exacta wager on these two to spice things up.

Miss Bennett (6/1) is numberFire's pick to finish third, and she owns the second-best high speed rating. DHP gives her a solid 41% chance of placing top-three.

Smiling Annie, Race 3

FD Racing Odds: 5/2

Smiling Annie is the favorite to win this six-horse contest, and numberFire likes her to succeed. DHP also digs the mare's chances, pegging her for a 52% chance of winning and a 95% chance of at least showing. Per numberFire's stats, Smiling Annie owns the second-best high speed rating of this group.

She's performed fairly well recently, finishing 4th out of 10 in March and 2nd out of 5 in February -- both at this same distance in Santa Anita.

Square Peggy (7/2) is a strong choice to finish runner-up. Her recent form hasn't been great, but she notched four wins in 2019 and comes in with the best high speed rating.

Manresa, Race 4

FD Racing Odds: 8/5

Yes, as shown by those odds, we have another favorite in Manresa, but she's going to be awfully tough to best in Race 4. Both numberFire and DHP see her with the best chance of taking this one, with DHP giving 55% odds of a victory.

numberFire's metrics side strongly with Manresa, giving her the group's best power and high speed ratings. And according to DHP, she easily bests the field in pace, and she also owns the second-best speed rating.

Although Manresa's still a maiden, she's place top-three in three of four career races.

Red Valor, Race 7

FD Racing Odds: 6/1

If you're looking for a bit more betting value, Red Valor is intriguing at 6/1 odds in Race 6. He has the fourth-shorted odds, but numberFire sees him finished second to favorite Mayan Warrior (2/1). Red Valor is tied for the second-best power rating behind Mayan Warrior.

DHP also sees Red Valor being in the mix, with a 48% shot of grabbing first, second, or third.

The gelding's recent form has been somewhat mixed, but he notched second place in February and was victorious in December.

Tizamagician, Race 8

FD Racing Odds: 2/1

Tizamagician is the class of Race 8, and good luck to the rest of the competition. He's the projected winner in numberFire's model and boasts, far and away, the top power rating. DHP sees 46% odds of victory and a 99% chance of cracking the top three. He also tops the field in DHP's speed and pace ratings.

The colt finished fourth his last time out, but he posted a career-best Equibase Speed Figure. In seven career races, Tizamagician has won once and placed runner-up four times. He's also performed well in May workouts.